Dhalgren

“Um-hm.” Kid nodded.

Lanya said: “I don’t understand, Bu

“Were you there the night the Captain came to the bar?”

“I was,” Kid said.

“Then you know what happened. To me and George.”

“No,” Kid said, “I don’t.”

Bu

“No,” Lanya said. “You’re not serious, are you? Why?”

“He didn’t want to offend the tender sensibilities of our scotch-and-water-sipping national hero. They do not, presumably, have go-go boys on the moon. Teddy figured the shock might be too much.”

“When I came in,” Kid said, “everybody was sitting around having a chamber of commerce meeting.”

“That,” Bu

“What did he say?” De

“I couldn’t hear,” Bu

“George had just left when I came in,” Kid said. “Tak told me.”

“That sounds so silly,” Lanya exclaimed. “Teddy was always a little…formal; but you make him sound like a member of the Rotary Club.”

“Daughter of the American Revolution! That naugahyde rimmer of rusty Chevrolet nineteen-fifty-two exhaust pipes! I hope the next time she sucks off a number she rips his foreskin in her bridge-work!”—which collapsed De

“That’s too silly,” Lanya said and made an ugly face.

“If I saw George,” Kid said, “I was going to invite him. I guess he won’t want to go now either?”

“Well,” Bu

“Next time I saw Kamp,” Kid said “he was down at the blowout George gave for the Reverend Taylor in Jackson.”

“Bu

“I will not,” Bu

“Nobody’s going to ask you to dance—”

“You don’t understand, dear heart.” Once more Bu

“You’re not going to dance at Teddy’s no more?” De

“That—” Bu

“If Teddy is that big a bastard,” De

Bu

“Come on,” Kid said. “I’ll give you the grand tour.”

“Oh, now, you don’t have to do—”

Kid pushed himself out between Lanya and De

“—let me see, how do I get down from here? My, this is complicated; don’t you think a—oh dear!—ladder would be much easier than—there!”

“I’ll be back in a second,” Kid said to the two faces regarding him over the edge. He stepped around Raven, who glanced up from tinkering on the floor, and, followed by Bu

“You know,” Bu

“Not like an eclair?” Kid felt quieted and pensive from Bu

“Exactly not like an eclair!” Bu

“He isn’t in the yard.” Kid leaned out onto the porch, then pulled back.

“I didn’t see him with any of those boys on the front steps,” Bu

“Let’s try in here.” Kid pushed open the door.

Among the sleeping scorpions (Dollar had turned over on his stomach) Pepper, curled on his side in a pile of blankets, hanks of chain over his bony shoulders, fists thrust into the groin of his jeans, slept and hissed through the limp hair across his face.

“He always sleeps like that,” Bu

“You want to wake him up and—?”

“No!” Bu

At Bu