The Rainmaker

Rudy speaks with Miss Birdie, who is excited to see him. Lonely, she lives in a big house. After a brief chat, they talk about Miss Birdie’s will. She wants to cut out her sons and their families and leave most of her wealth with a televangelist. Rudy views televangelists as manipulative crooks. He learns that most of Miss Birdie’s money is in Atlanta, left to her by her dead husband, who inherited the assets from his brother. Rudy wonders just how much Miss Birdie is worth.

Rudy works part time at a bar called Yogi’s, which is owned by Prince. According to rumor, Prince is involved in the “skin business” and illegal gambling. Because Prince is a good friend and boss, Rudy doesn’t care. He likes working at Yogi’s but laments his financial situation and feels pessimistic about life after graduation: “I’ll become a casualty, a statistic, another law student who’s fallen through the cracks of the legal profession” (78).

Rudy travels around the city searching for a job. He always speaks to the law firm’s secretary first, because “it’s standard procedure. No lawyer in the world will admit or have his secretary admit that he is anything less than swamped” (81).