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Show RIVER up the hill, toward me, with the enraged bull and his entire herd now in full pursuit. I ran down the levee, angling away from Thor and his newfound friends. Inspired to a swiftness surprising in one so short legged, I wasn't going to let a lot of cows turn me into hamburger. Thor and I made it to a fence at about the same time, shortly before the cows. He came running up to me with a stupid doggie smile on his face, almost proud. It was like he expected me to congratulate him. He grinned and slobbered. He looked so damn happy I couldn't hit him. "You stupid son of a bitch," I panted. Thor continued to grin and slobber. We followed a dirt road up to town past shacks and trailers. I walked a good ways down the main street looking for a place that had the prospects of good eats. Most of the greasiest spoons had been run out of business by a large new red and white restaurant with a name like Ye Olde Colonial House, but I managed to find a place with the right atmosphere and prices, not to mention a pool table. I sat at a back table and drank beer while I waited for my chicken. Soon an old man walked in, fat, bald, loud, and drunk. He looked like he might sell cars or work in a feed store when he wasn't drunk. He was a big man, drunk enough to be belligerent. He looked the place over, saw me, and said "Uuunaahh, whazat?" He wandered back to where I was working on my beer. He stood next to my table and stared at me for a while. I'd been through this movie so many times before that I could guess his first question. He pointed at my beard and said, "How long did it take you to grow that thing?" "Six months," I said. -181- |