Good God.

Uncle Tex, the matchmaker.

“You’re nuts,” I said.

“That’s what they tel me.”

Then he disconnected.

I flipped my phone shut and stared at it for a second.

Then I curled my fist around it, threw my hands up in a

“Goal!” gesture and shouted, real y loud, “Woo hoo!” Everyone turned to stare, everyone including Lee, Eddie and Hank, who were now standing at the bar.

Whatever.

Nothing could pierce this piece of happiness. Not even Hank.

I grinned at Vance.

“Seems your luck just changed,” Vance commented.

“Dude, Uncle Tex is gonna talk to my Mom tonight. First time they’l have talked since he got back from Vietnam.” Vance’s eyes flashed, then they warmed. Then, he reached out and traced the curve of my ear.

“Good news,” he muttered.

“You better believe it.”

I heard the loud thud of a beer bottle hitting a counter. I turned in time to see Hank’s back as he left.

I looked to where Eddie and Lee stood at the bar.

Eddie was smiling at me.

Lee was glowering.

I turned my back on them, trying to pretend none of this affected me.

Which, it did, like, a lot.

But I’d decided, just then, with the happy news that Uncle Tex was going to cal my Mom, that I was going to live in a pretend world of bubble gum goodness.

At least until I drove over the Colorado border, then it was Joni Mitchel and Van Morrison al the way through Nebraska.

Chapter Twelve

Hank and My Wild Ride

“Hi Mom,” I said.

Uncle Tex was sitting across from me, at his dining room table, his leg bouncing, his hands running up and down his thighs, his eyes wild.

We’d had our pork chops and rice and Tex had had three shots of hooch and two beers. I thought he was primed but he looked like he was going to spontaneously combust.

“Hey there, honey. What’s up with you?” Mom said in my ear.

I smiled reassuringly at Tex.

“I have two pieces of real y good news,” I told her.

“Yeah? I can always use good news.”

“Wel …” I drew it out, “Bil y and I are done. He’s gone.

Real y gone this time.”

My Mom was silent.

Then she breathed, “Oh sweet Jesus.”

Then, she took the phone away from her mouth and I heard her shout, “Herb! Herb, come here! Roxie’s broken up with Bil y. Oh sweet Jesus. The sweet Lord Jesus heard my prayers.”

Mom carried on like this for a while.

I waited patiently, mainly because I was accustomed to this behavior from Mom. Mom went to church on Sundays and she was a Christian for sure but she only invoked the sweet Lord Jesus on special occasions (of which there were many) that demanded a bit of a flair for drama.

Such as this one.

The phone was jostled and my Dad was there.

“Roxie?”

“Hi Dad.”

“Is it true? Did you final y get rid of that sum ’a bitch?”

“Yeah.”

I wasn’t going to tel them about my wild ride with Bil y. I needed to pick a good time for that, like after they’d had three shots of Uncle Tex’s hooch. Anyway, I didn’t want anything to color the upcoming semi-family reunion.

“Thank f**kin’ God. I always hated that bastard,” Dad said.

My Dad wasn’t one to hold anything back.

“I know. You didn’t real y keep that a secret.”

“So did your brother,” he went on.

“I know.”

“And your sister.”

“I know,” I said.

“And your mother.”

I rol ed my eyes to the ceiling.

“Jeez, Dad, I know.”

“And Mrs. Montgomery from down the street. The minute she laid eyes on him, she told me he was a bad seed.” Good grief.

Bil y was, of course, a bad seed but Mrs. Montgomery thought everyone was a bad seed. She even said Hol y Newbury was a bad seed and Hol y was Sister Hol y now and taught at St. Malachy Elementary School.

“Dad,” I said warningly.

“This is good news, Roxie. Good news.”

I decided to change the subject, mainly because Uncle Tex looked about to burst and if I didn’t get this show on the road, who knew what would happen.

“Is Mom stil there?” I asked.

“Yeah. You wanna talk to her?”

“Dad, listen, is she sitting down?”

Silence.

Then, “No.”

“Wel , get her to sit down. Dad, I’m in Denver.” Silence again.

I went on. “I’m sitting across from Uncle Tex right now.

He wants to talk to her.”

There was a hesitation then I heard his hand go over the mouthpiece but I stil could make out the words. “Trish, you need to sit down.”

“What?” my mom said in the background and I could hear the Mom edge of “What Has Roxanne Done Now?” in her tone.

“Roxie’s in Denver, with Tex.”

I heard a short, but loud, scream.

“He wants to talk to you,” Dad continued when Mom finished screaming.

“Sweet Jesus. Sweet Jesus,” Mom chanted.

I smiled at Uncle Tex.

Tex abruptly stood up, ready to escape. I stood too, prepared for this, and, carrying the phone with me, I blocked his way. His eyes were wilder than ever.

“Uncle Tex, take a deep breath,” I said.

“I’m handing the phone over to your mother,” Dad said in my ear. “You ready?”

“Yeah,” I told him and looked at Uncle Tex. “You ready?” I asked.

He shook his head.

“Tex?” Mom said hesitantly in my ear.

“Hi Mom, it’s stil me. Hang on, here’s Uncle Tex.” Tex was taking in deep breaths, then pursing his lips and blowing them out in quick bursts like he was a woman in labor practicing Lamaze. I handed the phone receiver to him and he stared at it like it was a living thing. Then he took one more deep breath, snatched the receiver from my hand and put it to his ear. I set the phone on the dining room table.

“Trish?” Tex said in a soft boom.

I felt a melting warmth spread in my bel y. I got up close, rested my forehead against my uncle’s big, barrel chest and wrapped my arms around his middle. He may not have needed me to hold him, but I needed it, I needed it badly.

“Yeah, it’s me. How’s things?” Tex asked.

I heard my Mom talking to Tex, her voice sounded high and I couldn’t make out what she said. After she talked for a while, I felt Tex’s body relax and he put his hand on the back of my neck.