“We’ve been expecting this call for years, Wilum. A long time ago we decided Clara would take Cora’s children when the time came.”
“But, how—”
“It was coming. It was just a matter of when. It’s a shame, son. I wish you could have seen your mother and father when they were young. She was so pretty, and he was so handsome. You look an awfully lot like he did. I don’t know when it went wrong. Woodie always liked his whiskey, but he handled it okay. And he made a good husband for Cora and father for you kids—at first. I’ve seen lots of men take to drink before, but I’ve never seen them surrender to it all of a sudden like he did. It probably had something to do with his experiences in the army.
“Woodie was in the army?”
She paused. “Yes, but only for a little while. He got sent home for so
