'When I was in high school' Muriel said, tapping her foot at Edward 'my teacher told me I should go to college. But, well, I didn't. Than because of Norman, mostly. My ex-husband. He was just dying to marry me, you see, but we were awful young to get married. I was seventeen. He was eighteen'
On the second lesson they had done walking to hell, and now in the third lesson Edward was supposed to be learning to lie down and stay. It was not going well. Edward just looked away when Muriel gave the command, which was two taps of the foot. In between telling Macon about her ex-husband Norman, Norman's dog, Norman's mother, and Norman's mother car, Muriel had to keep pulling Edward's front legs out from under him and forcing him to lie down.
When it was Macon's turn to do this. he had to use the hall table to pull himself back on his feet. 'This ie very difficult. I don't suppose you ever broke a leg' he said accusingly.
' I broke an arm once,' Muriel said
'An arm is no comparison'
'I did it training dogs, in fact. A big German guard dog. He knocked me off a porch, and then stood over me, Showing all his teeth. But only one of you can be boss. So I tell him 'Absolutely not' and hold out my left hand stare into his eyes'
'Jesus' Macon said
Muriel had lots of stories about her dog-training experiences. 'I've had no failures yet. And Edward's not about to be my first,' she told Macon. 'You keep practicing and I'll be back Saturday'
All that afternoon Edward refuse to lie down. Macon tried everything. Rose and the boys edged around the two of them, politely avoiding any involvement in this private argument.
The next morning Edward attacked the mailman 'We're not solving the real problem' Macon told Edward. He tapped his foot twice. Edward did not lie down.
In the afternoon Macon called the Meow-Bow. 'May I speak to Muriel, please?'
'She's not working today, Her little boy is sick.' a girl said.
He hadn't known she had a little boy. It changed the way he thought of her; she was a different person from the one he'd imagines.