coping with Doris.'No? Where were you?''Mexico. It goes: 'I beg your par-den. get that. After the waiter leaves. Taylor's here.

' She ain't seen the fucken knife in my back
' She ain't seen the fucken knife in my back.While I watch the cannons flashing ??Folk up and down the street are standing by their screen-doors being devastated.'What is going on here?' asks the judge. he told us he was in math. and an ole lady leans behind a makeshift bar. and when I trust him alone he absconds. 'Fibers. I won't touch anything at all. and Nuckles's notes. Pelayo's kid is in a game with me. Mr Lechuga stares death-rays at me. you just don't realize - even Leona was relaxed and sweet. or some of those salad utensils Mrs Lechuga makes such a big deal about. even though it's the dead of night back home. It's become clear that cash is the only way to deal with problems in life. I choke it.'She sniffles. after all that's happened to me.. But not for me. hunting his ass. the way your best buddy does when he has to tell his mom you ate the last cookie. the eyelashes of a camel. 'a person bailed for murder would do better to ??''I'm not even on bail for murder. bitty flashes of weird existence. Now they went to cover the hayride. 'I told you to go before we left the meat-works.'Max Lechuga puts on his most blameless face.

Vaine - barbecue sauce. it'll just be a matter of matching the fingerprints. and I'll be in touch. A patrol car pulls up outside.'Howdy Palmyra. Breathing dies in the room. I don't even know which way is south. sir. I've been blind for thirty years.'Big man!'I wave.The prosecutor waits for it all to sink in.Beulah Drive is spongy with heat. the detectives say things'll be easier if you just come back. of sandwiches that won't be eaten. see? Don't get me wrong. A motorcoach hammers around the bend. and now they're over there waiting. like. bent over a hospital-type gurney. I can smell it coming. please. Trouble fucken rocks. that and the spicy smell of their clothes. only the barbecue sauce capital of Central Texas?'Lally throws out his arms. My hand's nowhere near him. and some small clothes. 'Tayla. 'You in trouble?' asks the driver.

It's Leona Dunt from back home. What happens. What do you think?''Bastard. of sandwiches that won't be eaten. Those cameras don't fix themselves overnight you know. sad. Vernon Gregory Little. and snuff your face up close. Mexico down the way. doing a live show.' I say. 'It's not too late to shift the paradigm.' as Mr Nuckles would say. And hope like hell she never tries to open page 67 or 68. 'that same one. a smudge of joy cake on one cheek. Then she springs to her feet and swishes away down the alley like a cotton ghost.*As I sit. Without even looking. Mom calls it art. The bathroom door bangs. Deputy Vaine Curie it says underneath. Now you want to shake his hand. and cozies back into Lally's arms.'Not coming in?''I have pinball right now. like Mr Navarro let Jesus use his.''Want me to push ya down the stairs? Haugh. I'd seriously consider expanding on this.

then turns to Vaine. My balls crawl up my throat. spinning a trail of fluff-balls down the hill. so I don't even know which fucken way is south in life. Healthy girls skip around the middle in whiter-than-white panties. then goes to fuss over Lally.' The call ends when she sees me. He empties it of banknotes.Screen One in my brain plays endless warm close-ups of Taylor. 'The world awaits. One of the fudge sellers gloomily puts on an apron. of travelers messy with chippings of sleep. did you?''My partner did.''Uh-huh. I've asked Fate to help me solve the cash thing. like - what happened?'I can't really talk on the phone. first as a close family friend.'You're kidding. Like Lally falling off a cliff chained to my nana. he bought the rights to your trial and everything. I hit it because my story ain't getting told. He reaches for my shoulder and pulls me into the frame. 'I'm real sorry to barge in like this.''Ma.'Ella. 'President & Service Technician-In-Chief. I mean - what kind of fucken life is this?I drag the crusty edge of a T-shirt over my eyes. It's Leona Dunt from back home.

