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One of em actually did fall into
the... |
8th September 2010, 08:08 |
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One of em actually did fall into
the drink
"Well, as you say, I'll probably hear it groaning,
and it looks safe enough for the time beingLet's
get my stuff inside
I opened my door, got out, then staggered as my
bad hip locked upIf I hadn't gotten my crutch
planted in time, I would have said hello to Big
Pink by sprawling on her stone doorstep
"I'll get the stuff in," Jack said"You better go
in and sit down, MrA cold drink
wouldn't hurt, eitherYou look really tired
iv
The traveling had caught up with me, and I was
more than tiredBy the time I eased into a living
room armchair (listing to the left, as usual, and
trying to keep my right leg as straight as
possible), I was willing to admit to myself that I
was white prada bag exhausted
Yet not homesick, at least not yetAs Jack went
back and forth, stowing my bags in the bigger of
the two bedrooms and putting the laptop on the
75
desk in the smaller one, my eye kept being drawn
to the living room's western wall, which was all
glass, and the Florida room beyond it, and the
Gulf of Mexico beyond thatIt was a vast blue
expanse, flat as a plate on that hot November
afternoon, and even with the sliding glass windowwall
shut, I could hear its mild and steady
sighingI thought, It has no memoryIt was an
odd thought, and strangely optimisticWhen it
came to memory - and anger - I still had my issues
Jack came back from the guest room and sat on the
arm of the couch - the perch, I thought, of chanel white watches a
young man who wants to be gone"You've got all
your basic staples," he said, "plus salad-in-a-bag,
hamburger, and one of those cooked chickens in a
plastic capsule - we call em Astronaut Chickens at
my houseI hope that's okay with you
"Two per cent milk-"
"Also fine
" - and Half-n-HalfI can get you real cream next
time, if you want it
"You want to clog my one remaining artery?"
76
He laughed"There's a little pantry with all
kinds of canned shiThe cable's hooked
up, the computer's Internet-ready - I got you Wi-
Fi, costs a little extra, but it's way cool - and
I can get satellite installed if you want itHe was a good kid, but I wanted
to listen to the Gulf, sweet-talking me with words
it wouldn't remember a cartier tank watch minute laterAnd I wanted
to listen to the house, see if it had anything to
sayI had an idea maybe it did
"The keys're in an envelope on the kitchen table -
car keys, too - and a list of numbers you might
need are on the fridgeI've got classes at FSU in
Sarasota every day except Monday, but I'll be
carrying my cell, and I'll be coming by Tuesdays
and Thursdays at five unless we make a different
arrangement I reached in my pocket and brought out my
money-clip"I want to give you a little extraThis is a sweet gig, MrGood pay and good hoursI'd feel like
a hound taking any extra
77
That made me laugh, and I put my dough back in my
pocket
"Maybe you ought to take a nap," he said, getting
up It was odd to be treated chanel cambon fake like
Grandpa Walton, but I supposed I'd better get used
to it"What happened to the other house at the
north end of Casey Key?"
"Huh?"
"You said one went into the drinkWhat happened
to the other one?"
"Far as I know, it's still thereAlthough if a
big storm like Charley ever hits this part of the
coast dead-on, it's gonna be like a going-out-ofbusiness
sale: everything must go He walked over
to me, and stuck out his hand
Freemantle, welcome to FloridaI hope it treats
you real well I hesitated,
probably not long enough for him to notice, and I
didn't get angry"Thanks for
everything He gave me the smallest of puzzled looks
as he went out, so maybe he did noticeMaybe he
78
did notice, at thatI was on my
own at chanel earrings la |
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He felt his cheeks puckering, and he lapsed into... |
7th September 2010, 00:36 |
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He felt his cheeks puckering, and he lapsed into a gentle weeping which issued easily out of himHe noticed it with surprise
Suddenly he was aware of his mouth again, felt his tongue lolling in his throat"Gimme some water, huh, men?" There was no answer and he said again patiently"Jus' a little drink, huh, men?"
