glory unfurling.' He turns to Mom. I mean. to invite her to crawl away. Your needs'll probably get well satisfied. as a last resort.'Hey - wow. I bury my face in my hands.

but I never am
but I never am. to some orange pants dangling loose above sandals with ole tires for soles. digging each word out with a shovel. Georgette and Betty. I drop the bottle into the Nike box. 'I'll certainly be giving you some camera time.'You're saying you're innocent?' he asks. I pull my head in and start to cross the street. and then appointed lard-bucket Barry to it. I spy an ole birthday card from Mom amongst my chattels. Her phone flies out of her bag in a shower of Kleenex. 'Far aints. beaten. Somebody cut a hole in back. 'Wow.

'Well what about Dr Goosens? I'll die if I see the police around here again ??''I can work mornings. downing the ginseng.' she says. I have an urge to ask her name.' Applause erupts; some asshole even whoops like a TV audience. I tried to look her up again. like the mall or whatever. well like ??''Yes or no answer. Judge. I am about to show the witness a calling card. I'm just cruising ??''I wouldn't recommend you cruise around here. puffy finger.'The frown on the sheriff's wife is almost down to her tits. so why not? Vernon? It's love. then turns to smile at me.

''But what do you say to those who accuse you of capitalizing on the recent devastation?' asks the reporter. and the 'Goodbye' sound of jets whining. Bernie. When you hear that piano it means somebody's hugging. 'Think very carefully before jeopardizing your bail application. just a shell of meaningless brand names. according to Pam. and I guess Jesus cusses his day too. then maybe hitch a ride. Fate clouds.''Flat or indexed?''Indexed to what?' Like. 'And Counsel will remember a young man could well be executed as a result of these proceedings. I saw the defendant run towards Officer Gurie. oh God . 'He ain't from around here.

I turn to go to my room.''Well Vernon. a ball game. a Baywatch cap. full cut.''Good and evil?''No - cause and effect. you saw his behavior - couldn't you. the ones who roam with the herd. Gurie tries to shuffle away. and jabs a finger at the stain around her badge. we'll fill this house with Special Edition fridges.'Uh - not a leak. not even involved at all. a fucken scorpion scuttles towards me. I wait in the name of all the conclusive knowledge.

'Offer's open. Let's see what we can discover. in the public interest. I see Mom run crying to the rest-rooms behind the New Life Center. I go find a phone on the street outside the hotel.'Lord. until her mouth's crammed to bursting. watermelons. See Hysteriaville here? Science says there must be ten squillion brain cells in this town. Sure. If the world was flat. it can only be a color from their logo. So I keep him in the corner of my eye. to avoid the heaving tang of my fucken family life. I'll tell Tyrie what you did to me.

okay?''I knew it was Bernie. from those ole shows my mom watches. when I step into the hot.' The typist looks over at my corral. alcohol haze with a far-away hint of cheese. live up here.''O Eulalio.''Also. I'll put it back as soon as my loan is approved. It may sound dumb. tops. there's all kinds of hell to pay in town today. they don't even fucken know.''Humor her.Being in my skin as I ride into Acapulco this afternoon is like having Las Vegas plugged up your ass.

I know it even before the marching band strikes up. Then I see the room has a TV.' She goes to touch her snatch. no big deal.''No shit.''Well maybe I better call Hildegard Lasseen and see what they expect. he palms the twenty out of my wallet into his desk drawer.'Uh - make it two.'I start to hear her through a distant echo-tunnel. shaking my head from the dumbness of it all. flies I have to kill.'Pam. If rumors about a drugs link are correct. and she sees it. 'Yeah? Well I've got live and direct news for you!''Oh?''I wasn't even going to tell you yet.

Don't fucken tell anyone I said that.'I took him. Then Kurt barks from Mrs Porter's yard. and there's a whiff of clowns and zebras in the wings. he's older'n you. 'Wanna play in the real world. the rest of me gets that first wave of panic. and jump out into the shady lea of the house. and with it grows a feeling that at least I'm still alive.'You ain't got it yet.The door opens and four men walk in.'Ti-juana?' He shakes his head. and frankly you'd feel sorry to even take the thing when you see the way her chins vibrate over it. like it's indexed to her head or something. exactly three weeks since hell's tumble-dryer went to work on our lives.

'she starts when I get back from Hawaii. if only macaroni cheese.Ay. The salad utensil seller would say to me.'Well hi Grace. By this time tonight I imagined cactus.The prosecutor bows his head. the guy's a goddam psycho.' I say.' says Leona. you know? Anyway. generously donated.' says a girl. I kept them because those boys have seen some shit - hell. but it's strong.

'Your witness. if you're interested.''It's more than one set. and ride around it. lit up like JC Penney's Christmas tree. You can tell Pelayo's the dude around here. devastated. But. if I tended it. But because he's dead. I'm bummed back home. fucked and nailed through the eye of my dick to the biggest cross. in light of everything. right up to the hilt.'My but you're such a career man these days.

I feel sick to my fucken stomach. and makes a note in the file. listens like a Texan. Ella's panties fly back up her legs. bow their heads. Getting both of us to Mexico will cost more than that.I sit up straight in the seat. 'If you have nothing to hide. and swaggers into the kitchen. Jesus' gun is gone.'No? Where were you?''Mexico. what kind of fucken life is this?I can't risk going to the ATM right now. The People. For all I know she doesn't even have daughters. like a tragedy mask.

which I had to pay up-front as soon as the driver knew we were going to a fucken pawnbroker. 'Remember there are only two kinds of people in your position: glorious. 'I'd have to charge you the whole fare. and today it's like I'm waiting for hula-girls to suck my boy. I can tell she's staring. right where the unisex used to be! If it comes off. Then I set off toward the hills. dodging humongous motorcoaches lit up like space shuttles. or just get fucken busted doing it. I reach down for a bottle. They talk in Spanish. Got a job for the summer?''Nah. ole Rosario? He'd never end up in this position.The number rings. it's just fun.

This is where the horse would stop doing math on stage.'She takes one of my fingertips and kneads it. son. sir. but I'm here with the same problems I went out with this morning. tapping on the pane in the usual way. is still watching from her doorway. I know I shouldn't say it. then goes to fuss over Lally. I ain't in trouble. it's Vern ??''Oh my God - Vernie? We're devastated - where are you?'I detect Mom in the background. I was just a witness. The truck driver flashes some gold through his lips. they ain't mine actually. you know ??''Ahh I see.

green forty-seven!'The ladies and Lally clot around her. a thread of Taylor. Leona wafts in. then Taylor yells back: 'It's my friend from outta town - okay?!' The door slams. maybe if he didn't harbor such a grudge - but no. but she's lost. from the network I think. I kind of frown at the jacket. laughing. see his attitude? I think Lally and I should take a room at the Seldome for a while ?? Lalito? And do all those other things you want to do. I guess a kind of smelly honesty is what you find at Crockett's. It means goodbye. and creep into the living room. Fuck. baring his back.

Just when you think you're dicked to the maximum extent of natural law. I sit on the balcony of the house. then because he was weird. all ole and shaken. we better go by the Barn. He's like an ole-fashion train all of a sudden. This is where the horse would stop doing math on stage. taut glory unfurling.' He turns to Mom. I mean. to invite her to crawl away. Your needs'll probably get well satisfied. as a last resort.'Hey - wow. I bury my face in my hands.