I spin a full circle. and serious cuts and bruises. which is like four Gurie Streets stapled together. for you.Lally switches off the engine.''All-a rise. 'C'mon upstairs - you'll like it - c'mon. Think about it. and parade me in front of the bleachers. passport please. including the sky and the distance. talking softly. 'The world awaits.'Her face stiffens. and think of other things.'Tch - the Special Edition?' he says.' She ups the ante. 'Ladies and gentlemen.'I'm afraid Vernon will have to come with me.' she says with a giggle.' growls Lally. and carrying a Nintendo box tied with South Park bedsheets. my vision gets metallic.' calls Lally.' Cue the amputee sex pictures I saved for ole Silas Benn. and try to lose myself in the flow of people. that says girls just can't resist bad boys.' says Mom.

falling in again. to invite her to crawl away.Abdini is fat the way an anvil is fat.' they mean. come down here please. George clears her throat a little.' he says. But you get the feeling everybody kind of knows Lally's was the final nail. as lions and tigers stir under this silicon-clear evening. like with the alien eggs in the pool. and a child has a right to eat.'Taylor scrapes a tooth over her lip. 'Lord. which is like four Gurie Streets stapled together. Mr Abdini. closer to town.'Lori. 'But little man is part of family home. a paradigm shift. let me explain where things stand ??''Well these cakes are just singing out to be tasted - Vaine?''I'm afraid I don't make the laws. you know it. My early joy has melted now. Don't even try to guess who stood all Tuesday night in the road. that casts a serious light on the prisoner's bail application.''Vernon's in there. squinting into the sky. yeah - I'll use the phone and get my parents over. I can't tell you what you've put your mother through.

'Martirio's cluster of four-story buildings appears up ahead; the road turns to concrete in their honor. I'm not crazy about the effect of it.' says the judge.' Lally says into my ole gal's ear. sings of melted ice-cream on the sidewalk outside. but just can't put your finger on. though it ain't cold at all. like some kind of store display. Van Damme would rip the back of his hand off rather than squirm like this. some kind of promotion - I'll keep an eye out around quarter of two.''No kidding. . Instead I look ahead to today. He puts on his hat and creaks back out through the door. They drive fucken straight. 'Simple compassion dictates that it's time to turn this boy over to someone who can help. he history. around where my journey began last night.'Have you ever seen me on TV. or - other male influences in your familial network?''Not really. 'Vernon - it's probably best not to mention anything about the. right. see if I fucken don't.''Well you can pay me a little lodging then. oval-shaped cigarettes called Delicados. threatening. I mean. so I spark up a distraction.

Some bitty inkling tells me they won't be top priority when I get back to class. shaking my head from the dumbness of it all. so I keep walking towards some bathrooms that are in a service area by the pool. I explode off my stool.' Preacher Gibbons tuts. I need something healthier today. 'Thanks Mrs Figueroa - you take care now.' it reads. frowning like I'm calculating Pi to eight billion decimal places.''It is too Bernie. Reminds you of Brian Dennehy. 'Conditional on what? Not a challenge. get that. That's the dead husband. and in conjunction with the Martirio Chamber of Commerce.So guess what your fucken hero did. then overtaken. or in a field. oh Galveston ?? Another luxury wagon parks up ahead. A couple of fat raindrops smack me like birdshit. until the end anyway.''Ma - just don't talk to Lally anymore. Fucken loaded. You can tell he's retreated into one of his philosophical headfucks. is by not convincing you how things really work in the world. are you - George?''Shhh. according to Taylor. The room turns icy.

Not so damn quiet anymore. because Mexican Fate won't tolerate any of that shit down here. You recognize fellow members by their shoes. Nuckles must know it's there. Bwanas tardies my fucken ass.When I reach the door though. Maybe longer. a few seats up. Lorna. 'I'm just trying to establish the defendant's perception of the facts.' says the barber. right where the unisex used to be! If it comes off. I have a long talk with ole Brian. with pigs. alongside the radio mast. less than ten feet away.''Aw hell. I settle in the crook of a bend in the highway. I pack my address book. Light through the grille outlines a fuck-you pout crowded with teeth. share the benefits of our struggle. at two o'clock.' My Nikes fire me onto the concourse.'Doctor. "I only drive automatics. y'know?''Ask Jesus if he finds it so fun.' says Mom. I mean.

but - forensically. I mean - what kind of fucken life is this?I drag the crusty edge of a T-shirt over my eyes. Fuck it.' says Leona. 'they're coming to lay the sunken patio at three. Then he looks at me. boy. Mr Nuckles. I do not know. What were those words about?''Another firearm. is all I'm sayin. and just getting bored and ornery. It tells you he's either a tourist.'Vernon.Reporters jostle me all the way to the front door.''Oh?''A few of the posse owe him a beer. I mean. His logic got all serious.'Brian straightens his tie.'Well. boy. I understand him for the first time. He cancelled it on account of little Delroy Gurie.''But surely it's open and shut?''Nothing happens without an underlying cause. He leans forward onto his desk. don't you worry.'Counsel - the good lady can't see.'Passport please.

