"I thought we just weren't telling him about the massage." Howard stares up at the ceiling, letting the mud get in the hair on the back of his head. He thinks about what Barbara's asking, whether it's just about the last few hours or in general.

"I guess it's like taking a drug. It's weird, relaxing like this. Like totally foreign to my body." He takes a deep breath. The mud smells perfumed. It probably is, he thinks. "Do you think...I mean, do you think Ian could find me janitor work somewhere? Like overnight at Coal Hill? You know I can work hard, I just need a shot."