Laughing in the Hills by Bill Barich

Author:Bill Barich
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: e9781634509480
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
Published: 2015-09-25T04:00:00+00:00

XIV

I watched the Kentucky Derby in the press box. The race was a pure and emotional thing, and it brought us back to the essence of the sport and bleached our bones of caring. I came away from it feeling refreshed, and I thought how nice it would be actually to go to Kentucky someday and watch the race from that crackerjack grandstand and drink overpriced mint juleps and smell the ripe perfume of southern girls. This was the start of something, hope.

That night I went on a minor-league celebration with Arnold Walker, who’d finished the day ahead and couldn’t tolerate all that extra cash in his pockets. We had a big dinner at Spenger’s and Arnold spilled some cabernet on his good gray vest. Next he dragged me into the room where they have the oyster bar and wall-size TV. “It’s not so bad,” he said. “Here, have a seat. I think you’ll like it.” He forced me to drink another bottle of wine and watch a beauty pageant. The semifinalists walked onstage through an arch formed by the crossed sabers of some cadets from the Citadel while the Citadel choir sang “You Light Up My Life.” “I love it,” Arnold said. “I absolutely love it.” The Question Period followed the parade. Leroy Neiman, the Famous Artist, was a judge and he tried to trick one of the girls into revealing something out of the ordinary. “If you could pick one woman,” Leroy said, winding up, ready to toss a spitball, “other than your mother, as your model, who would it be and why?” Miss Massachusetts thought it over. “My grandmother,” she said. Miss Florida told what a bad driver she was, having accidents all the time and once driving right onto a porch where some old lady was eating breakfast. “I’ll bet she takes drugs,” said Arnold. “What’ll you give me?” I wouldn’t give him anything. We watched the coronation and the tears and then I went back to the Terrace and fell asleep in my clothes. When I woke in the morning the first thing I saw was the globe Ted had given me. I spun it around, looking for Italy.

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