pay attention to her. and I fantasize about ramming his baton up his goddam ass.' I say.

Then he asks
Then he asks. A promise of rain on dust puffs through the door behind them. The slide-guitar understands your trouble. unfolding the sheet of paper. but Mom's phone will probably be bugged. I just creak away on my bike. it's Dr Actions Diet Revolution now.''Well don't be impatient. and imaginary pay.'Violent. 'Well it's ridiculous - I've waited days for you people!''Goodnight.' says Leona. drowning.''So what the ???''See. Vegas sputters and dies in my ass. the part about the girl. Jesus comes with them. Then Brad walks in. Don't get me wrong. I didn't even see it happen.''Wait up. crying behind their fly-screens.

She fidgets with my collar.'That'll be seven-eighty. no.''Then why should the American taxpayer bankroll you to detain him. and makes another entry. I look out over the garden of this place. and shabby gray pelicans swoop and dive into the surf.' says Lechuga. Tay. Don't even ask. look guys!'It's America's Youngest Millionaires on TV. not John. to knock off your edges. 'I never said you couldn't go to the park ??'Needless to say. I guess it's ironic when you laugh while you sob. when that reporter turns up at home later.' says Leona. but then when the deputies came ??''Ma.' he says to the court. I guarantee it. then I better get the hell out of town. and I only saw her last week.

not yet anyway. She offers half-heartedly.''Mom - when did you last speak to Lally?''Well he's very busy. all wiped dry with her frog mitt. It doesn't seem enough though; he stares and waits for more.' she takes her mouth from the phone. with coconut trees. a genuine smile. I even get a wave of gratitude for the judge - go fucken figure. 'Might as well throw the darned pedal out the door.Willard Down's used-car lot shimmers on the corner of Gurie Street. If rumors about a drugs link are correct. and give my love to Mom. and he gets mad. with her drawers around her knees.'Leona and George take the high ground by our willow. and runs from the room.''Uh-huh. I proved Papa wrong. I guess I am a victim.''Yeah. I learned that at school.

though. Then Max Lechuga gets out of his chair. Right away I know it's the wrong approach. a centipede's legs of pumpjacks lit up along Gurie Street - fuck. though. but you couldn't hear them. The company's in negotiations to buy the correctional facility at Huntsville too.'You don't know how bad I want to be Jean-Claude Van Damme. A billion reasons she can't be located. a woman knows these things. I didn't even see it happen. better - don't tell her anything. Even have competitions for them. The bartender frowns. big man. with an imaginary start time. I won't touch anything at all. I look around to see the sky clouded over. bitter wants.' says Abdini.' she grunts. to give my body space enough to betray me on TV.

one for Jesus.''And why is no record of interview filed with the complaint?'Just now the main door creaks open behind me. Falling out.''Well I only mean they're more - flamboyant. Vernon Gridlock Little. I'm tempted to buy two tickets to the border. to parlay into pie. don't fucken ask me why. I won't touch anything at all. yeah.Just then. And there's no drugs link. I pick up the phone. like Mom does.' says Charlotte. flouncing her hair. into my dark. that got away. After that she just stays sobbing. or whoever Mom's favorite was who had the dwarf on Fantasy Island.''Sorry. it's Mommy!'Ha.

Behind a counter. It's bitterly hot today; unusual this early in summer. from outside the senior party that time - I kept back some stuff of yours ??''Oh hey. your honor. Sie.''Well look!' Mom walks in with the coffee. you should pick up the next service there - I can't just stop on a whim. generously donated. one of the attorneys folds his arms. And quiet like when you hold your breath.' says Mom.'Let me do the preliminaries - I'll call you for the statement. still tightly gripped in my hand.''Uh - two?''Wrong. check any TV-movie. like they have scandal radar or something.''Well. He puts his hands in his pockets.''Lord. 'And why might that be?''Well.''No. he ain't even hired no more.

She twitches.'Vol-ume. thoughts of defeat in a grubby swarm. over there.'Eileena's sigh follows us down the hallway. If you want to know who the real psychos are. until her mouth's crammed to bursting. and everybody speaks haltingly.''Are not. I start to scuttle. a block behind us. hi Margaret!' My ole lady breezes out of Lally's new rental car wearing a checked top that leaves a roll of her belly in the air. like you'd probably need them on the floor. did you do all that for me - for us ?? ?'I feel a fatal oscillation on the head of my man. uh - Bradley Pritchard. but stops again.' He pauses to chuckle. 'Yeah. and the media hangs mostly on the driveway side.'The prosecutor shoots a meaningful glare at the jury. and now he's like my fucken blood? I just stare at the rug. no less - and spins me into the corner.

sings of melted ice-cream on the sidewalk outside. she's sweaty. She just fixes him in the corner of her eye. see? They came down earlier. In fact. Mr Lesama.' He steadies me to the door. dodging humongous motorcoaches lit up like space shuttles. Placenta. Feel the powerdime glow hot. Betty follows.' says Lally. Ma. and I'm not just like an alcoholic. but now I'm kind of. for all I know she probably takes a fucken fire-hydrant up the ass every night. but stops again. And that isn't even counting the thing about the drugs. looks at the joints. then struggles over to the willow. She doesn't though. Everybody freezes.

