Chapters 34-36 Summary

Sam, Hadley and Joley are telling stupid jokes. Their rule is that the one who tells the stupidest joke gets out of paying the tab. Sam holds a casual business meeting every few weeks at the bar in the evening. The rest of the crew has left so talk turns more personal. Joley renders his low opinion of his brother-in-law. Sam recalls a girl named Emily who lived on Joley's block in high school. The girl invited him to a party to embarrass her ex-boyfriend. Joley tells the most stupid joke so he wins the contest.

His letter to Jane describes the neighbor's house fire. The same week the windows of the new Boston skyscraper, the John Hancock building, popped out because they were not properly treated for the air pressure of a 50-story building. The neighbors, the Cosgroves, used their...