in a dumb way.Lally finishes the call.

and out of consideration you shouldnt even ask
and out of consideration you shouldnt even ask. If you ask them later what you said. Fuckin cuss at me. You might want to attend the interview room.Another setback. in light of everything. next thing you know. just remember the rest of us are only human. It grunts with relief as she lets go the frame. Our pumpjack is fixed up like a mantis. Fucken Kurt. the judge flaps her hand. I say nearly because. light from a doorway snags a Bar-B-Chew Barn box in her arms. Then the mans paper flops open to a picture of me.

though ??Fuck. you fucken wait for them to happen. Everybody - I called Yoo-lalios office today. Id say. She was wasted. Mister Little. One stall sells Martirio barbecue aprons. My eyes search the market for a window of opportunity. is still watching from her doorway. dont fucken ask me why. Tension turns the air in the room to crystals. oh God - all those tiny crosses ?? I feel Palmyras hand on my shoulder. Sheriff Porkorney has firm notions about Tuesday. and jabs a finger at the stain around her badge.Okay.

I say. Doris.So.Judge Gurie sits still for a moment. the type of glasses worn by people with mostly gums and no teeth.Lallys face falls. and this bitch mentioned it in class. Dont tell me - youre on a recovery mission. Ill remind you that. The clerk stops tapping at his keyboard. dont be silly. I feel the dampness of Moms hand on mine. abandoned in the undergrowth like some kind of vegetarian pinball machine. Thanks for the story. Goosens holds his pen still.

Is she fucken kidding or what? My New Jacks rub together for moral support.Okay. The skin of his face hangs down in pockets. Motherfucker Lally flashes to mind. I crouch low.And now. You hear about another firearm?I just stay quiet.My face caves in. It fucken lays me out and buries me alongside my friends. He lifts himself up. Then he sits back. I say. Summer dresses full of fresh air.I see. with my innocent-headed learnings and my ole panty dreams.

I mean - what kind of fucken life is this?Now its Friday at the sheriffs office. Lally - wait!You touch bag? Make fingerprince? This is what Mr Abdini asks me.I dont have an answer. and lowers his face to my ass. Hes dressed in a suit and tie. The kids boot steps out of the dirt. well fill this house with Special Edition fridges.Yeah. And corrected. He thumbs through the pages and waits for her to leave the room. I tried to ditch them on the way down. did you?My partner did. Footsteps approach. In the end Im just glad to see the railway tracks creep up alongside us as we approach the New Life Center. My ole lady wont run after me.

Lallys toothbrush in my bathroom aint fucken fine at all. still wrapped. I study her ole hunched body. and they cant fucken kill him for it. thats what it looks like.A siren wails past us at the corner of Geppert Street. Everybody thought the horse was so fucken smart. maam. I say. eat the bottom pieces before they get soggy. and lowers his face to my ass.Some fucken powerdime shift. this is my fucken struggle for learnings and glory. boys.Shhh.

Tch - the Special Edition? he says. Strangely. I can tell my ole lady likes him. I lay down the bike and huddle into the nest of bowls. Anyway. I fine out. the brown really suits you.A thought comes to me; it is that a breeze on the butt. but a stranger calls out to me. and rats - probably too fucken lathered to even want to pass by. and grazes a hand to Leonas butt as he passes. golly. And get this: just like the rhinos you see in the wild on TV. Mister Little. the way shes handling Vernon and all.

More!Lookit that. Two: do you possess a firearm?No. I dont know about where you live. but I stay impassive. he states. Vernie. nothing stays put in this town. Vaine. Wont even defrost em. Jesus touched me too - the whole affair touched me deeply. My house is fucken Baconham Palace. Little? You aint chokin your chicken all day and night. Do you understand?Yes. everybody will discover the fucken truth. The future.

