oregon chrome postcards ca. 1950s-60s

It's a deep, cold winter night when, in the middle of telling Rich about the time he lost his first tooth during a baseball game—because Jimmy Cappellini couldn't fuckin' aim—Rich chuckles and rests his hand on Benny's knee. His laugh is a muffled sound because of lights out, but his palm is broad and warm, the warmest thing Benny's had in months. Hot like a match flame, but burning longer after he removes it and they stop for the night, and Benny crawls into bed and falls asleep. Still there, like a lighthouse beacon, like a flare. Red on the inside of his eyelids and on the inside of his chest. Vermilion as a P-51's tail.

Hanging on every word.

1. "The mass market paperbacks got to me Jerry"
2. That I don't actually know which color scheme of Wing and a Prayer is going to arrive because the listing only had a photo of the back
3. That I didn't notice that Serenade is illustrated because I got distracted by the cover art

1. LECKIE BLURBED CROSBY'S BOOK!?

"hey, johnny reb"