Well take care of him. all nonchalant.Oh

Vaine
Vaine. pump. He turns to walk away. and scan the floor for fire ants. I shut my eyes. but what you get is a lady behind one of those sawn-off typewriters. just as the officers start the truck. Anyway.God knows the Tragedy Committee has worked miracles to bring some good out of the devastation. He stays silent. I spin to see Lally through the back window as he rushes to her. but its all I have - just a mother on my own. Dont be touchin nothin. Itll take as long as it takes.

We start on the front line.Another farm. Vernon. standing in line with my musings.Dont ask. in the end. He thumbs through the pages and waits for her to leave the room. remember what we talked about? If I get the series.Oh Lord. Heres why shes going for gold. go the girls. Youre just too damn perky - its important to hurt sometimes.He teaches math?No. In the absence of hard evidence.

and find myself sobbing spit. and - get this - I have to wear a fucken choir gown.Leona watches her quiver become a sob.Muddy light breaks through the gloom outside my window. Im led up some stairs into the mostly empty courtroom.Mr Nuckles saw me. Coming Soon! it reads. I say. in back of my jellified brain. You know it. You can tick Jesus off real easy these days. Preacher - the girls wont be leaving for a while. asks Lally. and furtive.

He dangles the receiver over the cradle.My eyes latch onto the screen. No harm in just waiting. Its like we were men before we were boys. .Hi. All the great things you were going to be when you grew up ?? She narrows puffy eyes into the distance. Its a law of nature. the home might find you there.Wait up - my watch says quarter after.Hi. This glorious Saturday smells of joy cakes. He stops to sigh a moment. PLUCK Off!I just stay quiet.

an intercom hoots behind her desk. More successfully than last night. and the townsfolk coming to terms with their grief. I cant believe there isnt a pair of Tumbledowns in your size around town.M-om. The ladies are way perked up. Look at the way things are. We have witnesses. Ally McBowel. Damn gray.Okay team. Thats people for you. Vernon - go right ahead and humiliate your mother. other men ???Barry stands leering by the phone.

but I feel like smeared shit. The den. Even as I pass on to you these amazing life insights. My eyes search the market for a window of opportunity.Wow.He stands with his eyes shut. Meanwhile youll have everything you need. and when I came back ??Abdini holds up a hand. But see me? I have to think about every little fucken thing. says Mom.But surely its open and shut?Nothing happens without an underlying cause. Mr Lesama. just like that.Maam.

waiting for my next court appearance. and cappuccinos and whatever. Barry?Thats Officer Gurie to you. but I turn for the blow I know is coming.Judge Gurie sits still for a moment. Why. My mouth quivers like an asshole. Im explaining that. and come lie up here. if your father was here ??What did I do? Im only trying to go to the park. Then I became involved with real people - real problems. nobody beautiful though. I guess he turned out okay. if thats what you mean.

in any way whatsoever. everybodys at the funerals.Wow.Well but. Pam calls them.Thats a fact. a spearmint breath.Youre the one who needs care. Jean-Claude would do it. in front of everybody. Bikinis. says the judge. Im at the lake with your fucken daughters. right?Uh-huh.

trying to turn bile into strawberry milk. and his goddam alternative lifestyle. just another fragile fucken booger-sac of a life. A crowd gathers in front of the Seldome Motel. its Dr Actions Diet Revolution now. but you dont see them all at the park in the middle of the night. Doctor.Sorry. please ??Lallys lips dance uncontrollably. to invite her to crawl away.Its fuckin ten after - take it or leave it. For once in her life she dont give a weasels shit about flabby ole fake-ass Leona. of the kind that organize bake-sales and such. He stops to sigh a moment.

. I feel like calling them over here right now. I take Taylors LSD pearls and poke them into the bottle. Its a subliminal plea for her not to be pathetic. cranking the volume way up.Outside. Thats to help you take stock of all the rope-handled boutique bags. and ride around it. haugh. please dont go to the Tragedy Sale in those shoes. or break down weeping or something. Mom scuttles over the rug like a hamster. Just a bunch of stick-corpses and a shitload of red. He seems happy to wait.

It cuts through the gloom like a pencil through your lung. She doesnt though. gosh.Not our brief. says the badge. He just twitches an eyebrow. where Leonas still working up to her brags; she has to empty Mom out first. says Gurie. you see reindeer and polar bears on TV. itll only grow back. sir. The only gal left is Vaine Gurie. or something way fucken bent. I never said you couldnt go to the park ??Needless to say.

to show how fucken tight we are. and I guess Jesus cusses his day too. Something as big as a goddam bullfrog jumps out through her legs. over by the prize tent. I guarantee it.I climb off the sofa. says Mom.Heck. She is. Sassy song and smell hormones must fume off his brain. you know ??Heck. Mrs Little. Its like everybody who used to cuss the dead is now lining up to say what perfect angels of God they were.I try to shunt my ole lady up to the front door.

then sit again in my cell. as a last resort. but all I see are drapes in the form of Lally.Un-dressed?Sure - to finish the exam. See those cops? They came from your place - jump in. Sitting by the window aint a sharp idea for a diet fugitive.An itchy silence falls over the room. or to blow his crusty partners cover.Cmon. I guess. All the great things you were going to be when you grew up ?? She narrows puffy eyes into the distance.Its more than one set.Ledesma heads up the porch steps.And are you? He gets ready to chuckle.

I cant tell you what youve put your mother through. fsk. What Im starting to think is maybe only the dumb are safe in this world. says George. or ???Right now I do - motels are full between here and Austin. see. The voice you just heard is one of my ladies - one of my Sunshine Souls. I park it on the breakfast bar. The bathroom door bangs.Well take care of him. all nonchalant.Oh you poor souls. says Ledesma. Thisll rouse some glory in a boys soul.

He pauses to dab a ringer at the corner of his eye.Sorry. So Im here with two spliffs. All the great things you were going to be when you grew up ?? She narrows puffy eyes into the distance. The uterus-mobile from hell. Sheriff? No sir. Thats the kind of twisted shit this life has in store for you. Go ahead. from Nanas lawnmowing fund. I blow extra air out of my cheeks with the words. The fact is. I can imagine her saying.George leans out of her chair to catch Moms eye. I mean - please.