The hangover

Saturday morning, Thorn the mechanic rolled over with a hell of a headache.

Thought out loud,

Damn too much to drink last night, such a headache

and

My right shoulder hurts

What happened there

Then it started coming back to him

He’s under an Impala, dropping the transmission

Across the floor he catches movement

Is that a creeper, maybe a grocery bag

Something brown

Moments slip by and he focuses

Damn, it’s a snake, a sidewinder

How’d that get in here?

Thorn moves to slip from under the Impala

Too late, the sonofabitch bit me, right through the coveralls

He jumps up and quicksteps it to the office

Hey E.J., goddam snake bit me on the shoulder

Bullshit Thorn, how could that happen?

I was on my back on a creeper and it just slipped up

Let me see Thorn…

No kidding, it is a bite, what was it

A sidewinder, Thorn exclaimed, and I don’t feel that good

E.J grabs him by the arm and says,

Let’s get ya to the hospital

Won’t kill ya

But

You’re gonna feel like shit in the morning

And

Get rid of that chewing tobacco before you get in my car