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Taking Chances, by E. L. Van Hine and L.H. Nicoll
MaineWriter:
Good morning re-readers....today, chapters 11-15.
http://louisev.livejournal.com/52792.html
“Don’t go second guessin yerself. Oh. An tomorrow, when Mel comes by ta go to the lockup with ya, no wearin yer trick socks okay?”
Ellery pulled a straight face. “I got no idea what you are talkin about Wes.”
“I asked Ennis ta go through yer sock drawer. Yer busted.”
“Shit. My own man turns on me. No sugar for him tonight.”
Wes shook his head. “Sometimes I wonder if you are really five years old inside that beanpole body.”
“Maybe,” Ellery said. “If that is all I want ta go steal one a Joe’s bran muffins before he puts on more weight.”
“Yer excused. An give Wayne my best when you go up there.”
L
MaineWriter:
Poor Wayne, he seems to have a very short memory. This is from chapter 11:
Wayne started to speak again and then began to cough again, hard, rasping spasms that left him breathless, his face red.
“Jesus Christ Wayne.”
He nodded, unable to speak, and picked up a glass of water, gulping down a tiny mouthful of it, hand pressed to his chest. “I know,” he whispered. “But... I think it’s gettin better.”
“Don’t worry bout the insurance none, Wayne.”
“Listen, Ellery. I just want ta say I’m sorry fer never listenin to ya. You were right. An I’m sorry for buggin Ennis so much. I don’t want ta go ta my grave thinkin two a the people I like an respect the most haven’t got nothin but –“ he stopped and coughed again....
“Wayne, you don’t have ta say all this...” and was silenced by Wayne’s raised hand, his sunken eyes glaring at him in defiance of his breathlessness.
“Haven’t got nothin but contempt fer me. Maybe I don’t deserve it, but I really do respect you Ellery... an I respect Ennis too, an I’m sorry I called em an asshole.”
“He probably don’t even remember, Wayne, let it go.”
“You were right ta fire me. I guess when I started feelin sick is when I started gettin careless, an when Bill showed up I told em about what I was afraid of, cause Pinky – you remember that trucker, Pinky?”
“Oh yeah... he is banned from the bar.”
“Yeah well he called me an told me he was sick a few months ago an I been dreadin ever since.”
“Wayne, please don’t tell me you an Pinky...” his face turned read. “The man is an animal, Wayne.”
“Yeah well... “ Wayne blushed under the feverish ruddiness of his face. “He’s got a ten inch cock Ellery.”
Ellery shook his head. “God amighty, Wayne.”
L
MaineWriter:
Chapter 12:
“I sure hope so.” Ellery ate with quiet displeasure, trying to endure what might be the beginning of a long, jealous argument. The cute part was his being amused by Ellery’s tale of Gabe’s sexual inadequacy. The part that was not so cute was the dark mood accompanying it, the lack of trust, and he reminded himself that it was not he, Ellery, Ennis was jealous of, nor was the real topic his last sexual partner, but the mounting anxiety surrounding the test, the ever present questions and torment he put himself to about Jack, and his uncertainty about Jack. Right now, it seemed unimportant that Ellery loved him, and only important – whether Jack did. When he realized this, Ellery lost his appetite, but kept eating, mechanically. If I can eat through a murder trial, I can eat through Ennis not givin a shit about whether I love em or not. It’ll pass.
and then, same chapter:
“You want me ta tell ya if he calls me? An no, he hasn’t called me. But Amos Marigold called me an Wes pinned a note on my door an told me he asked you what was in my sock drawer.”
“Wes is lyin, he never asked me about yer socks. What’s this about socks?”
Ellery grinned suddenly. “He didn’t?”
“No. Why would he ask me about yer socks?”
“No reason, I played a trick on Amos in court the other day an put on red socks an he called Wes ta complain.”
“Oh. I don’t get it.”
“Dress code. I’m gonna get changed. You said Mr. Coyote was visitin after dinner. Am I stayin naked or gettin on my knees or what here?”
Ennis took another draw on the cigar, did not offer it to him.
“I don’t know, maybe not tonight.”
“Okay.” Ellery went in the bedroom, changed into a pair of black denims, and as an afterthought, put on a blue t-shirt. He sat down on the edge of the bed and leaned over, pressing his hands against his face. Goddamn you an yer moods, Ennis. I love you ta death but sometimes you just make me want ta scream.
L
yb:
Chapter 12 is difficult to read, as per Leslie's quotes.
And I also want to quote the following:
“Yeah... so how is Wayne besides bein real sick. He say anythin else?”
“Yup, said he was real sorry he called you an asshole.”
“Better late than never I suppose. Maybe I ought ta go with ya some time if he’s gonna be in there.”
“I don’t know if Wayne’s gonna survive, Ennis, frankly. I tried ta be delicate about askin. I don’t know if people get better from one thing or just get sicker an get somethin else or what. Anyone call from Denver, or Sampson or anybody?”
I know I am being sentimental, but I hope when Ennis & Ellery decides the guest list for their reception, they'd remember this moment.
yb:
Chapter 13, we get to see a rare occasion that Ellery lost his temper to Ennis:
Ellery leapt up, in a motion that seemed to quick for his usual lethargic pace. “I am sick a this bullshit about did he love ya didn’t he love ya an you sittin there wallowin in fuckin guilt over this.”
“Don’t,” Ennis said, voice choked with anger.
“I will. Ya know, I have been holdin this back for some time since dinner but there’s a little somethin else you ain’t payin attention to either while you’re playin pull the petals off the daisy. There’s someone right here right now who loves ya an that don’t seem to mean fuckall to you right now.”
“Yer wrong. It does.”
“Prove me wrong, Ennis. Yer so stuck right now in yer little guilt party you can’t even see me. You can see someone I fucked two times a year ago like a big red cape in front of a bull’s nose, but you can’t see the guy I’m fuckin right now every goddamn night, every which way ta Sunday, an I love em like there’s no tomorrow an I’d do just about anythin for em, includin gettin shot at I might add, but do you think he gives a good goddamn right now? What color his eyes are? Who the fuck cares? I don’t.”
“I’m sorry ya took it that way Ellery,” Ennis said, bridling at the vehemence of Ellery’s words. “I wasn’t tryin ta tell ya I didn’t love –“
“You don’t give a good goddamn right now whether I love ya. All you care about is who did Jack Twist fuck? Well make a fuckin list! You want ta know write it all down, everybody you think he fucked, an memorize it. Hair color, eyes, height, weight, don’t forget what size cock they got an how many times they fucked em. That’s important too. Because it all comes down ta one thing. The more you imagine he was fuckin other guys then the less important you are because yer afraid he didn’t care, an he got himself killed because he didn’t care. Let me tell you boy, on the list a things people think about when they are busy gettin murdered, one of them ain’t how much does my man care about me? They’re too busy bein killed to worry about the niceties. I told you this I don’t know how many times an maybe my bein mad an annoyed an rubbin it in a bit might get through yer brain when the soft spoken pattin on the head part won’t.”
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