Dale patted his pockets for another pack of cigarettes.  It had been too long.  He had forgotten if he had just finished or just started a pack.  Shit maybe he had quit.  No no, probably not that.

He patted his pockets three times until another pack of cigarettes materialized as if by magic.  Nice.

He pulled out two of them.  Talking about Bobby, that definitely called for two cigarettes.  Maybe even a threefer.

He posed himself as cool and casual and reflective as he could.  Looking off into the middle distance all mysterious and broody like.

He began to speak but broke into a coughing fit.  After a brief pause to regain his breath and dignity he continued on as if nothing had happened.

"Bobby?  Shit Hank, where didn't you go wrong?  Now you look at my Joseph, boys right out of the ol' Gribble playbook.  Probably out there seducing all the ladies, setting college football records, putting all them liberal professors in their place."

He takes another long drawl of both cigarettes, this time holding his own though his cheeks visibly bulge with a barely held back hack,

"Shoot you'll see, soon as he comes back to town he's gonna be Governor or Mayor or some shit.  You all better vote for my boy."