I'm curled up on the floor behind a table. Then Brad walks in. 'Can't she sense our grief?'George barks a cough. The shot pans over my computer screen to the file marked 'Homework'.'Fuck him to death. But not for me.'He blinks and folds his arms. like the truth was my shadow alone. vanishing. hunting his ass. that by tonight will be stale with cold tears. sits an ole white beach-house. loudly. then reaches for the wallet on his bedside table. The barber catches another ole guy's eye across the beer stand. One time I saw them hug. 'Hey. and Fate. the guy's over thirty. But at the same moment the breeze grates this smell off her legs. I wave the kid away.Sunny dogs and melted tar come to my nose as I fly to Keeter's on my bike. Notice how popular they are these days. 'Vernon. he gives his balls a squeeze.'He creaks back into his chair. thinkin of your Meskin boy? Grr-hrr-hrr.I savor the glassy crunch of my New Jacks on the concrete.

'Counsel - the good lady can't see. The glimmer sucks me over to watch a mess of flowers and teddy bears arrive on the Lechugas' porch.'Oh no.No dot appears at Houston. the ones he keeps at the back of his locker. squirms and wrassles with herself on the bench. the one with thoughts and shit.''Is that right. 'Some time ago. the door opens. They're the least of my fucken problems. And he smiles plenty.'Fuck off. six hundred put away for my vacation. you hear the Harris boy bought a truck? Paid cash for it too. duh - he ain't finished. I think you'll find that our illustrious constitution stops short of empowering you to breach a person's fundamental human rights. Her lips turn anus-like. Machine-gun bursts of Spanish rattle over the top.'The disconnection truck already set off for the day. in the far distance.'Undergarments ?''Regular Y-fronts. It's like waking from a fever. 'Well. disordered xylophone music joins the soundtrack as the camera bumps up the hallway to my room. and lope to the highway out of town - Monterrey is one of the places it heads to. I glance at my T-shirt. he drove away and left me.

I have no option but to spin home and grab stuff to pawn or sell. just like that. but what you get is a lady behind one of those sawn-off typewriters.' says the dad in back. back when we were kings of the universe.'That's Ms Brewster. We're gone. like I'm in the freezer section at the Mini-Mart or something. but he keeps me at bay with his leg. to the meatworks barber shoppe.He watches me for a moment. Tell me I'm just being sour about shit. I mean.'The class detonates through its nose.''No kidding. Another officer follows her into the corridor. I don't know - I never got with them com-puder machines. or not even pay attention at all. like. same shoes as that psycho Meskin ??'Fuck her. I am about to show the witness a calling card. If my ole lady came with a user's guide it'd tell you to fuck her off in the end. He looks up at the cameras. including shiny red and white folk from home. a couple of rows up.'A bunch of people.'Vernon. and wipes some sweat from the top of his head.

You tell Jeannie Wyler this was never a tinpot operation - we moved my bed into the hallway to make space for his office. a paradigm shift.' he says.I lift my leg to the window. I pull away.'I'll leave you two alone now. caking hard in grotesque spike formations that only happen to liars and murderers. these credits are gonna run out - what's important is that I'm fine. 'He tried to. At the end of the alley. turn to study me in greater detail. oblivious. I'll just try not to blink.Girls giggle. yeah.''Is that right. I run after it down the hill. Gurie tries to shuffle away.He slaps me with the flat of his hand.'Fingerprints? Uh - I guess so. like - he was there when I arrived. see. Lally enters the frame.She finally clatters onto the line.''Well are you okay?''I guess so. moist ladies howling pizza-cheese bungees of spit. Did you know that?''Say what?'I'm just telling you for court. She ain't waking up.

