Big Wheels: A Tale of the Laundry Game (Milkman No. 2)

"Big Wheels: A Tale of the Laundry Game (Milkman #2)" is a short story by Stephen King, first published in the 1980 anthology New Terrors, edited by Ramsey Campbell, and collected in King's 1985 collection Skeleton Crew.

Its plot centers around two laundry workers Rocky and Leo who, after just finishing up a shift at work, are driving around, while getting drunk, and searching for an auto-inspection station so that Rocky's car can get a sticker since its inspection certification runs out at midnight. They are drunk and getting drunker, drinking beer from cans that have the likeness of Pittsburgh Steelers players on them. They finally come across an inspection station owned by an old friend of Rocky's, Bob Driscroll. Rocky crashes the car into his garage and gets yelled at by Bob until he realizes who he is and then they reminisce about old times. Later Bob goes home and kills his wife. This happens after three o'clock. The milkman, Spike, stole Rocky's wife from him and, according to Rocky, he "kills people."

Although not directly part of the main storyline (which takes on a light/humorous tone), it's implied that there are links between one of the men and an unsolved murder of a teenage couple. This story is a tie-in to the first milkman short story, rather than a direct sequel.

This story was adapted from an unfinished novel called "The Milkman."

References

• Winter, Douglas E. Stephen King: The Art of Darkness. Signet, 1986.