Atdtda22: Spitting Walker, 619-621

[Paul Nightingale]

The appearance of Foley Walker is real enough to Kit, it seems; first
spotted "in the middle of Gottingen", he "keep[s] his acts of visitation for
the night" (620). Reference to "the minie ball in my head" and "being bought
and sold" take us back to their first meeting, Foley "obliged to tell his
Civil War Substitute story" (100); having struck a deal with Kit he goes on
to talk about "seeking reparations" (104), as though dissatisfied with the
way things have turned out. In the current section: "... I can tell you
about being bought, and sold, and the obligations that come with that"
(620). And then, complaining: "You weren't honest ..." etc. Here, Foley says
the shot in his head has "transmuted, not to gold, that would be too much to
expect ..." etc. Earlier, on 618, Kit told Yashmeen: "My Pa always used to
say, if it doesn't work with gold, the next step will be lead."

At the start of the chapter we saw Kit's "hidden talent for precognition",
one that "insulated [him], he hoped, from any Vibe arrangements" (615).
However, towards the end of the section, when Yashmeen says he "owe[s] them
nothing", Kit suggests "they might not agree" (619). A few lines down, the
new section begins with "the spit of Foley Walker". Apparently, "no one else
seem[s] to notice, despite Foley's telltale fatality for the garish". Kit is
preparing to leave; life goes on as normal, confirming his marginal status
in Gottingen. The "apparition" (620) speaks to him alone.