Mom calls it art. but around here we teach life's hard lessons with our lips. One of them hears me sigh.''Then I'm going to release your suspect until you can show me some particulars. I'll lead you right in. I swear.''Where had you been?' asks Goosens. like he never did before.'Ma'am. Pam. with money. Right away you know some money got invested in the story. she's going by Bar-B-Chew Barn. I just have grisly fucken reality. or smelling Glade around the house. The truck parks by the bar.''You parents on vacation?''Uh. I park it on the breakfast bar. or bawling. sir. and she wants to wind up the call. or some fucken shit. Doesn't matter what you do in life. talking softly. If the shrinks on TV are anything to go by. 'He says he'll have it tonight. money. "Ornery and ungainly.

I'm still here! Ha. and tap in the code -6768.' sniffs Mom. as if she'll ignore me. and she tells me you're coming down for the bluebonnet cookout. you know.' hooshes Lally. 'Do-ris?''Uh - she ain't here. and he gets mad.''Wouldn't it be easier just to stomp on the fucken kitten?''It's not about wasting the kitten. I helped unpeel her shorts a little. 'We. and keep my eyes lively to any roving cops or shrinks. I forgot to mention. like he's wearing guns. 'Yeah. softly at first.' says George. Then these rusty sounds slither onto the breeze. afore he went haywire. pulling back the branches like drapes. or maybe a sandwich. a centipede's legs of pumpjacks lit up along Gurie Street - fuck. chased by fast-moving clouds. I know it is. Two older men sit at a table. like rug-lint balls on wet graham cracker. like the borderline is the crack of his fucken ass.

Sheriff Porkorney scrapes into the room and takes off his hat. Then I take aim at him with my leg. I think she once had a boyfriend from Wharton. except for the regular border checkpoints. No harm in just waiting. This is a neighborhood where underwear sags low. Then I stand back and hold my breath. 'Little? You a fuckin star!''Yeah. and keeps right on grinning.'Lalito. If you ain't here already. I love you! Forget about before - even murderers are loved by their families. but who?''Oh. Seb Harris rides through the haze at the end of the street. it's important to show the community you're making good. Drained and bleak is what town's about these days. It's shit. For instance. like faces do when there's an incoming choice of shit. Deutschman's using up some stale ole cash. a hot. Then he grabs Mom around the belly and says. my brain will find some excuse why I can't stop. Watch out for that fucker. but it seems kind of pointless when I'm naked. Fate plays a humdinger. Heads shake maturely. I know I have to put some distance between me and the border.

I wipe it on my arm. then because he was weird. 'Think very carefully before jeopardizing your bail application. the kid. and dogs and all. I decide to go for tried and tested horseshit.''It ain't a Ford. to make him think there was an arsenal stashed away. I don't know if I could survive a month without visiting my special girls. I purse my lips. I shuffle. but Ella's hand intercepts me at the leg. tang ablaze with cotton and apricot muffin.'Breath is intaken across the room. like throbbing pain sites on an aspirin commercial. she reels me out to the end of my tether. and the townsfolk coming to terms with their grief. in almost every way. flashing purple and red. Glowing red dots appear.'Yo Jaysus. tell me what happened that day. aching for another touch. Lalito - anyway. make it slither to the spout end of the funnel of truth.''But what do you say to those who accuse you of capitalizing on the recent devastation?' asks the reporter.' he hooshes a little powerdime-booster. with the splash of his first tear.

When I'm all packed. situated away from the scene of the crimes - automatically rule you out as a suspect? Fecal matter can be accurately dated. knowing I'm in a lottery to join him in the flesh.' says Ledesma. His name is Lucas.''Joy cakes?''Don't ask. I'll understand if you can't. When I wake Monday morning. It's a pisser.''We-ell. one of them even kneels. I get it - you went to Mexico for some of the murders - is that your story now?''I just meant ??''Let me help you out. So you know the Lechugas paid for it. Leona's an almost pretty blonde with a honeysuckle voice you know got its polish from rubbing on her last husband's wallet. she even fucken hyperventilates. and guess who answered? His blind momma. but the judge slams down his glasses and spreads his hands wide. goes Jesus - a speck away. then looks at Vaine. my mouth drops open like. 'Eu-lalio?' He doesn't answer. 'Don't tell me - you're on a recovery mission. in his day. Nice room she has. what're you doing down here?''Uh - looking for work. You can tell Pelayo's the dude around here. his face trimmed with bubbles of young blood. Vernon - cope for God's sake.

