Normally, a case like that, you expect the father to make things right. But my father had the farmhand's attitude, meek, don't rock the boat. A cabo is a powerful guy, and furthermore this one and his brother were cousins of the overseer. My father told Precy, don't go to the creek alone anymore. Not a word to the cabo or the brother.

     To me that wasn't good enough. I sweetened the edge on my cane knife. I waited till the middle of the night. I went to the cabo's house, I found the brother, I put that knife to his throat. Believe me—there's nothing will wake you up ruder than sharp steel on your neck. I told him, you're still around by sundown, I'll eat your eggs for dinner.

     He was out of there. But first he told his brother. The brother told the overseer, and the overseer must have mentioned it to Luis. Next thing I know, I'm sitting in Luis's office. I'd seen him once or twice before, but never this close. Never to speak to, definitely. And he's saying to me, “You threatened the brother of your cabo.” I say, “That's right, I got nothing against my cabo, but his brother is a fucking pervert.” I say, “You want perverts on your farm? It's your farm, it's up to you, but if you ask me, this makes you look bad, perverts on your farm.” Talking all kinds of trash, you understand, because I was scared. I already knew, the scareder you are, the crazier you should act.

     I'm not saying that Luis bought the act. But he liked it. He told me I didn't belong in the fields. He was right about that—you don't want troublemakers on the farm. He made me a bodyguard. Really, I was on a crew of four or five guys that more or less took care of details, you see, all the jobs that people with juice and money always need doing. Deliver this, pick up this, meet so-and-so. I don't mean going to market, either. The kind of thing where you carry a gun, use your head, and don't ask questions.

     The rough shit didn't get bad for a couple of years. It'd be, Hey boys, they caught another union organizer on the farm, why don't you escort him off the property. And if you