Chapter 12

The room is fair, second floor front, which gives me windows overlooking the street. Not much to be seendown this way, everybody up on Main, but it’s a nice day and I settle in. This lasts about five minutes.I go back out, determined to find Jack and get things going with him.

Main Street again, and who do I see? Not Jack. It’s Roe and Sims, already with the staggers. They must have poured the stuff down to get drunk so fast. I cross the street before they see me. It’s as I reach the other side that I run into Jack. Not find him, but run into him, because I’m looking back at Roe andSims instead of where I’m going. And it’s the man with Jack who I actually run into, knocking him back for Jack to catch. I offer apologies, admit I wasn’t looking, and promise to do better. The man goes on his way while Jack simply looks at me.

“Well, howdy,” he finally says. There’s no smile with this. He could be talking to anyone.

“Good to see you, Jack. Been missing you.”