do some lines
right then. It was a struggle, but I shook my head. Almost as if it were a
dream I heard myself tell him no thanks.
He
seemed somewhat surprised, but nodded. 'Hey, man, you change your mind, let me
know. At least let me buy you a drink. What will you have?'
'Just
a beer,' I said.
'You
got it, buddy.'
He
opened a bottle of imported ale that I used to drink exclusively and handed it
to me, still showing a friendly grin. Bob Seger's 'Her Strut' was blasting out
behind me. I turned around and saw a slender, dark-haired girl onstage naked
except for garter belts and high-heeled shoes. She was moving quickly to the
music, but stopped to squat down so that an overweight slob signaling with a
dollar bill could have a better look. The dollar bill was slipped into one of
her garter belts and she held her position for a few more seconds before moving
off. Vermont's a topless-only state, but the rules for the most part were
ignored at Kelley's.
'We've
got a new crop of girls since you've been here last. That's Cindy on stage.
Man, I tell you, she could hurt you.'
I
looked around the room. There were maybe a dozen guys sitting around the stage
and another ten scattered at tables. I didn't spot anyone I knew. I took a long
drink of my ale and then turned back to Earl. 'You're still playing good
music,' I said.
'Yeah,
what can I tell you? I'm stuck in the early eighties. The girls, man, they're
constantly giving me shit about playing their own music for their sets. Fuck
that. I'm playing what I want to listen to. But for you, any request - just
name it.'
'Seger's
good,' I said. I wouldn't mind listening to some ZZ Top. Creedence. Maybe some
Stones. Dire Straits.'
'You
got it, man.' He gave me a sheepish look. 'Shit, you were gone for a long time.
How'd you spend your time while locked up?'
'I
thought a lot, read a lot, and played a lot of checkers. I just kept trying to
make it to the next day.'
'I
hear you.' He pointed a thumb at my gut. 'Man, I'll tell you, you look like you
got out of jail in great shape.'
'I
did five hundred pushups and two thousand sit-ups every day.'
He
cocked an eyebrow, not quite believing me. 'Five hundred pushups at one time?'
'Five
sets, one hundred pushups and four hundred sit-ups to a set.'
We
both turned and watched the dancer finish her last song. When I turned back to
Earl, I could see his eyes brighten. 'What about those Pats, huh?' he asked.
'Who'd ever thought they'd win a Super Bowl?'
'I
never would've guessed it,' I said.
'You
get to watch the game?'
'Yeah,
the warden loaned me a thirteen-inch black-and-white set. The reception wasn't
too good but I was able to make it out.'
'Man,
that sucks having to watch the game like that. Hey, look, I got the Super Bowl
on tape. I also got a forty-two-inch plasma TV. Anytime, come over to my place
and we'll watch it and have a few beers.'
'Thanks,
I appreciate the offer.' I laughed. 'If I was on the outside I would've lost a
bundle on that game. I never would've picked the Pats to cover.'
'Yeah?
Guess what? I put twenty grand on them to win. I like to think having to pay
off had something to do with that sonofabitch Vassey getting the big C. It's
just too bad his punk kid didn't get it with him.'
He
was still grinning but his eyes dulled and his color dropped a shade, making
the blue-green ink of his tattoos stand out starkly in contrast.
'How's
life been under Junior?'
'Not
good, man. I'm thinking of selling out.' He started drumming his fingers hard
along the bar.
He
lowered his voice and edged closer to me.
'The
old man was bad enough, but that punk kid of his is killing me.'
'Yeah?'
'Shit,
yeah. Vassey was hitting me for fifteen hundred a week. The first thing this
punk kid did when the old man goes into the hospital is bump it to thirty-five.
I can't afford that, not with the police contributions I got to make. This kid
is squeezing me to death. I've been having to take bigger cuts from my girls to
make his payoffs, and
right then. It was a struggle, but I shook my head. Almost as if it were a
dream I heard myself tell him no thanks.
He
seemed somewhat surprised, but nodded. 'Hey, man, you change your mind, let me
know. At least let me buy you a drink. What will you have?'
'Just
a beer,' I said.
'You
got it, buddy.'
He
opened a bottle of imported ale that I used to drink exclusively and handed it
to me, still showing a friendly grin. Bob Seger's 'Her Strut' was blasting out
behind me. I turned around and saw a slender, dark-haired girl onstage naked
except for garter belts and high-heeled shoes. She was moving quickly to the
music, but stopped to squat down so that an overweight slob signaling with a
dollar bill could have a better look. The dollar bill was slipped into one of
her garter belts and she held her position for a few more seconds before moving
off. Vermont's a topless-only state, but the rules for the most part were
ignored at Kelley's.
'We've
got a new crop of girls since you've been here last. That's Cindy on stage.
Man, I tell you, she could hurt you.'
I
looked around the room. There were maybe a dozen guys sitting around the stage
and another ten scattered at tables. I didn't spot anyone I knew. I took a long
drink of my ale and then turned back to Earl. 'You're still playing good
music,' I said.
'Yeah,
what can I tell you? I'm stuck in the early eighties. The girls, man, they're
constantly giving me shit about playing their own music for their sets. Fuck
that. I'm playing what I want to listen to. But for you, any request - just
name it.'
'Seger's
good,' I said. I wouldn't mind listening to some ZZ Top. Creedence. Maybe some
Stones. Dire Straits.'
'You
got it, man.' He gave me a sheepish look. 'Shit, you were gone for a long time.
How'd you spend your time while locked up?'
'I
thought a lot, read a lot, and played a lot of checkers. I just kept trying to
make it to the next day.'
'I
hear you.' He pointed a thumb at my gut. 'Man, I'll tell you, you look like you
got out of jail in great shape.'
'I
did five hundred pushups and two thousand sit-ups every day.'
He
cocked an eyebrow, not quite believing me. 'Five hundred pushups at one time?'
'Five
sets, one hundred pushups and four hundred sit-ups to a set.'
We
both turned and watched the dancer finish her last song. When I turned back to
Earl, I could see his eyes brighten. 'What about those Pats, huh?' he asked.
'Who'd ever thought they'd win a Super Bowl?'
'I
never would've guessed it,' I said.
'You
get to watch the game?'
'Yeah,
the warden loaned me a thirteen-inch black-and-white set. The reception wasn't
too good but I was able to make it out.'
'Man,
that sucks having to watch the game like that. Hey, look, I got the Super Bowl
on tape. I also got a forty-two-inch plasma TV. Anytime, come over to my place
and we'll watch it and have a few beers.'
'Thanks,
I appreciate the offer.' I laughed. 'If I was on the outside I would've lost a
bundle on that game. I never would've picked the Pats to cover.'
'Yeah?
Guess what? I put twenty grand on them to win. I like to think having to pay
off had something to do with that sonofabitch Vassey getting the big C. It's
just too bad his punk kid didn't get it with him.'
He
was still grinning but his eyes dulled and his color dropped a shade, making
the blue-green ink of his tattoos stand out starkly in contrast.
'How's
life been under Junior?'
'Not
good, man. I'm thinking of selling out.' He started drumming his fingers hard
along the bar.
He
lowered his voice and edged closer to me.
'The
old man was bad enough, but that punk kid of his is killing me.'
'Yeah?'
'Shit,
yeah. Vassey was hitting me for fifteen hundred a week. The first thing this
punk kid did when the old man goes into the hospital is bump it to thirty-five.
I can't afford that, not with the police contributions I got to make. This kid
is squeezing me to death. I've been having to take bigger cuts from my girls to
make his payoffs, and
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