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" 'I'm very sorry, Patsy,' I said 'But it's not a death sentence anys ¡¯

" 'Oh, save it, Little Lord Tarquin!' she shot at me

" 'Is that going to be my name fro to tell you about medicine, advances, hopes They have a special clinic for research at Mayfair Medical, that's all I' to say ¡¯

" 'Oh, yeah, research, fine with your wonderful education, you know all about those things,' she hahost lately, have you?¡¯

" 'Patsy, you're not working any gig tonight,' declared Big Ramona

" 'Are you getting decent treatment?' Jasmine asked 'Just tell us that much ¡¯

" 'Oh, yeah yeah, I know all about decent treatment,' Patsy said 'I'm a musician, remeot it, needles, not being tacked to the mattress And all it takes is one time and all that, and I never shoot up except when I' for this world, 'cause she got drunk and shot up with somebody else's needle, but so far she's not symptomatic ¡¯

"She shoved theand stood up

" 'Where are you going, girl!' Big Ra up to block Patsy fro with your father dead ¡¯

" 'The hell I'et on the road Sey ¡¯

" 'You can't leave here,' I said 'You can't not come to the funeral!¡¯

" 'Watch me not come to it,' she sneered

"The screen door banged shut behind her I ran after her

" 'Patsy, you'll regret this all your life,' I said I ran along beside her to her van 'Patsy, you're not thinking It hasn't sunk in You have to go through with this Everybody will expect you to care enough to be there Patsy, listen to me ¡¯

" 'Like , Quinn! My life? That old man I told him I was HIV and he went crazy! You should have heard hi me and the crowd I run with; you wanna knohat his final words were to asping and throwing up his guts I wouldn't co to rise frohost, you tell hiet away from me ¡¯