Chapter 15 Summary

Stuart McCowan tells Pamela and Jeff the story of his life: His father, a construction worker and an alcoholic, loses a leg in an accident on the job while he's drunk. His father, embittered, harasses his puny son. At eighteen, Stuart leaves home and goes to Seattle. He gets married and begins working as a machinist. One night, he's driving home drunk and crashes into a tree, going into a coma for eight weeks. Stuart, permanently injured, becomes embittered and begins drinking more. His wife leaves him, and he loses his house and becomes homeless. Then, in 1988, he dies.

Stuart wakes up from his coma again and begins to realize what's going on. He bets money on the World Series, like Jeff. He gives up drinking and begins gambling, successfully. His wife stays with him, and they get a big house. Then, Stuart...