![]() ![]() Jerry Hino, Jim and Chick Evens all lit up cigarettes, Evens passing the flame of his lighter to and fro, Betty watched the guys attentively as she worked around them, taking up a piece of this and that, making the homemade chili over a slow fire, while they all smoked and drank, it was like this per near three times a week, and sometimes daily, especially around holidays or weekends. It was the Sixth of November, gloomy and cold out of doors (1966). "Okay," said Jerry, "Should we play Hearts, first?" And he did, and it was the Three of Hearts. "Never mind, I got some," and he pulled out a matchbook, and lit his cigarette, and half the cigarette went up in flames, to ashes, it was so poorly packed. "Here," said Chick Evens, handing him his lighter. "It doesn't matter to me," said his brother Jim, and Evens smirked and that was an 'I don't care, either way.' and Ace gave a big smile that went from ear to ear-like a donkey, meaning 'what do I care, I got free beer, and maybe with a little pity, some free cigarettes.'Īce now put his cigarette in his mouth, looked for a match on the table, checking his jacket pockets at the same time. "What should we play today?" asked Jerry Hino. Jerry Spiegelberg, also known as Ace-or Big Bopper-the neighborhood booze buyer for underage drinkers, thirty-one years old, straight hair, a few years younger than Jerry Hino, face was seemingly disfigured, sucked-in cheeks, no teeth, just gums showing, tiny eyeballs like watermelon seeds, within those huge sockets, shaped like cylinders, decided to roll a cigarette, he had stopped smoking for awhile-or had slowed down his smoking anyhow, and now was aimlessly trying to put the tobacco into the paper with those big hands of his, and saying, "By rolling the cigarettes, instead of buying a pack, I smoke less." Although everyone knew he was always broke, and the real reason was he couldn't afford them, and everyone was getting tired of supplying him with free cigarettes. Betty, his wife made popcorn, and everyone sat around the table munching, mechanically, as Jerry looked for a bottle opener, whereupon finding one, he opened four beers, Hamm's He took his first gulp, said: His moist hazel eyes blinked at the four cases of bottled beer he and his brother, and Chick Evens had bought over by the window where the cold air seeped under the windowpane-keeping it a tinge chilled Jerry Hino, and Chick Evens had pitched-in, each five dollars and Jim ten-dollars, and Jerry Spiegelberg, the giant of the group at six-foot six, put in nothing, big as an ox and dumber than one. ![]() His crouching shadow seemed to climb the wall. ![]() The stove made the kitchen warmer for a Minnesota winter, close by. Jerry fanned himself, cold as it was, he was heavy and sweated easily, his heavy stomach flapped over his belt, his shirt thin, his face erupted into brightness it was a heavy and old man's face, at thirty-four years old. Betty was cooking chili for her seven and his seven children, in one huge pot. Jerry Hino shuffled the cards on the kitchen table, spread them out to make sure all fifty-two where there, over old scared brown varnished table. ![]()
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