About an hour after Jeff's arrival, Larry stopped telling stories and excused himself from the kitchen, saying that he wanted to get some fresh air. As soon as he got up, Jeff Tressler leaped in to commandeer his seat at the table.
On his way out of the kitchen, Larry paused near Dave and Darlene and invited them to join him. Naturally, Dave was eager to follow his new idol, and Darlene quickly agreed that it sounded like a good idea. Grabbing their coats from atop the refrigerator, the couple muddled through the crowd after Larry.
Dave felt relieved when he stepped outside; though he'd been enjoying the party, it really was warm and stuffy in the trailer, so the cool air and open space was quite soothing. As he stood on the front stoop and pulled on his coat, he took a deep breath a
