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Authors: Norman Mailer
Tags: Pulitzer
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the airport, and proved to be the dip-piest damn dive Brenda ever laid eyes on. Leave it to Gary to find the trashiest p/ace to land.
When they walked in the door, he was chatting with the bar tender. It struck Brenda immediately that he had plenty of change on the counter.
Gary gave them a great wide smile. “How’s the two foxiest ladies in the whole world?” Oh, was he sopped! So proud: his private pea cocks had just come parading through the door Brenda looked at Toni and said, “What do we do with the drunken sot?”
They had their arms around his neck to steady him. He put his arms around them.
“Are you ready to go, Gary?”
“Let me finish my beer.”
Brenda said, “Drink it by the door.” She didn’t want to stand in the middle of this bar with all these drunks leering at them. Never in her life had she been undressed as many times in 3o seconds.
“Gary, you found yourself a dandy place to stop.”
“Well, it was warm,” he said. He always had a real explanation for things.
“By the way,” he said, his mouth on the glass of beer, “I’ve got my turn coming up to play pool.”
“You,” Brenda said, “are planning to stay here and play pool?” “Well,” he said, “I got a good bet in the making.”
“You told me you were broke.”
They looked at the dollars on the counter next to his glass. He
said, “
,
There s been this guy buying me drinks all night.”
“You lying turkey,” Brenda said. “I’m leaving.”
Gary came around then, “All right, all right,” he said loudly, “ff it’ll make my little ladies happy, I’ll go now.” He made a delicious face of regret at the lost pool game, and gave her a kiss on the nose.
50 THE EXECUTIONER’S SONGp>
Then a peck on the cheek for Toni. “C’mon, you two foxy bitches,” he said loudly, “let’s go.”
He probably would have fallen in the snow if they hadn’t held him up long enough to get to the truck. Suddenly, he looked wiped out. They managed to prop him between them on the front seat, but he said, “Oh, no, I can’t stand this. I’m gonna barf.”
Brenda shrieked, “Let me out.”
They got it rearranged with Toni in the center and Gary on the outside, window part open. The damn fool sang on the way home. He couldn’t sing.
“Bottles on the Wall,” was the song. There were one hundred bottles on the wall, and something happened to one of the bottles, so there were only ninety-nine. It was like “Roll Me Over in the Clover.” They went through one hundred bottles on the wall.
Brenda said, “Why don’t you try something you can do? God, you can’t sing.”
“I can too,” he said, and started another verse. Nothing ahead but to suffer.
When they reached Point of the Mountain, it was that snowy on the Interstate, Brenda could not see the taillights ahead, and with no load in the back of the pickup it was beginning to slide. Soon it would be like driving in a barrel of snakes. She got on the CB and tried to pick up a weather report from a truck on the other side of the moun tain. If word was bad, she would pull over and let the storm pass.
Gary, however, was upset about Brenda hitting the CB. He had heard of them, but he didn’t really know what they did. He got para noid. Thought Brenda was talking to the cops. “What are you doing?” he asked.
“Getting a Smokey report.”
“What,” asked Gary, “is a Smokey report?” “That,” said Brenda, “is the name for the police.” “Hey,” asked Gary, “are you going to turn me in?”
Brenda said, “For what? Being an asshole? You can’t turn some body in for being an asshole.”
“Oh,” said Gary, “Okay, I got you.”
“No,” Brenda said, “I’m not going to turn you in. But that was a dumb thing to say.”
THE FIRST MONTH p>
“I’m not dumb,” he stated.
“Gary, you have a high I.Q., but you do not have a drop of com mon sense.”
“That’s just your opinion.”
He seemed
When they walked in the door, he was chatting with the bar tender. It struck Brenda immediately that he had plenty of change on the counter.
Gary gave them a great wide smile. “How’s the two foxiest ladies in the whole world?” Oh, was he sopped! So proud: his private pea cocks had just come parading through the door Brenda looked at Toni and said, “What do we do with the drunken sot?”
They had their arms around his neck to steady him. He put his arms around them.
“Are you ready to go, Gary?”
“Let me finish my beer.”
Brenda said, “Drink it by the door.” She didn’t want to stand in the middle of this bar with all these drunks leering at them. Never in her life had she been undressed as many times in 3o seconds.
“Gary, you found yourself a dandy place to stop.”
“Well, it was warm,” he said. He always had a real explanation for things.
“By the way,” he said, his mouth on the glass of beer, “I’ve got my turn coming up to play pool.”
“You,” Brenda said, “are planning to stay here and play pool?” “Well,” he said, “I got a good bet in the making.”
“You told me you were broke.”
They looked at the dollars on the counter next to his glass. He
said, “
,
There s been this guy buying me drinks all night.”
“You lying turkey,” Brenda said. “I’m leaving.”
Gary came around then, “All right, all right,” he said loudly, “ff it’ll make my little ladies happy, I’ll go now.” He made a delicious face of regret at the lost pool game, and gave her a kiss on the nose.
50 THE EXECUTIONER’S SONGp>
Then a peck on the cheek for Toni. “C’mon, you two foxy bitches,” he said loudly, “let’s go.”
He probably would have fallen in the snow if they hadn’t held him up long enough to get to the truck. Suddenly, he looked wiped out. They managed to prop him between them on the front seat, but he said, “Oh, no, I can’t stand this. I’m gonna barf.”
Brenda shrieked, “Let me out.”
They got it rearranged with Toni in the center and Gary on the outside, window part open. The damn fool sang on the way home. He couldn’t sing.
“Bottles on the Wall,” was the song. There were one hundred bottles on the wall, and something happened to one of the bottles, so there were only ninety-nine. It was like “Roll Me Over in the Clover.” They went through one hundred bottles on the wall.
Brenda said, “Why don’t you try something you can do? God, you can’t sing.”
“I can too,” he said, and started another verse. Nothing ahead but to suffer.
When they reached Point of the Mountain, it was that snowy on the Interstate, Brenda could not see the taillights ahead, and with no load in the back of the pickup it was beginning to slide. Soon it would be like driving in a barrel of snakes. She got on the CB and tried to pick up a weather report from a truck on the other side of the moun tain. If word was bad, she would pull over and let the storm pass.
Gary, however, was upset about Brenda hitting the CB. He had heard of them, but he didn’t really know what they did. He got para noid. Thought Brenda was talking to the cops. “What are you doing?” he asked.
“Getting a Smokey report.”
“What,” asked Gary, “is a Smokey report?” “That,” said Brenda, “is the name for the police.” “Hey,” asked Gary, “are you going to turn me in?”
Brenda said, “For what? Being an asshole? You can’t turn some body in for being an asshole.”
“Oh,” said Gary, “Okay, I got you.”
“No,” Brenda said, “I’m not going to turn you in. But that was a dumb thing to say.”
THE FIRST MONTH p>
“I’m not dumb,” he stated.
“Gary, you have a high I.Q., but you do not have a drop of com mon sense.”
“That’s just your opinion.”
He seemed
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