26

…oncet I knowed a feller what was tic-tac-toe champion of Bannerville Georgia…they got him in the Tic-Tac-Toe Hall of Fame…

Monroe D. Underwood

By ten o’clock I had burned almost a pack of cigarettes.

The place was pitch black.

The air-conditioning was off.

It was hotter than hell in there.

I was sorry I hadn’t brought a copy of Eagles magazine.

I could have read it with my brand-new three-cell flashlight.

I played tic-tac-toe in my mind.

I had the x’s.

Playing tic-tac-toe in your mind is extremely difficult.

Especially in the dark.

I kept making round x’s.

I lost damn near every game.

I tried to call Betsy.

Still no answer.