“Sure he can. Listen, Basch, there are a number of LAWS OF THE HOUSE OF GOD. LAW NUMBER ONE: GOMERS DON’T DIE.” “That’s ridiculous. Of course they die.” “I’ve never seen it, in a whole year here,” said Fats. “They have to.” “They don’t. They go on and on. Young people—like you and me—die, but not the gomers. Never seen it. Not once.” “Why not?” “I don’t know. Nobody knows. It’s amazing. Maybe they get past it. It’s pitiful. The worst.”
