The Gorging by Kirk Thompson

into Eddie’s room and watched him sleep in his racecar bed. He smiled at his son and thought about how much he really does love him. Bobby told himself that when he gets back he’s going to teach his son all the things that good fathers do, like fishing, hunting, and working on cars. He closed the door slowly and walked down the hallway and out the front door. He locked it and said, “Lord, please take care of my family while I’m away.”
    

    The living room lights of Pete’s house shined through the front windows casting long streams of light across the front lawn.
    Bobby pulled into the driveway at Pete’s house and put the car in park. He got out his cell phone and started to call Pete, but the front door burst open and startled Bobby, causing him to drop his cell phone between the seat and the console. “Shit,” said Bobby as he squeezed his hand down the side of his seat, wiggling his fingers to grasp his phone. Pete rushed through the front door, carrying more luggage than needed for a two-day adventure. It looked as though he planned to be out of town for at least a month. Bobby chuckled as he shook his head looking at Pete, but his grin quickly faded at the sound of Pete’s wife, Darlene, screaming at Pete.
    “I don’t give a shit what your boss says,” she screamed, raising her clinched fist at Pete. “You’re just going to walk out on me for two days? You could have at least said something last night. You selfish son of a bitch. What’s her name? What’s the whore’s name? I’ll go to Kentucky and I’ll kill her myself.”
    Pete looked scared as he held his suitcases up close to his chest as though he were ready to block a punch to the chest from Darlene. “I—I tried to tell you—but I—I didn’t want you to be upset sweetheart.”
    “You were going to walk out on me without saying a word this morning. You ungrateful little shit.”
    “I wasn’t baby. I promise I wasn’t.” Pete slowly walked backwards toward Bobby’s car. Darlene glanced over and Bobby waving to her.
    “You’re going with that dimwit?” asked Darlene, in a sarcastic manner. “We’re are you two going? I know. I know. You’re actually going down to Las Vegas to hook up with prostitutes aren’t you? I’m not good enough for you Peter? Am I?” Lights from the surrounding neighbors started to come on. Her loud tantrum had awakened most of the neighbors, but they were unlikely going to call the police. Pete took special care in warning his neighbors about Darlene’s obsessiveness. They found out exactly what he was talking about when she would knock on their doors if Pete was working at late night. She would ask her neighbors things like, “Is that prick in there?” or “Are you sleeping with my husband?” Pete’s a strong guy for staying with a wacked-out crazy woman. He’ll be lucky if she doesn’t chop off his balls one day and put them in her purse just so she’d know he wasn’t out cheating on her.
    “We work together. We have to go honey.” Pete got closer to the car and Bobby popped the truck open for him to slip his suitcases in. Darlene gave Bobby an ugly look. He could tell what she was thinking. She was thinking they both could go fuck themselves for all she cares. She grunted, then walked back in the house and slammed the door shut causing the windows to shake.
    They could hear her rant continue on inside the house when she said, “You go fuck that whore for all I care. I hope you get an STD.”
    Pete opened the door and got in the car. He and Bobby looked at each other then burst out in a spout of laughter. Pete wore a blue and black-checkered flannel shirt with jeans. They joked how they felt like Woody Harrelson and Kiefer Sutherland in Cowboy Way , minus the cowboy hats and the Ford Focus Bobby and Pete were in.
    “I feel like we overdressed for the occasion,” said Bobby, as he put the car in reverse and backed out of the driveway. “I almost wore a fucking suit.” They both