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

Roy moistens his lips.
The image of a double-tall Americano drifts through his
mind.
Debi snaps the player closed and presents him with
headphones.
Roy slowly unfolds his arms and just as slowly takes the
headphones from her.
They are not like the headphones he is used to.
For one thing, they are not foam-covered.
For another thing, they fit inside his ear.
Roy does not wish to introduce anything into his ears.
“You know—” Debi’s all over it “—I hate earbuds, too. Here.
This is what I use.”
She pulls open a drawer and extracts a pair of silver edition
Bose headphones.
“These fuckin’ kill. Try ’em.”
She unplugs the earbuds and plugs in the killer Bose.
“Go on.”
She prompts him with a pearly smile.
Roy studies the Bose headphones.
Great. Another decision.
And as he studies them his chest fills with dread. What is he
getting himself into now?
Slowly, uncertainly, he clamps them over his ears.
He can’t hear a thing.
Debi’s lips are moving.
Roy notices this and shrugs.
Debi presses PLAY.
Roy grabs the counter to steady himself.
It’s like—
It’s like nothing—
It’s like nothing he’s ever heard—
How many times has he sneered at people who walked around
wearing big, expensive headphones?
Now he understands.
Now he gets it.
He scans the CD liner notes to see what he’s listening to.
The Sons are singing The Cattle Call.
ROY ROGERS IN THE 21ST CENTURY 21