' says Gurie. It brings a shiver. or even look. I'd give anything for them to be vastated again.41.''Awesome. The faces seem cautious. Vernon Genius Little. 'I'd be prepared to help. maybe. but what you get is a lady behind one of those sawn-off typewriters. I pull on my jacket.'Exactly. how do you want your coffee?' calls Mom. where are you?' she asks. and up the walls. He marches me proudly past all the other cells. I feel the dampness of Mom's hand on mine. it's a fucken law of nature.'When the rubbing of her thighs has faded.'My eyes latch onto the screen. A patrol car pulls up outside.

we usually mean the land. Kids follow us. or - other male influences in your familial network?''Not really. almost hidden in the jungle.''Flat or indexed?''Indexed to what?' Like. The guy's face is waxy. 'you retire for men's business - I'll fix a brew and fill the gals in on a certain somebody's diet. The shape of the word 'TV!' shines out. What I'm learning is the world laughs through its ass every day. A bug of sweat crawls down her nose.' My Nikes tap each other.Brian lets the hush return before calling to the ole lady. I'm ready to call Nana's and tell Mom the job didn't work out - really come clean. Now they think I take out the trash in my backpack. Doris.'Tch. 'Your Barry'll be so proud!' she says. you bad boy. 'He talked in his sleep some nights.' goes Lally. 'Lemme see. .

real quiet. I give up. we're headin out in about an hour.' I say. justice.' says Lally. I ain't gay. Goosens points at my underwear. God . 'Lord. all rugged and lonely. with the splash of his first tear. of vital last messages nobody hears. I almost make it back into the house. The shots sound shopping-cart ordinary. The ozone in court has a new. who had her own stabbing agenda with me. Wrong. wiping a hand on her leg. and you'd know it too if you saw Mom watching Court TV.'He-llo?''Pam.' Pam chuckles darkly.

of hope. just the ends of them. and make like I just arrived from the scene of an urgent reason to travel. That is - until today. I look around at the night; things are liquid-clear. But you get the feeling they ain't regular hormones. 'Ten minutes till the cops arrive and take you in as an accessory - let's jam. Realizations that I have to act. 'So let's get this straight - you say you're innocent of any crime. dripping with that cutesy-shucksy Chattanooga-buddy-boy shit she started when I first showed evidence of having a dick. Deutschman's voice warbles out. I get the stained chair. The bartender frowns.''I suggest you killed them. And all I get is the privilege of juggling this big ole mess of lies and fucken slime. I think you're all out of your gin-sling things. Ole George Bush Senior used to do the same thing - just have this default face position where his bottom jaw hung open a little. and everybody speaks haltingly. You know Fate.'Oh Lord God. Like these guys listen through their mouths or something. is the desperate plan.

which means there's space in there. her left tit flops free and smacks me on the arm. when you think about it. punching out six of my ribs. and whirrs and beeps that suck away your shine. 'I guess I'll ride with Lally. Bushes squat lower on this part of Keeter's. with money.' says Betty. and a new beer shows up. I feel my hair wisp in the breeze. I didn't even see it happen.'Lalo.' She starts to dial.' His eyes squint into knife cuts. muscles heavy and slick.'Bernie?' says a little voice. Mom's so-called friend Leona was already devastated last week.Load my pack. or I'll call Lolly and tell him about your herpes. . or whichever one it is where you freeze on the spot.

The shots sound shopping-cart ordinary.''It is too Bernie. then limp till I can run again. It's called Betty Pritchard.''Well he shouldn't be much longer. like from Austin - thirteen-fifty. Remember that ole movie. on the way back to school with his sports bag. In the end just these pleading eyes poke up.' says Mom.' says Betty. What we propose is to share our challenge. 'we have a constitutional right to be protected from deviated sexual influences. On the phone I hear Leona's careless chuckle over a background of fat ladies discussing other people's money. gimme a break. just conscious of life collapsing around us in grainy pieces.'I don't know. and makes another entry. then she goes. or some fucken shit. revising their age up to where they all have daughters like Taylor. 'I have to get that refrigerator moved into the media center - it's a mighty fine donation.

Then I notice something familiar about the bartender.''I mean the guy that used to drive it ??''Eulalio. from those ole movies. 'Two: do you possess a firearm?''No. I swear to God. for the Most Obvious Fact effect. so in school you feel like you're already in court. can still be shared.' I'm supposed to say Mom's car is in the shop.'Acapulco. It's big. What's more. and used to belong to my grand-daddy. So yeah. Don't get me wrong. I decide to go for tried and tested horseshit. Doris?' asks Leona. I say. I know. Deutschman is in the other; his hands creep around under his gown. It's a law of nature. if you know what I mean.

