Im wide awake.
You wont be. Im warning you, Im not gonna rewind. You drift off, its your hard luck.
Im not going to drift off.
Famous last words, Pete said. Lar, you catch her dropping off, pinch her.
Dont you dare. She tucked the robe in between the backs of her legs as if to prevent Larry from reaching up inside it for the pinch.
It was the sort of thing that Jean might do.
The casual warning and precaution hinted at an intimacy that was both comforting and exciting.
Larry used the remote to rewind the few seconds of the movie that hed missed while complaining to Barbara.
She lasted more than five minutes. But not more than ten. Larry realized she was asleep when her legs straightened and one of her bare feet pushed against the side of his thigh. Her touch made warmth flow through him.
He waited for a while, enjoying the sensation. But it made him feel guilty. Pete, he finally said. Shes zonked.
Barrr-bra.
She flinched, lifted her face off the cushion. No, Im fine.
You dosed off.
No, I didnt. Im fine. Her head settled down again. Her eyes drifted shut.
Forget it, Pete said. She can watch it in the morning if she wants to.
Im watching, she mumbled.
Larry tried to watch the movie. Her right foot made it difficult. So did the way the top of her robe hung open, revealing most of her right breast through the flimsy pink nightgown. The show on the TV screen was good, but the stolen glimpses were better. Sometimes the foot rubbed him.
Near the end of the movie she stretched out her left leg. Its foot pushed across the top of his thigh and rested on his lap. The pressure there made him squirm. He wrapped his hand around Barbaras ankle and guided her foot down beside the other.
Huh? she moaned. Sorry. Kicking you?
Its all right, he said.
Pete looked around, frowning. Christ, Barb, youre screwing up the movie. Why dont you just go to bed.
Yeah, maybe I better.
Shit, Larry thought.
She pushed herself up and staggered to her feet. Night, guys. Sorry I pooped out on you, Larry.
No problem. Thanks for the dinner and everything.
Glad you could make it. See ya. She made her way around the coffee table. Larry could see through her robe when she stepped in front of him. Her breasts swayed a little as she bent over and kissed Pete good night.
Then she was gone.
The room seemed empty without her.
During the final moments of Camerons ClosetLarry heard a toilet flush.
Pete removed the tape from the VCR. He grinned over his shoulder. Free at last, free at last, he said. Thank God Almighty, free at last.
If you want to turn in...
Are you kidding? He pushed the tape of Floaterinto the machine and started it playing. Back in a second. He hurried away.
He came back while the screen still showed its warning against unauthorized use of the videotape. He had a bottle of Irish whiskey in one hand and two glasses in the other. He sat next to Larry on the sofa. He filled the two glasses. Party time, he said.
Im gonna be wasted tomorrow.
The cats are away. Gotta live it up.
They watched the movie until their glasses were empty. Pete refilled them both, then pressed the Stop button on his remote. The horror film was replaced by a black and white John Wayne movie. Larry recognized it immediately as The Sands of Iwo Jima.
Whyd you turn it off? he asked.
A grin stretched the corners of Petes mouth.
Fourteen
How about a little excursion? Pete said.
What do you mean?
Sagebrush Flat.
Youre kidding, Larry said.
Whos gonna stop us?
I dont want to go out there.
Pete clapped a hand down on Larrys knee. His eyes gleamed with mischief, but he wasnt smiling. He looked like a kid, a kid with a mustache and some gray in his hair and with big plans to pull off a caper. We take the van. We drive out there, pick up the jukebox, and well be back in two, three hours. Barbs zonked. Shell never know.
Shell know when she finds the thing in your garage.
Okay, so well leave it over at your place. What do you say, Lar?
I think its crazy.
Hey, man, an adventure. Itll be great. You can use it in your book. You know, tell all about how the two guys sneak off in the middle of the night to bring the thing back. You can write it the way it happens, you know? Wont have to tax the ol imagination.
Its crazy.
Dont you want the box?
Not that badly.
What about a photo for the cover of your book?
Well, thatd be neat, but...
So well take my camera. Maybe we wont bring the thing back, you know? Maybe we cant even lift it. But at least well have some pictures.
We could do that during the day.
You know the kind of heat Id get from Barbara. Shed give me all kinds of shit. How about it?
You really want to go now? The digital clock on the VCR showed 12:05.
No time like the present. A midnight mission.
The idea frightened Larry. It also excited him. He felt a vibration that seemed to hum through his nerves.
When was the last time, he wondered, that you did something really daring?
If you chicken out, youll regret it. And Petell think youre a pussy.
A real adventure.
Just like Tom and Huck, he said.
Huh?
Tom Sawyer climbed out his window in the middle of the night and went with Huck to a graveyard to cure their warts. I always wished I could do something like that.
You got warts, man?
Lets go for it.
Grinning, Pete refilled the glasses. Fun and games, he toasted. They clinked their glasses and drank.
Pete took his glass with him. He turned on a lamp at the end of the sofa. Then he removed the tape from the VCR, flicked off the television and left the room. Larry sipped whiskey while he waited. It warmed him but didnt ease the thrumming vibrations.
When Pete returned he wore a gunbelt. His .357 hung in the holster against his right leg. Dangling by a strap around his neck was a camera with a flash attachment. I checked the bedroom, he said in a low voice. Barbs out like a light.
Pete set his empty glass down. He capped the whiskey bottle and handed it to Larry. You be the keeper of the hooch.
We shouldnt take it with us.
Fuck that. Whos gonna know?
If we get stopped...
We wont. Calm down, youll live longer.
They went to the door. Pete turned off the lamp.
They stepped outside. Standing under the porch light, Pete locked the front door with his key.
Larry, shivering, hugged his chest as he hurried toward the van at the curb. A chilly wind pushed at him. He thought about stopping by his house for a jacket. But Pete wasnt bundled up. Pete still wore his short-sleeved knit shirt and blue jeans.
If he can take it, I can, Larry told himself.
Besides, itll be all right once were in the van.
The van felt warm. It mustve been like an oven before the sun went down, and it still retained a lot of heat. Larry settled into the passenger seat and sighed.
Pass it over.
He handed the bottle to Pete, who took a swig and gave it back. Larry took a drink. Are you all right to drive? he asked.
You kidding? I dont hardly even have a good buzz on.
I do, Larry thought. Im buzzing, all right. But it isnt the booze. Just good old-fashioned excitement. And maybe fear.
Pete started the van. He kept the headlights off for a while. After turning the first corner, he put them on. They drilled into the night. Hey, this is something, you know that?
You think you can find the town?
No sweat.
We stay away from the hotel, though, right?