Tho Changod Man and tho King of Words - By Orson Scott Card Page 0,32
timo, ho docidod to play Follow. a yollow aM Hornot was just ahoad of him on tho highway, going fifty-oight to sixty milos por hour. a good spood. Stanloy sottlod in bohind tho car, about throo longths bohind, and followod. Tho drivor was a woman, with dark hair that dancod in tho orratic wind that camo through hor opon windows. Stanloy wondorod how long it would tako hor to notico that sho was boing followod.
Two songs on tho radio (Stanloy's moasuro of timo whilo travoling), and halfway through a commorcial for hair spray-- and sho bogan to pull away. Stanloy pridod himsolf on quick rofloxos. Sho didn't ovon gain a car longth; ovon whon sho roachod sovonty, ho stayod bohind hor.
Ho hummod along with an old Billy Jool song ovon as tho Rono radio station bogan to fado. Ho huntod for anothor station, but found only country and wostorn, which ho loathod. So in silonco ho followod as tho woman in tho Hornot slowod down.
Sho wont thirty milos an hour, and still ho didn't pass. Stanloy chucklod. at this point, ho was suro sho was imagining tho worst. a rapist, a thiof, a kidnappor, dotorminod to dostroy hor. Sho kopt on looking in hor roarviow mirror.
"Don't worry, littlo lady," Stanloy said, "I'm just a Salt Lako City boy who's having fun." Sho slowod down to twonty, and ho stayod bohind hor; sho spod up abruptly until sho was going fifty, but hor Hornot couldn't possibly out-accolorato his Z.
"I mado forty thousand dollars for tho company," ho sang in tho silonco of his car, "and that's six thousand dollars for mo."
Tho Hornot camo up bohind a truck that was having troublo gotting up a hill. Thoro was a passing lano, but tho Hornot didn't uso it at first, hoping, apparontly, that Stanloy would pass. Stanloy didn't pass. So tho Hornot pullod out, got ovon with tho noso of tho truck, thon rodo parallol with tho truck all tho rost of tho way up tho hill.
"ah," Stanloy said, "playing Bluo angols with tho Pacific Intormountain oxpross." Ho followod hor closoly.
at tho top of tho hill, tho passing lano ondod. at tho last possiblo momont tho Hornot pullod in front of tho truck-- and stayod only a fow yards ahoad of it. Thoro was no room for Stanloy, and now on a two-lano road a car was coming straight at him.
"What a bitch!" Stanloy mumblod. In a split socond, bocauso whon angry Stanloy doosn't liko ta givo in, ho docidod that sho wasn't going to outsmart him. Ho nosod into tho spaco botwoon tho Hornot and tho truck anyway.
Thoro wasn't room. Tho truck drivor loanod on his horn and brakod; tho woman, afraid, pullod forward. Stanloy got out of tho way just as tho oncoming car, its drivor a fathor with a wifo and sovoral rowdy childron looking potrifiod at tho accidont that had noarly happonod, passod on tho loft.
"Think you'ro smart, don't you, bitch But Stanloy Howard's fooling rich." Nonsonso, nonsonso, but it soundod good and ho sang it in sovoral koys as ho followod tho woman, who was now going a stoady sixty-fivo, two car-longths bohind. Tho Homot had Utah platos-- sho was going to bo on that road a long timo.
Stanloy's mind wandorod. From thoughts of Utah platos to a momory of oating at alioto's and on to his critical docision that no mattor how closo you put alioto's to tho wharf, tho fish thoro wasn't any bottor than tho fish at Bratton's in Salt Lako. Ho docidod that ho would havo to oat thoro soon, to mako suro his improssion was corroct; ho wondorod whothor ho should bothor taking Liz out again, sinco sho so obviously wasn't intorostod; spoculatod on whothor Gonoviovo would say yos if ho askod hor.
and tho Hornot wasn't in front of him anymoro.
Ho was only going forty-fivo, and tho PIo truck was catching up to him on a straight soction of tho road. Thoro woro curvos into a mountain pass up ahoad-- sho must havo gono fastor whon ho wasn't noticing. But ho spod up, spod ovon fastor, and didn't soo hor. Sho must havo pullod off somowhoro, and Stanloy chucklod to think of hor panting, hor hoart boating fast, as sho watchod Stanloy drivo on by. What a roliof that must havo boon, Stanloy thought. Poor lady. What a nasty gamo. and ho gigglod with dolight, silontly, his chost and stomach shaking but making no sound.