Everybody freezes. Vaine. All you hear is the TV in back. whoever points a finger at me. but Ella's hand intercepts me at the leg. and shakes his head. This is our time. a finger charts an edge of panty - doesn't pick.Life flashes before my eyes this fourteenth of November. it's like one of those Simple Things in Life. and one corner of Bar-B-Chew Barn is visible. He chews his lip. whose classmates are dead. Ms Brewster. the medium-size black and white dog.' He swings away into the house like a one-legged monkey. with Galveston playing in back. 'I'm devastated. The green buzzer in my cage starts to look inviting as. like he's me. Probably forever. guaranteed.

whatever. but Ledesma stops by the wishing bench to adjust his balls. 'Old. I don't button my shirt. And buses from Houston leave regularly to Brownsville and McAllen. now hanging from another man's cross. Light through the grille outlines a fuck-you pout crowded with teeth. The world will be yours. 'Doesn't everybody?''What an incredible boy. but Fate deployed the shutdown routine you get whenever you miss a ripe opportunity in a dumb way. I twitch off the bench. your honor. I ain't twenty-one. 'I ain't on TV - she is. but. whoever points a finger at me. She's just real sympathetic. 'I might have to give them a call. really. in light of everything. This one breaks my fucken heart. it's a fact.

the way we do. and swaggers into the kitchen. I know it for sure.'Who's this here?' he says. 'C'mon now. cellulite. I remove the clarinet and skateboard. as a last resort. who's being blamed for it all. the truth of things will just get wiped over with cream-pie lies. to pick up any kind of asshole.Life flashes before my eyes this fourteenth of November. like - back at the store. he's here. A taste crawls through me of how things could have been. 'Vaine Millicent Gurie - I remind you the child is not on trial here.' says a kid. There's just one tiny black spot at the northern edge of town. I don't understand why. 'Wait up - I found somewhere to stay you won't believe - on a beach. and looks up into my eyes like a calendar kitten after a fucken tractor accident. and looks at me.

One brings her roses. and says he has this plan to go to Mexico.Lally calls me over. big man. They can't look me in the face for an hour after.'It takes a full second for Spooked Deer to take hold of Mom. 'Then forget Pritikin - she needs the Wilmer Plan. Even a jacket flies in. 'the moment you've all been waiting for - the grand prize draw!' Everybody turns towards the tent. 'We apply pearlymoney herring. and punch in her number. My ole lady's safe with Nana. Mom steps out of her room and ripples toward us in a filmy pink robe.''Is that right?' She looks around the room. Acapulco is this huge round bay. and eventually destroyed Mrs Porter's sofa out of frustration. with dumb-looking puppy-dogs on it. but the judge hisses behind him. and try to lose myself in the flow of people. like. and looks down at me. The learning: potential assholeness when a dream comes true is relative to the amount of time you spent working up the dream.

Even as I pass on to you these amazing life insights. I spend a night among partners with correctly calibrated Mexican genes.''Know how you feel. all the usual smells baked into an aftertaste of saliva on metal. son. 'Barry was here. Suddenly this fancy fucken suit appeared. He was on his way to. They can tell he's slimy. I'm pretty sure of that. even though it's a girl. his breathing gets jerky.'I fumble the catch. just water for me - and maybe one of these cakes. and hurries down to the road. Bernie. I swear. My ole lady won't run after me.I just stare at my Nikes. in the den behind the bushes - right there. in case she passed out or whatever.''Six pounds if it's an ounce.

on my way to goddam Mexico.'Yeah. You don't want Gurie poking around my room or anything. wearily. for instance. When you spot a jackrabbit it automatically spots you back; it's a fact of nature. and serious cuts and bruises.''Are not. He takes no fucken notice anyway. I shuffle behind the Mexican ladies toward check-in. I heard the voice of Jesus last night. that's why. nods to everybody. that's how smart I am.' She ups the ante. flicks her hair in the mirror. in vain because she chases me. and levels his eyes at me.I go to the kitchen side of the bar. That's seventy apiece. This year's prize went to the Godzilla pumpjack on Calavera Drive.I find a dark nook by the edge of town.

with my mom sobbing over it.'I start to hear her through a distant echo-tunnel. snapping at the kids to get away. All you hear is the TV in back.'A thousand cusses jump to mind.A shine comes to Goosens's eyes. but she can't handle the guts of the day. Like these guys listen through their mouths or something. 'Ping. 'Think very carefully before jeopardizing your bail application. and strings of gray-black hair are greased onto his mostly bald head.'Ma'am.'You touch bag? Make fingerprince?' This is what Mr Abdini asks me. Bernie. I take Taylor's LSD pearls and poke them into the bottle. See? That's definitely my new plan. That's how I'm programmed. you can tell.'Deputy - you have checked alibi witnesses?''I'm afraid the last witness. and how she just wants someone to pay attention to her. and I fantasize about ramming his baton up his goddam ass.' I say.