'We might as well take turns,' Chester said. 'There's no reason not to, what with the season being over. Nothing happening till spring practice.'
'I graduate,' Deering said. 'Talk about nothing happening, that's the biggest nothing there is. That's the ultimate nothing. I graduate in the spring.'
'No more football,' Billy Mast said.
'I'm all through school. I graduate. I'm gone for good.'
'No more football. No more hitting. No more sweat and pain. No more fear.' 'I can't believe it.' 'No more being yelled at and cursed by those insane coaches. No more running in the heat. No more two laps around the goal posts. No more getting kicked and elbowed and spat upon.'
'It's awful. I can't accept it. It's a bitch.'
'Literally spat upon,' Billy said. 'No more. None of it. Never. Not ever again for the rest of your natural days.'
'I need the dress. Give me the dress. I have to put my head under the dress.'
Bobby Iselin and Bobby Hopper came in. Iselin was still limping from the Centrex game.
'Did you hear?' Hopper said. 'Mrs. Tom was in a plane crash. She was in a light plane going to some conference. It overshot the runway. She's on the critical list.'
'Let's have the details,' Jeff said.
'Those
'Let me get it straight. Critical list. Overshot the runway. Light plane.'
'Going to some conference.'
'Look at that dress,' Bobby Iselin said. 'Whose dress is that? I bet that's Alia Joy Burney's dress.'
'He won't let me put my head under it,' Deering said.
'That's about the only exercise we can expect to get,' Chester said. 'I've been walking the halls all afternoon. One thought in mind. Spring practice. We hit and get hit. We sweat off the excess poundage. We really sweat. Sweeeeet. We hit. We hurl our bodies. We get hit.'
'Not Deering,' Jeff said.
'Not me. I've had it forever. I graduate. I'm gone for good. The ultimate nothing. My only hope is Billy gives me some leeway with that damn dress.'
George Dole walked in.
'They got Coach behind closed doors,' he said. 'They're keeping him isolated for some reason.'
'Did you hear about the plane crash?' Jeff said. 'She's on the critical list. It overshot the runway. She was in a light plane going to some conference. Bobby knows the details.'
'Who's on the critical list?'
'Mrs. Tom,' Hopper said. 'It overshot the runway. She's on the critical list. I'd prefer to be called Bob from now on. I'll be a senior next year. I've had it with Bobby.'
'That's a damn shame. No, I didn't hear about that. I didn't know about that at all. This is the first I've heard.'
Howard Lowry, Billy's roommate, came in and sat on the desk, addressing himself to Billy.
'People keep bringing up that course you're taking. The untenable. I keep hearing about that course. Nobody talks about it but I keep hearing.'
'So do I,' Ted Joost said.
'There's not much I can say about it,' Billy said.
'You can tell us what goes on.'
'We delve into the untellable.'
'How deep?' Bobby Iselin said.
'It's hard to tell. I don't think anybody knows how deep the untellable is. We've done a certain amount oi delving. We plan to delve some more. That's about all I can tell you.'
'But what do you talk about?' Howard said. 'There are ten of you in there and there's some kind of instructor or professor. You must say things to each other.'
'We shout in German a lot. There are different language exercises we take turns doing. We may go on a field trip next week. I don't know where to.'
'But you don't know German. I know damn well you don't. I'm your damn roommate. I know things about you.'
'Unfortunately I've picked up a few words. I guess that's one of the hazards in a course like this. You pick up things you're better off without. The course is pretty experimental. It's given by a man who may or may not have spent three and a half years in one of the camps. He doesn't think there'll be a final exam.'
'Why things in German?' Ted Joost said.
'I think the theory is if any words exist beyond speech, they're probably German words, or pretty close.'
'What do I say to people who keep bringing up the untellable?' Howard said.
'It's a threecredit course. It's a very hard course, no matter how bright you are. And apparently there are field trips. I don't know what else you can tell them.'
'Look at him work on that dress,' Deering said. 'Let me at least lick the button before you finish sewing it. That's all I ask. If I can't put my head under the dress, at least let me lick the button.'
'I really and truly did not know about the plane crash at all,' George said. 'It overshot the runway. Is that what happened?'
'They had to rush her to the hospital,' Hopper said.
'Did she regain consciousness?'
'I don't know if she ever lost it. I just know they had to rush her to the hospital. She's on the critical list.'
Tim Flanders and John Butler came in. Butler carried a laundry bag and three pairs of sneakers.
'Did you hear about the plane crash?' George said.
'We just heard,' Buttler said.
'She was in a light plane going to some conference. It overshot the runway. She's on the critical list.'
'It overshot the runway. That's what we heard.'
'They had to rush her to the hospital.'
'I wonder if it was raining,' Flanders said. 'Usually they overshoot in bad weather.'
'We don't have anything on that yet,' Hopper said.
'We don't know if she lost or regained consciousness either. I about wet my pants when I heard.'
'A lot of times they die without regaining consciousness,' Chester said.
'I wonder if she was burned beyond recognition,' Flanders said. 'That usually happens in that kind of crash.'
John Jessup appeared in the doorway.
'What kind of news you got for us?' Jeff said.
'Shitnews.'
'Can you give us any details?'
'Chudko has the details. Chudko has all the particulars. I just know it's shitnews. Anybody wants details, go hunt up Chudko.'
'Whose dress is that?' Butler said. 'That must be Alia Joy Burney's dress. Hey, move over, Bobby. Plenty of room.'
'I get first crack at that dress,' Deering said. 'There's a waiting line for that dress. My head goes under first.'
'I don't know how people can chew just one stick of gum,' George Dole said. 'I chew all five.'
Billy Mast rethreaded the needle, somewhat theatrically. Spurgeon Cole, Jerry Fallon and Dickie Kidd walked in. It was getting dark outside. I heard the wind rip around the building, actually turning corners, sounding wild enough to unpile stone. John Butler and Bobby Hopper started fighting for some reason. Several good punches were thrown. Then Randy King came in, swinging between a pair of crutches. He was wearing his team jersey, number 51.
26
