felt. He had the munchies. He and Tonel ate quite a bit of the stew, the thuds and yelps of the movie bouncing along in the background.
Jackâs cell phone rang. He peeked at the screen, fearing it would be Mom, but, no, it was Gretchen, looking tense.
âHey,â she said. âIâm still at the tabernacle. Itâs getting way too trippy You think you could come and get me now?â
âUm, I guess so,â said Jack. âIâm at Tonelâs. We have to see about getting a car.â
âAxe her can she hook me up a honey,â put in Tonel. âIâm driving. Right, Daddy? I can have the van?â
âIf you can start it,â said Vincente, twitching his remote to break the image into twenty-four new channels. âSneak the battery outten Raglandâs truck. I seen him come back a half hour ago. You know he ainât goinâ out again.â
âHow do you mean trippy?â Jack asked Gretchen meanwhile.
âItâs that Armageddon thing,â said Gretchen. There was a trumpeting noise in the background. âAlbert Chesney is getting really weird about it. He wants me to spend the night with him at Casa Linda to help him âgird his loinsâ for the last battle. None of the Day Sixers wants to help him. Albert says that six pure hearts can turn the tide, so he needs five people to help him. Dad wants me to be with Albert even though he himself plans to stay home. Come get me, Jack. Right now theyâre watching a video, but when itâs done, Dadâs driving Albert and me to the Casa Linda.â
âIs this another of your put-ons?â
âSave me, Jack. I mean it. And, you know, I really am pregnant.â Gretchen never let up. Jack liked that about her.
âHook me a honey,â repeated Tonel.
âWeâre coming,â said Jack. âAnd Tonel wants to know if you can find a date for him?â
âPinka Wright is into him. I might call her.â The trumpets rose to an off-key crescendo. âHurry.â Gretchen hung up.
The tooting noise didnât stop when Jack turned his phone off. After a momentâs disorientation, he realized that Vincente had tuned his screens to some random webcast ofâwhat was it? Three glowing donuts moving across the wall of TVs, silver, gold, and copper. Behind them was a background of unfamiliar stars. A cracked brass fanfare played. Before Jack could ask about the picture, Vincente punched his controller again, splitting the image into twenty-four new channels.
âWhat she say?â demanded Tonel.
âHer father wants her to spend the night with Albert Chesney,â said Jack.
âShe jivinâ you again,â said Tonel. âWhat she say about my date?â
âPinka Wright.â
âOoo! Letâs bounce it, dog.â
âDonât let Ragland hear you,â warned Vincente. âHeâs got that shotgun.â
First of all they had to check the tires of Vincenteâs ancient van, and of course one of them was flatâVincenteâs driving license was suspended, and he didnât keep insurance up on the van, which meant that he hardly ever drove it. Tonel found an electric pump in the bowels of Vaughan Electronics and they dragged out an extension cord and filled the tire. The tire seemed to hold its size, so that problem was solved.
Next came the issue of gas. A quick check of the vanâs gauge showed it to be stone cold dry. Tonel produced a can and a squeeze-bulb siphon from the back of the van. The plan was to get gas from Raglandâs truck as well as borrowing his battery.
Quietly they walked down the alley to Raglandâs truck. Tonel popped the hood and set to work extracting the battery while Jack began pumping gas from Raglandâs tank. It felt stupid to be making such a complicated thing out of getting a car. Gretchen needed his help. Shouldnât he just walk around the corner and take his Momâs
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