volume one IN THE D U D L E Y C L A R K - Ohio Vine Tours

the Odd Duck Club, a short-lived music bar near the Oddfellows
Hall on Capitol Hill.
Rick had started drinking before noon that day and had gone
through his three stages alone. After he had somewhat sobered,
the insistent itch to sit in a darkened, smoky bar renewed its claim
on him and so out he went again, this time dragging Roy along.
He had threatened that if Roy didn’t accompany him he
would cut out his, Roy’s, liver while he slept, and eat it.
Roy believed him.
When it comes to his brother, Roy believes three things—his
first belief is that he, Roy, being older, is somehow responsible for
whatever malefic acts Rick, being younger, commits. His second
belief is that, as sure as it will rain in Seattle, Rick will flip out
one day and that when that day comes—and this is Roy’s third
belief—Rick will not consider fealty to his brother, nor loyalty to
his drinking buddies, as sufficient reasons to spare their lives.
Roy has always believed Rick would go out in a gory blaze.
On that cold, drizzly December eve, within minutes of
landing at the Old Crow—a plangent, peeling, shit-brown bar—
Rick bought a pack of Camels and a shot of 1800 and began
his three stages all over again. Apparently, because this was
the second time he had gone through them that day, the spaces
between the stages were shorter, and the stages themselves more
intense.
In a heartbeat, Rick was maudlin. He started hitting Roy up
for more shots, which was the real reason for bringing him along.
For a short while Roy became his pal. After all, hadn’t his big
bro suffered the same indignities of Life, heard the same insults
flung from assholes, experienced the same abuse from parents?
Wasn’t Roy a sweet, gentle giant? A teddybear? A goldenhearted
goofball who was good at saving his dough?
Dough that he was always happy to share?
Roy always carries quarters in his pocket because you can
do so much more with them than with any of the smaller
denominations of American money. For one thing, you can
make phone calls. And for another, you can drop them into
ROY ROGERS IN THE 21ST CENTURY 1