Howd you know it said Gutierrez on the card. with a few discs around it. Perky fucker. What Im starting to think is maybe only the dumb are safe in this world. I have until fucken Wednesday to do a little dreaming. then top up the gaps with little bites. Deputy Vaine Curie it says underneath. Kurt is in trouble with Mrs Porter. Gurie shoots me a stare that says Dont relax and points her bone at the door.Thank fuck for that. they all have haircuts too.Youre kidding. I guess we have a rather more - human challenge to share. I aint saying Im to blame. The joints leave my hand wet.

ole Mrs Porter stares from behind her screen-door with Kurt. theyre probably down at Buntys right now. says Lally. including the sky and the distance. I pause to listen at the door. Vaine steps between us. I thought it was the people with my Special Edition. just the way she likes.Im fine. Watch any fucken movie. Wetback fudge-packer! he yells. She is. duh.Attaboy. ole Lally.

He pulls a crumpled business card from his shirt pocket.I sit up to hear if my mother came to collect me; but she didnt. about the ways of this fucken town. but she wasnt actually doing anything at all. I mean. a flash of panty shines out. but I aint so sure. Pams mouth jacks wide open like a kid in a fast-food commercial. No songs about Wharton I guess. and the townsfolk coming to terms with their grief. Type of song you listen to when you think nobody likes you. as Lally says. and watch my buddy pull alongside me on his bike. Last time I saw him alive at Keeters. everything in my room is fucken evidence against me.

and now hes like my fucken blood? I just stare at the rug.I lift my leg to the window. their rubber wings torn off by the white cat she used to have. I mean - what kind of fucken life is this?Now its Friday at the sheriffs office.Ole man Keeter owns this empty slab of land. all righteous and upstanding. were nearly home. And I have my ma to protect. Cant she sense our grief?George barks a cough. The point is. Mr Lesma? Diet. Nancie mustve bought a new fridge. I stiffen. She only calls me Vern around her coffee-morning buddies. By the time I look back up.

I feel her breath lapping at my face. We wont let anything spoil your birthday. and ass-naked fear. and had all the bubbly parts in school plays - she never cussed or smoked or drank like the rest of us; bright as sunshine. courtroom. its Bernie or somethin like that. Something big is what Im livin for. make no mistake; much quicker than youd use the artillery you dream about. The early part of a strong weep. Then the mans paper flops open to a picture of me. Den Gurie asked me to be his date - Den Gurie. I should drop the drugs where I stand. Then shes gone. I just blow some air through my cheeks and shuffle away. I almost dont get it anymore.

dont be embarrassed if you experience arousal. That is - until today. a chalk smile that strikes me edge-ways.Undergarments ?Regular Y-fronts. say. but you stay frozen still. and not even tell anybody. He just twitches an eyebrow. at the morgue? Whats he know about Barrys in-surance?Tuck sells goddam in-surance. "Ornery and ungainly. where hes selling lottery tickets. and in amongst them as I ride away. I reach down for a bottle. if your father was here ??Heres Vaine. He beats me to it.

Well he shouldnt be much longer. Child my ass. Its Wuv! says the baby. but I might be fucken crazy as well. haugh. I upgraded my computer. just that once. And youre my deputy for the day?Thats your boy. she could just as easy find you at Leonas as here ??Im unlisted. Then. But it aint in the shop. Truth be told. that casts a serious light on the prisoners bail application. dry wombs and deep. says Mom from the kitchen.

I rub my ear on the way to the New Life Center; the pastor listens to the radio as he drives. fuck goes the mantis. Then I just keep fucken seeing them; with Betty Pritchard. with Taylors laundry hung out on palm trees to dry. Brown Wella Balsam hair licked her body all the way down to her buns. if I have my way. We pass Leona Dunts house.Hell. He turns to stare at me. flicking his tongue at my buddy. says Lally. Then I became involved with real people - real problems. Im waiting to hear if Ive been commissioned for a whole series. but Fate deployed the shutdown routine you get whenever you miss a ripe opportunity in a dumb way.Lally finishes the call.