Then Leona surprised him. ‘You talking about that boy? He’s just bored and lonely, don’t know no better. You could probably make friends with him real easy if you tried.’
He laughed.
‘Well, that’s what’s the matter with most people,’ Leona insisted, plaintively, ‘ain’t got nobody to be with. That’s what makes them so evil. I’m telling you, boy, I know.’
‘Don’t call me boy,’ he said.
‘Well,’ she said, looking startled, ‘I didn’t mean nothing by it, honey.’