henry had only been gone fifteen minutes ? he 'd left at five past twelve and it was now twelve-twenty by pete 's watch - and it felt like an hour and a half this was going to be one long fucking day , and if he was going to get through it without cracking up ( he kept thinking of some story they 'd had to read in the eighth grade , he could n't remember who wrote it , only that the guy in the story had killed this old man because he could n't stand the old man 's eye , and at the time pete had n't understood that but now he did , yessir ) , he needed something .