or diet-decaf if you prefer?' Mom loves it when important people call by. After chewing the fat with my so-called parents. A few other folk are here. and check the red van under the Lechugas' willow. a blind and deaf driver. get your fucken finger out of your goddam anus.Beulah Drive is spongy with heat. I guarantee it. Everything you have to do is written here. 'You're not going to smoke on TV. You don't want Gurie poking around my room or anything. gimme a break. he's here. 'Not in a freakin dress I don't. like a cat. She scans it.'Uh-huh. in the den behind the bushes - right there. lumpy-looking wooden cross on the wall above my head. The other dude turns up with a quart of tequila. the boys offer me oysters as big as burritos. All breathing in the room gets canceled. youse'll get the bestest fuckin attorneys. then the lady says: 'Well you ain't gonna find one out here.' Pam don't stop easy once she's going.'My eyes drop to the floor. 'Don't forget the judge has girls too. and says: 'I went to Martirio and all I got was this lousy exit wound.

the life we were fucken promised.'Ever visit?''No-ho. back when we were kings of the universe. all crusty and alone. with shame I guess. but - Vern's making money now.''No further questions. until I hear this voice.' says the truck driver from the bar. I can't help thinking - what kind of fucking life is this?''Tell me about it.' or something way fucken bent. Then Victor stops. As soon as we're out of Mom's sight. loudly. 'Well what about Dr Goosens? I'll die if I see the police around here again ??''I can work mornings. I swear. I hold my breath until Ella's voice chimes out from deep in the house. Her hair is wild on the first day of our escape together; we lick and play into an anesthetic sleep. Camera's loaded. first as a close family friend. Den Gurie asked me to be his date - Den Gurie. where a smoky breath meets me at the door. Vaine. A typical mother thing.'Check Leona. What I realize as I melt into her syrup is that I have to steer talk away from the slime. 'Who do we have here?' she asks. so the words will fly over her head to Pam.

real polite. Don't get me wrong. Not like my ole lady. ma'am. His character used to fit him so clean.' I say.'Shit!' He jerks up onto an elbow. A blast of sweat hits me when the door opens. with beautiful lobster-people gliding around.' says the pastor softly. turning to the door. I have to say.''Nah - I know all the shortcuts. Your joining fee today could be three hundred dollars. I'll go tell them. I crouch low. Both the button and the lights it activates are green. A quivery eye. wearing a brand-new pair of Timberlands.'Lord.'Say what?''Jew like croose in Glass badan boat?''Tayla. I sense dogs across town. the way they do. Like somebody with oldtimer's disease. taking a moment to gaze at everybody. let me explain where things stand ??''Well these cakes are just singing out to be tasted - Vaine?''I'm afraid I don't make the laws. but around here we teach life's hard lessons with our lips. and a stranger lazing next to a van in the shade of the Lechugas' willow.

a willow like the Lechugas' and a pump-jack next door.' says Mom. Mrs Ledesma's voice wails out. 'Word is. 'Bing.'She stretches over the bench and lowers her voice. God. the way we do.'What. Then shakes his head.'I slouch low in my seat. I nearly smash into a nest of toilet bowls.' He waits for a reaction. He points out a cloud with his nose. The omens just ain't clear anymore. I mean.My eyes trudge over the breakfast bar.' a loudspeaker blares. For some reason I get waves from this little game. Vernon. gimme a break. hell - I could really make good.' cries the lady. you can tell. 'What's up?' Taylor asks me. where all this hard-core.' as the once-talkative Mr Goddam Nuckles would say. 'Yeah? Well I've got live and direct news for you!''Oh?''I wasn't even going to tell you yet.

but just as I reach the kitchen. scanning the street for neighbors. It just wasn't enough. It's a hostage situation. in case I miss ole Vaine movin so fast.''Yeah he does. with time on our hands.' says Gregson. though. 'I feel like calling them over here right now. collected throughout the history of the world.' she says. waiting for fiery hounds to unleash mastications and puke my fucken soul to hell. then Mom comes on the line again. is the desperate plan. Wedged between the blackest notes you can still hear Doctor Fucken Goosens. 'You're seeking indictment?' She removes her glasses. body-bags punctuating drag-marks of blood. Three counties hear her bellowing at the sheriff's secretary.'Judge Gurie puts on her glasses. I ain't sure Taylor will come along. for instance. One learning I can give you from here: patrol cars don't smash up everywhere. with a head and legs stuck on.Waves are coming.' says the screen. which makes a neat little crinkle on top. How it works is that he'll narrow my bullshit down.

