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file:///E|/Funny%20&%20Weird%20Shit/75%20-%20Stephen%20King%20Books/Stephen%20King%20-%20Pet%20Sematary.htm47While Jud Crandall was sitting in the ladderbacked rocker and watching for him out of his bay window,Louis was eating a big tasteless dinner in the Howard Johnson’s dining room.The food was plentiful and dull—exactly what his body seemed to want. Outside it had grown dark. Theheadlights of the passing cars probed like fingers. He shoveled the food in. A steak. A baked potato. Aside dish of beans which were a bright green nature had never intended. A wedge of apple pie with ascoop of ice cream on top of it melting into a soft drool. He ate at a corner table, watching people comeand go, wondering if he might not see someone he knew. In a vague way, he rather hoped that wouldhappen. It would lead to questions—where’s Rachel, what are you doing here, how’s it going? —andperhaps the questions would lead to complications, and maybe complications were what he reallywanted. A way out.And as a matter of fact, a couple that he did know came in just as he was finishing his apple pie and hissecond cup of coffee. Rob Grinnell, a Bangor doctor, and his pretty wife Barbara. He waited for them tosee him, sitting here in the corner at his table for one, but the hostess led them to the booths on the farside of the room, and Louis lost sight of them entirely except for an occasional glimpse of Grinnell’sprematurely graying hair.The waitress brought Louis his check. He signed for it, jotting his room number under his signature, andleft by the side door.Outside the wind had risen to near-gale force. It was a steady droning presence, making the electricalwires hum oddly. He could see no stars but had a sense of clouds rushing past overhead at high speed.Louis stood on the walk for a moment, hands in pockets, face tilted into that wind. Then he turned backand went up to his room and turned on the television. It was too early to do anything serious, and thatnightwind was too full of possibilities. It made him nervous.He watched four hours of TV, eight back-to-back half-hour comedy programs. He realized it had been avery long time since he had watched so much TV in a steady, uninterrupted stream. He thought that allthe female leads on the sitcoms were what he and his friends had called “cockteasers” back in highschool.In Chicago, Dory Goldman was wailing, “Fly back? Honey, why do you want to fly back? You just gothere!”In Ludlow, Jud Crandall sat by his bay window, smoking and drinking beer, motionless, examining themental scrapbook of his own past and waiting for Louis to come home. Sooner or later Louis wouldcome home, just like Lassie in that old movie. There were other ways up to the Pet Sematary and theplace beyond, but Louis didn’t know them. If he intended to do it, he would begin from his ownfile:///E|/Funny%20&%20Weird%20Shit/75%20-%20St...20Books/Stephen%20King%20-%20Pet%20Sematary.htm (260 of 333)7/28/2005 9:21:50 PM