Jimmy said nothing. But it seemed like he was waiting for permission to scarf down Dick's omelet.
"Why don't you have this."
"No way? Thanks, man!"
Casey was out of the house. Going to get his 'dick wet' as Jimmy had said. It was just the two of them now. Dick and Jimmy.
Jimmy put a card ontop of the table. "Here you go, man. Before I forget. I owe you."
Dick picked the card up skittishly. Was about to ask what the hell that was when Jimmy said, "It's a 250 dollar gift card to Dave and Busters!"
Dick was about to yell. What on earth drove this imbecile to get a gift card to Dave and Busters rather than a more real form of money.
"I know. I still haven't told my parents. And I knew I owed you. So I figured this ought to do for now."
Dick looked at the card as he dryly said "thanks".
"How about we go there tonight?"
"Maybe. If Casey's down for it."
In the afternoon the two of them walked around people watching. There was a pan handler asking for money. Dick said that he had no money. Jimmy slipped him a fifty dollar bill. Dick wondered where that came from.
In the evening the two of them drove Jimmy's
Lexus
to Dave and Busters. Casey would meet them there in about an hour.
Along the highway there was a billboard sign for painless dentures. Jimmy pointed to it and began laughing. But then the car swerved. A jeep almost hit them from behind. Jimmy kept swinging the steering wheel as though he was drunk. They then crossed the meridian and ran straight into a semi truck.
At the
hospital
, Dick came to. The doctor and nurses moved around him. Bustling. Until he finally could form words and understand what was going on. Casey was there. "Dude. are you okay?"
"I don't know. Jimmy really should learn how to drive."
Casey remained silent.
"Where is he?"
He didn't even need to ask. Jimmy was dead.
Later that evening Jimmy's dad called him. Casey forced Dick to take the phone. "Can you tell him what happened?"
"So my son was with you? What was he doing all the way in
Westcity
. Shouldn't he have been at school?"
"We were going to Dave and Busters."
"Why wouldn't he go there with you on a Monday? It was Sunday. Was he drunk?"
"No."
"Dick. What the hell's going on? Why wasn't my son three hours north? Why was he there with you?"
"I'm sorry Mr. Johnson. Jimmy was really trying to tell you. But he dropped out for the semester. He came to visit me because he was no longer in school."
A pause. Then a deep sigh came from the other end.
Dick was discharged from the hospital. They told him his copay was 200 dollars. He said he didn't have that money. He asked if they would accept a Dave and Busters gift card. The receptionist thought about it before nodding and taking it.
At home Dick couldn't cook or clean. Just sat in bed watching TV on his computer. Good thing he had been injected with this fat. He could go a few days without eating. Casey had gone back home. Dick's roommates wouldn't be back for a few days. He didn't know how he was going to explain everything that happened.
When the roommates did return, he decided simply to ignore it. When they asked what happened, he said that he got into an accident.
"What like a car accident?"
"Yeah something like that," Dick said.
By this time Dick hadn't eaten a bite. He drank only
gatorade
and
beer
. His piss smelled like dry tang powder.
He got a phone call Thursday afternoon. It was Peter.
When Peter walked through the door his jaw nearly dropped to the floor. He had a thirty pack of
Busch Light
in his hand.
"Throw me one of those will ya? I could use one."
Peter walked over and cracked open two cans. They drank them fast. And then immediately opened three and four.
"Dude. Jimmy Johnson's the reason I'm like this. He got us into a car accident."
"Damn. Where is he, man?"
"He's dead."
"What!?"
"Yeah. The family was supposed to announce it today."
"Shit I haven't heard anything."
Dick finished his second beer quick. Then he said, "give me another, you drunk bastard."
Peter thought there was something odd about Dick. He rememberd Dick being a soft spoken guy. The new brash demeanor was unexpected. but Peter didn't mind it. He could use another tough, fist throwing son of a bitch as a friend. All his "friends" up at his college were chodes.
After drinking two more beers the two of them smoked a cigarette and headed into town. Peter had to push Dick's wheelchair. They went to a college bar where they knew no one. Kids gave the pair strange looks but nobody said anything. Nothing happened that night of consequence.
The next day Peter dropped Dick off at the hospital and then headed back up to his college town. "See yah later, man" he said and drove off.
When Dr. Stephen saw Dick he couldn't hide his shock.
"Car accident."
"I'm sorry." Stephen sighed and shook his head. "But at least you are still alive."
