Ларри Макмертри - The Last Picture Show

"I could have," Duane said smugly. "I could have screwed her in five minutes."

Sonny knew that was true, but because it was true it seemed even more unfair of Duane to bring it up. Suddenly, for the first time in his life, he felt like hitting Duane.

"You know why you could," he said, almost choking. "The only reason you could have was because you was in the backfield. I was in the fuckin' line. That's the only reason Jacy went with you as long as she did, because you was in the backfield."

"That's a lie, you chickenshit," Duane said. "What are you talkin' about? Me an' her was in love."

"You was, she wasn't," Sonny said confidently. "Just because you was in the backfield. She likes me as good as she ever liked you. I'll stay all night with her one of these nights, too—she's done promised."

"You won't either," Duane said, furious.

"Why shouldn't I? She's done told me you couldn't even do it that time in San Francisco. What about that?"

Duane couldn't take that. He came out of his chair and slammed Sonny in the face with the beer bottle he had in his hand. It knocked Sonny backward, but he was soon up and at Duane. It was too much to take, saying he couldn't have screwed Charlene, just because he was in the line. Sonny couldn't see too well, but it didn't matter because in a minute they were both rolling on the floor anyway, punching and kicking at one another. The barmaids and the airmen calmly got out of the way and the boys rolled over against the bar, whacking at one another and bonking their heads on the brass footrail. They got up and slugged a minute on their knees but before they could get to their feet the cops were there. The next thing they knew they were out on the curb, each handcuffed to a cop. One of Sonny's eyes was hurting and he had to hold his hand over it, but otherwise he didn't feel too bad. He and Duane stood beside one another at the police desk, and to their surprise were no longer particularly mad.

"Don't know what happened," Duane said. "Never meant to hit you with that bottle. Reckon we got enough money to pay our fines?"

They did have, barely, and in a few more minutes, without knowing exactly what had taken place, they were on the sidewalk again, walking back up Ohio Street. They walked past the bar where they had the fight and one of the barmaids waved at them, tolerant, jolly, and apparently amused. It deflated the boys a little bit. Theirs must not have been much of a fight, as fights went on Ohio Street.

"My damn eye sure hurts," Sonny said. "Run me up by the General Hospital—maybe they can give me a shot or something. It's a wonder we didn't tear up that bar:"

"I guess they get worse fights than us in there ever night," Duane said unhappily. "When it comes to Jacy I guess I'm just crazy:"

By the time they got to the hospital Sonny's eye had swollen shut and was paining him terribly. The momentary good feeling that he had had at the police station was entirely gone, and he was a little scared. It was nice that he and Duane were not going to be enemies for life, but he was still scared. When a doctor finally took a look at his eye he immediately ordered Sonny a hospital room.

"You're not leavin' here tonight," he said.

"You could lose the sight in that eye if we aren't careful, and you might lose it even if we are. In the morning we'll have to have a good look at it."

"Damn," Duane said nervously. "Why'd I have to have that bottle in my hand?"

"Aw, they're always tryin' to scare you," Sonny said. "It feels like it's just swole up."

Duane was really worried, and it made him so nervous and stiff that Sonny was almost glad when he left. He had a shot that made him sleep, and the next day the eye was hurting so badly that he had several more shots and was just in a sort of daze all day. He' knew his father was there some of the time. The day after that he had some kind of operation, and when he woke up his father was there, shaking a little but not too badly. It was the first time they had seen one another since graduation night, when Sonny had reluctantly accepted fifty dollars as a graduation present.

"Son, must have been some fight," Frank said. "Oh, just me and Duane. He gone back to Odessa?"

"Yeah, he had to. Tried to see you yesterday, but they wouldn't let him. He said to tell you he was awful sorry."

"Well, it's over now," Sonny said. "I might have done it to him if I'd been holding a bottle. What'd they say about my eye?"

"They don't know yet," Frank said "You didn't lose all your sight in it, but I guess you might lose some."

Sonny found it was not so bad having his father around. Frank didn't say much, just sat in the room. He seemed comfortable and Sonny was too. There was only one awkward moment in the three days Frank stayed. It came one night when Sonny was eating supper.

"Son," Frank said, "reckon it would work out if we put the poolhall and the domino hall together? The building's big enough, ain't it?"

It was, but the whole idea made Sonny nervous. "I don't think it would do too well," he said. "Me men who play dominos wouldn't want a lot of kids in there shooting pool and making racket."

Frank said that might be so, and didn't mention it again. Sonny was in the hospital eight days. He got lonesome, but it was just about as bad when visitors came. Genevieve came one afternoon and brought Billy, who was scared of the hospital and didn't know whether to sit down or stand up. Sonny was so used to seeing Genevieve in her waitress uniform that she looked strange to him in her regular clothes. She came right out and asked about his eye.

"How is it, really?" she said.

"I don't know," Sonny said honestly. "It wouldn't surprise me if I was one-eyed when they take the bandages off. Duane caught me a good hard lick."

"Well, it was awful of you two to fight. You knew he joined the army, didn't you? His mother told me two or three days ago."

Sonny hadn't known it, and was very surprised. For the first time he really wondered about his eye. He had always planned to go to the army too, and it occurred to him that if he was one-eyed the army wouldn't take him. He had never supposed he would be unable to make the army.

The next afternoon the nurse brought in a note. "A lady's down in the waiting room," she said.

The note just said: "May I come in and see you a little while? Ruth."

Sonny looked at the nurse, who was young and friendly. "Could you tell her I'm asleep?" he asked.

"Sure I could. But you're not asleep."

"If I go to sleep right now will you tell her I'm asleep?" The nurse did as he asked, but Sonny was blue anyway. He would not have minded seeing Ruth, but he felt bad whenever he thought about her and he. was afraid that if she came up something bad might happen. In a way he wanted to see her—indeed, the more he thought about her the more lonesome he became for her—but it seemed like seeing her would only make everything worse.

The next to last day he was there, Jacy came to see him. She wore a sleeveless green dress and looked a little sad. As soon as the nurse left the room she came to the bed and kissed Sonny for a long time. It surprised him and he embarrassed himself a little by getting a hard on.

"Oh, I was so worried," Jacy said. "I just had to see you. When do you get out?"

"Tomorrow," Sonny said. "Why?"

"I want us to get married," Jacy said, her dewy mouth close to his. "I really do. Whenever you get out, just as soon as you want to."

Sonny was stunned. "Get married?" he said. He thought he must be having a dream.

"Do you want to?" she asked.

"Oh yeah, yeah," he said. "But ain't you goin' to college?"

"No. I don't care about that. I love you and that's more important. My folks won't like it, but we can run off."

It was an inspiration she had had as soon as she heard about the fight. Sonny was so dear, to fight for her. Running off with him would make her whole summer, and the fact that she did it even though he only had one eye would knock everyone in Thalia for a loop. It would be a lot wilder than Bobby Sheen and Annie-Annie—they were both rich and healthy. She would be running off with someone poor and sort of mutilated. Of course her folks would catch them and have it annulled, but at least she could show Sonny how much she was willing to sacrifice for him.