Executioner's Song, The - Norman Mailer [87]
"I'll give up the drinking," he said, "if she'll come back to me. I'll give it up."
They sat there and Kathryne felt close. "Yes, I'll give up the drinking," he said.
He went on to tell Kathryne how brilliant Nicole was, what guts she had. He had never met a girl with such guts. Told Kathryne about the time Nicole went over to Pete Galovan and warned him that Gary meant more to her than life. "She'd have done it too," Gary said. "Yes," Kathryne said, "she just might."
They sat there and Gary looked at Kathryne in a way to touch her right to the center of her heart. He said, "You know, here I am, thirty-five years old, and I've only known three women in my life. Isn't that ridiculous?"
Kathryne just laughed. She said, "You're two up on me, Gary. I'm almost forty and I've known only one man."
They just seemed to get along. She felt so sorry for him. He said "I feel left out. Sometimes I don't even understand what people are talking about." Drank a couple of beers and said, "When Nicole comes back, tell her I love her. Will you do that for me?"
"I will, Gary," Kathryne said.
"I promise you, I'll quit," Gary said. "I'll leave the booze alone. I'm a mean rotten bastard when I drink."
A few hours later he called to find out if Nicole had been "No," said Kathryne, "I haven't seen her." In fact, she hadn't.
That evening, Gary went by Spencer McGrath's house with the guns. "I want to leave them as security so you can co-sign that truck."
"Number one," said Spencer, "I don't need the guns. Two, I'm not going to co-sign. Take them with you."
"I'm going to leave them," Gary said. "I want you to know I'm real serious."
Spencer decided to ask how he got them. Gary said a friend of his in Portland owed him money, so had given over the guns. He mentioned the guy's name. Soon as Gary was gone, Spence copied the serial numbers, and made a few calls to see if any sporting goods store had been broken into. Couldn't find one. Never called as far south as Spanish Fork, however.
Gary stayed with Sterling and Ruth Ann again, and spent all day Saturday driving between Lark and Spanish Fork. He dropped by to see Kathryne, but the Elders from the Church were visiting, so through the open door he called, "Where is she?" "I don't have any idea where she is," Kathryne said sharply, and knew Gary didn't believe her. You could tell by the way he took off mad.
At midnight, Gary drove out to Spanish Fork one more time to see if Nicole might be there in the house without furniture, and he walked through the empty rooms, and took out a little more of his clothing and put it in the trunk of the Mustang. He was living out of the Mustang by now. Then he drove to the Silver Dollar and had a couple of drinks.
Behind the bar, tacked to the mirror, were some cartoons. One said: HAPPINESS IS A TIGHT PUSSY. It showed a fat woman with breasts hanging out of her halter. She had a big wrinkled belly button and was sitting on top of a mountain of empty beer cans.
Another drawing showed a man with a face of pure misery sitting at a desk. Underneath was printed:
I'M SO HAPPY HERE
I COULD JUST SHIT.
GERMAN SAUSAGES STEAMED IN BEER
HAPPINESS IS A COLD BEER
NO CHECKS CASHED
NO CREDIT
When he finished his glass, he went out and got into his truck and stopped off at Vern's. They were all asleep so he went down to the basement and found a cot.
Sunday morning he went to the hospital to visit John who was recovering from the hernia operation. John's dad, who was a Mormon Bishop, was there, and he was a little on the straitlaced side. Gary came up wearing a dirty white T-shirt, old slacks, tennis shoes, and, by God, a joke tie that came down to his knees-it had very wide alternating stripes of maroon, gold, and white. On top of his head he had a little hat. He sat around and tried to make conversation with the Bishop.