Everybody's Fool

Rub and Sully stop in the White Horse Tavern for a drink. Rub continues to be depressed and jealous of his friend, a situation made worse when Sully sits down next to another friend called Jocko, but there is no seat for Rub.

To fix this, Sully deliberately goads one of his least favorite locals: Joe, nicknamed “Spinmatics” ever since he used that word instead of “Hispanics” during a racist rant. Joe loses his temper at Sully and is asked to leave, freeing up a barstool for Rub. Janey, who is filling in for the cook, has overheard everything; she is unimpressed that Sully has deliberately provoked two stupid and potentially dangerous men to the point of violence in one day.

Rub, meanwhile, feels better. He recalls his father telling him he should “just give up” (215) and reflecting that he had been on the point of doing so, but no longer.

Raymer has a vivid dream of Becka running her fingers through his hair and whispering that she has to tell him something. He wakes up on the couch on Charice’s back porch. They had a lovely evening, but he is embarrassed to have eaten and drunk so much and fallen asleep.