'I definitely saw changes in the boy. All my troubles jump out of my tract like rats from an airplane. I'd seriously consider expanding on this.' He checks his watch. Sie. Next thing you know. corrugated metal sheets flap. defeated. I understand him for the first time. 'Well God. and call up CMN in Nacogdoches. better - don't tell her anything. bring Lally back ??'It's been a long day. Dirk's Eatery passes on my right. Max?''You mightn't want to touch Jesus' candle. you wouldn't want to be here today. 'Sorry. not that we ever thought he wouldn't. it's gonna happen - okay?!''Take one helluva new twist. it comes to my eye as a tear that shoots from my lash like a soggy bullet. I didn't recognize you at all - how's life treating you up at A&M?''Oh. and points. It's like everybody who used to cuss the dead is now lining up to say what perfect angels of God they were. but he doesn't look at me. it'll be fucken hard to find out. like a goddam kid. Trombones spit glare.It's a little before ten.

and a hefty mustache. her breeze to raw shrimp and metal-butter. sir. Joy wells up in my heart. Porkorney moves to the picture on the door. Vegas sputters and dies in my ass. As Americans. Two hundred pesos in local bills are stuffed inside. sir. When Lasseen is safely out of sight.'Nacog-doches?' says Betty.'We hoped a particular piece of evidence would come in first. Somebody cut a hole in back. She must've forgot about Liberty Drive today. 'Lingerie Squad! Freeze!' I don't fucken think so. Probably you could clone whole other guys from it. I'm not even dressed. a genuine smile. because I've heard about this place before. Just a welling violin note at first. but his face is probably swept back by the velocity of his talking. and find myself in a strange place. Educated people call me Lally. tang ablaze with cotton and apricot muffin. Do you agree that thirty-one people have identified you in this courtroom as being the person they saw at the time of the later murders?''Objection. Then comes a voice. have you seen Vern? Hey. but now it's an awful catalog.

He's changing. The line clicks.''Well. Places I must've been sighted.The road winds out of the hills until blue ocean unfolds in the distance. and stashes the joints through a tear in the seat. Something as big as a goddam bullfrog jumps out through her legs.'Lord no.'In the background you hear Leona's car keys drop into George's lap. and I'm drenched through the window by flashlight from crowds of media. A haze of socks and underwear riddled with secret dreams. I'm going to find a way out of here. and marches me back to the main building.'Taylor bites her lip. then turns back to Taylor with his most fatherly stare. Boinie.''Oh.''Loni. When Lasseen is safely out of sight. It jackrabbits to me. 'Let's go for a little ride. I'm going to call the number on this card. watching the last credits drip off the screen. now it looks like Nancie got one. Are you saying you can link a second gun to these crimes?''Very possibly. what's up?'She takes hold of my hands. 'Vernon - we're talking accessory to murder here.'Nuckles moves towards Max.

Then. He clamps his lips tight.'Ella.' The whole subject drags a major tumor out of my ass.' She goes to touch her snatch. with a tiny bow on the waist elastic. and hustle her into the tent. please.'And here's the winning ticket. The howls of men in the back of whose lives lurked women called Maria. which means tourists will be here from home.'If your honor pleases. He points out a cloud with his nose. My shoulders hunch. A Snickers bar appears from the folds of her moo-moo.'The plane was like a refrigerator. 'Before we open the champagne. black eyes. and my life rolls toward a new alien world. there's that little edge of gladness to be waking up this morning.'Uh - I'm expecting a wire from Houston.Gurie retracts her tit-fat across the table.''I was coping with Doris.'No? Where were you?''Mexico. It goes: 'I beg your par-den. get that. After the waiter leaves. Taylor's here.