Then someone else offered him a ride, and another offered to help him put new speakers in his truck. And almost every night, when he was watching TV and drinking beer, his phone would ring and when he answered the caller would hang up.
One Friday night Sullen Boy's phone rang, and when he answered, it was Joe who sounded very nervous. He asked Sullen Boy if he would like to come over to his place to play cards. Sullen Boy thought this was very strange; nobody had ever phoned him before, and certainly not to ask him over to their place to play cards. But he said he would, so he took a case of 24 and got into his new 4-by-4 pickup and went over to Joe's.
Joe was a few years older than Sullen Boy, and lived alone in a basement apartment. And like most shy bachelors, he didn't talk much to the girls who tried to catch his eye.
When Sullen Boy went to Joe's apartment, Joe was very shy. Sullen Boy thought this was strange because they had worked together at the mill for a couple of years, and Joe had never been shy, although Sullen Boy realized that he'd never really noticed, because he had never really noticed anyone.
After they each had had a couple of beers, Joe asked Sullen Boy if he wanted to play cards. He said he might, and what kind of game did Joe want to play? Joe said he'd heard that Sullen Boy liked to play strip poker, and would he like to play that?
At this suggestion, Sullen Boy turned very red. He told Joe he had quit playing strip poker and that they should play something else, or maybe they should forget about playing cards and just drink beer.
Joe said he thought maybe Sullen Boy was afraid to play strip poker, that maybe he was afraid of losing. Joe said he would give him a handicap, so he took off his shirt to prove it. Sullen Boy said he felt insulted that Joe thought he was afraid of losing. In fact, he said he would give Joe a handicap, so he took off his shirt and his t-shirt to prove it. Then Joe took off his t-shirt and a boot. Then Sullen Boy took off both his boots. Then Joe took off his other boot and both his socks. Then Sullen Boy took off both his socks, and his watch. Then Joe took off his watch and his jeans. Then Sullen Boy took off his jeans too, and they stood there in Joe's basement apartment dressed only in their tight, white Jockey shorts, and they looked at each other and they didn't know what to do next.
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