The Executioner's Song by Norman Mailer Page A

morning. The sister had them mixed up with two other guys.
                    Friday morning, Marge found the window smashed. Gary did it, was the first thing to come to mind, but she hoped it wasn't true. The neighbor downstairs said, "Yeah, that really loud car with those two drunk guys, they pulled up right next to your car. I don't know what happened after that."
                    She let it go. It was one more unhappiness at the bottom of things.
                    The same morning, Gary called up Brenda. He told her he would be getting his pay that night. His first paycheck from Spence McGrath. "Hey, I want to treat you guys."
                    They decided to go to a movie. It was a flick he had seen before. _One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest_. He had watched them film it down the road from the penitentiary, watched it right from his cell window. Besides, he told her, he had even been sent over to that very mental institution a couple of times from the prison. Just like Jack Nicholson in the film. Brought him in the same way, with handcuffs and leg irons.
                    Since the movie was at the Una Theatre in Provo, Brenda and Johnny drove over from Orem and by the time they picked him up at Vern and Ida's, Gary had had about four or five beers to celebrate his paycheck.
                    In the truck, he smoked a joint. Made him happier than hell. By the time they covered the few blocks to the theatre he was giggling. Brenda said to herself: This is going to be a disastrous evening.
                    Soon as the movie went on, Gary started to give a running commentary. He said, "You see that broad? She really works in the hospital. But the guy next to her is a phony. Just an actor. Hey!" Gary told the movie theatre at large.
                    After a while, his language got to be God forbid! "Look at that fucker over there," he said. "I know that fucker."
                    Brenda could have died. No pain. "Gary—there are people trying to hear the show. Will you shut up?" "Am I offensive?" "You're loud."
                    He spun around in his seat and asked the people behind, "Am I being loud? Am I bothering you folks?"
                    Brenda slammed her elbow into his ribs.
                    Johnny got up and moved over a space or two.
                    "Where's Johnny going?" asked Gary. "Does he have to take a piss?" More people started to move.
                    Johnny slid down in his seat until no one could see his head. Gary's narration of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest continued. "Son of a bitch," he shouted, "that's just the way it was."
                    From the rear rows, people were saying, "Down in front. Shhh!" Brenda grabbed him by the shirttail. "You're obnoxious."
                    "I'm sorry." In a big whisper, he said, "I'll hold it down." But his voice came out in a roar.
                    "Gary, all kidding aside, you're really making me feel like a turd sitting here."
                    "All right, I'll be good." He put his feet up on the back of the chair in front and started rocking it. The woman who was sitting there had probably been holding out on every impulse to change her seat, but now she gave up, and moved away.
                    "What'd you do that for?"
                    "My God, Brenda, do you have to ride herd all the time?"
                    "You made that poor lady move."
                    "Her hair was in my way."
                    "Then sit up straighter."
                    "Not comfortable sitting up straight."
                    Going back to Vern's, Gary looked pretty smug. Brenda and Johnny didn't go in with