“Did
you
think
about
drinking
at
all
while
you
were
dragging
this
guy
around?”
George
asked.
“I—uh
.
.
.”
The
crackle
and
fuzz
of
the
connection
was
deafening.
I
hadn’t
even
realized
that
the
entire
time
I
had
been
following
Norman
around,
I
hadn’t
thought
about
drinking,
or
not
drinking,
or
what-‐would-‐happen-‐
if—nothing.
The
monkey
on
my
back
had
shut
up.
The
circus
had
left
town.
“Oh
.
.
.”
I
said,
deflated,
“I
suppose
not.”
Another
touchdown
came
through
the
phone.
Somewhere,
a
crowd
was
going
wild.
“Well,
good
for
you,
dummy.
Now
get
to
a
meeting
and
tell
them
about
it,”
George
said
before
hangin