Read Tex for Free Online Page B

Johnny got out a bunch of medical books and laughed his head off at the gory pictures. I sat next to Bob’s girl friend and talked a blue streak. I talk a lot anyway. I think I talked a lot about Jamie, but she didn’t pay much attention to me. She never took her eyes off Charlie, who laughed and told funny stories and got out his guitar and made up dirty songs (he really could sing) and met people at the door and waved good-bye and passed the drinks around one more time. Charlie was an extremely likeable person.
    â€œCharlie,” I said to him seriously, trying to get my eyes focused, “there are people who go places, and people who stay, and I think you’re going.”
    â€œI’ve been going all my life, cowboy,” he grinned at me. “And I love it.”
    I thought that was nice, and wondered how I was going to like staying.
    Johnny laid down on the floor and flapped his arms like he was swimming. It made perfect sense at the time and I thought about joining him.
    Charlie was trying to get us to stay all night.
    â€œI’ll call Cole and tell him you’ve got car trouble.”
    â€œI am fine,” Bob told him, “I am perfectly fine. I have never had a driving accent, accent … I mean wreck. Come on, Jonathan.”
    Bob drunk and trying to act dignified set me and Johnny off on hysterics. But after all he was the driver and therefore boss, so I tried to pull Johnny up on his feet and ended up rolling around on the floor with him. Charlie finally got us standing upright.
    â€œBobby, you sure you can drive, kid?”
    â€œCertainly.”
    Bob’s girl friend belted down her fourth or fifth drink, got up, and said “God, you’re gorgeous!” to Charlie. It was the first thing she’d said since we got there. Charlie kissed her on the forehead, hugged Johnny and Bob one more time, shook hands with me, and made sure we didn’t fall down the stairs on top of some more people who were coming up.
    â€œVisiting him is like getting hit by a tornado,” Johnny mumbled. Both of us wanted to lay down in the back seat, and we got into a shoving match over it. We finally ended up flopped together like puppies in a litter.
    The next thing I knew I was home, puking off the front steps into the bushes.
    â€œMace,” I gasped, for some reason sure he was there with me, even though I didn’t remember seeing him, “I think I’m sick.”
    â€œI think you’re drunk.” Sure enough, his voice was right there next to me in the dark.
    â€œRobert was drunk, and Johnny was drunk, so I imagine you’re drunk, too, seeing how you don’t have any tendencies toward car sickness.”
    Mace pulled me back up before I did a headlong flip over the porch railing.
    â€œAre you mad?”
    â€œOh, no, I’m thrilled to death. Now get to bed.”
    On the way there I could tell I was going to throw up again. I detoured into the john, but ended up puking in the tub instead. It was easy to see what kind of junk I’d been eating at the Fair, and it made me sicker. I thought my insides were going to come up. I broke out in a cold sweat all over. Even the inside of my mouth was sweating. Mason handed me a towel and kept me from falling down when I tried to stand up again. When I made it to bed, I curled up and shivered like I was freezing, but I was really hot. The whole room was turning around and around and there were minutes when I’d think I was still on some ride at the Fair, even to hearing the music and noises. I’d heard of people passing out from drinking too much, and figured maybe I would, too, but I think I went to sleep first
    â€œTex, wake up. Come on, it’s okay, you can wake up.”
    Slowly the room took shape around me. It was still dark. I was at the front door, hanging on to the doorknob. Moonlight was shining in the windows, making the bare floor boards gleam like water.
    â€œAm I asleep or