They would not answer him, and he was angry"Goddammit, men, gimme a little water
"Hold off," Ridges said hoarsely
"Men, Ah do anythin' for ya, y' gimme a little water
Ridges set him downWilson's cries rasped against his sensesIt was the only thing that could arouse him by now
"You men are just sonsofbitches
"You cain't have it," Ridges saidHe could see no harm in it, which made it harder for him to refuse, but he was also bitter at WilsonWe done without, neveh made any fuss, he told himself"Wilson, you cain't have chloe dior it His voice was final and Wilson lapsed into reverie again
They picked up the stretcher and tugged forward a few yards, laid it down againThe sun was drifting toward the western horizon and it grew cooler, but they paid little attentionWilson was a burden they had to carry; it would go on and on and they could never let him goThey did not understand this, but comprehension was lurking behind their fatigueThey only knew that they must move on, and they didAll afternoon until it was dark Ridges and Goldstein staggered forward their few inches at a time, and slowly the inches added upBy the time they had stopped for the night, covered Wilson with one of their two blankets and bundled up together beside each other to sleep in stupor, they had advanced Wilson five miles from the place where they had left Brown and StanleyAlready the prada fairy jungle was not too far awayAlthough they did not say it, they had glimpsed it from the top of the last hill they had crossedTomorrow they might be sleeping on the beach, waiting for the boat to bring them back
11
MAJOR DALLESON was in a quandaryThe General had left that morning -- the third morning of the patrol -- for Army Headquarters in an attempt to get a destroyer for the invasion of Botoi Bay, and Dalleson effectively had been left in commandColonel Newton, the CO of the 460th, and Lieutenant Colonel Conn technically ranked Dalleson, but in the General's absence Dalleson was in charge of operations, and now he had a tough problem before him
The attack had been grinding ahead for five days, had bogged down only yesterdayThey had expected it, for the advance had been ahead of schedule, and it was probable the Japanese would chanel jumbo increase their resistanceIn consideration of this, Cummings had told him to mark time"Things are going to be quiet, DallesonI suspect there'll be an attack or two from the Japs but nothing to worry aboutJust keep up your pressure on the front as a wholeIf I can waggle a destroyer or two, we'll be able to knock off the campaign in a week
Simple enough instructions, but things were not turning out that wayAn hour after the General's plane had taken off, Dalleson received a bewildering patrol reportA squad from E Company had patrolled a thousand yards into the jungle beyond their latest positions and found a Japanese bivouac desertedUnless the co-ordinates they reported were completely incorrect, that bivouac should have been nearly in the rear of the Toyaku Line
At first Dalleson didn't believe the reportThere was the memory of omega automatic seamaster watch Sergeant Lanning and the false reports he had given, the indications that any number of squad and platoon leaders were not fulfilling their missionsBut still it seemed unlikelyIf a man was going to falsify a report, he was more likely to say he had encountered resistance and turned back
The Major scratched his noseIt was eleven o'clock and the morning sun had been baking long enough on the operations tent to make the air inside unbearably hot, leavened with the dry unpleasant smell of heated canvasThe Major was sweating, and the portion he could see of the bivouac clearing through the furled side walls of the tent shimmered in the heat and blared back in his eyesHe was thirsty and debated emptily for a few minutes whether to send one of the enlisted clerks to officers' mess for an iced beer from the refrigeratorBut it seemed too much louis vuitton purses troub |
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He felt his cheeks puckering, and he lapsed into... |
7th September 2010, 00:36 |
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He felt his cheeks puckering, and he lapsed into a gentle weeping which issued easily out of himHe noticed it with surprise
Suddenly he was aware of his mouth again, felt his tongue lolling in his throat"Gimme some water, huh, men?" There was no answer and he said again patiently"Jus' a little drink, huh, men?"
They would not answer him, and he was angry"Goddammit, men, gimme a little water
"Hold off," Ridges said hoarsely
"Men, Ah do anythin' for ya, y' gimme a little water
Ridges set him downWilson's cries rasped against his sensesIt was the only thing that could arouse him by now
"You men are just sonsofbitches
"You cain't have it," Ridges saidHe could see no harm in it, which made it harder for him to refuse, but he was also bitter at WilsonWe done without, neveh made any fuss, he told himself"Wilson, you cain't have gucci watch bands it His voice was final and Wilson lapsed into reverie again
They picked up the stretcher and tugged forward a few yards, laid it down againThe sun was drifting toward the western horizon and it grew cooler, but they paid little attentionWilson was a burden they had to carry; it would go on and on and they could never let him goThey did not understand this, but comprehension was lurking behind their fatigueThey only knew that they must move on, and they didAll afternoon until it was dark Ridges and Goldstein staggered forward their few inches at a time, and slowly the inches added upBy the time they had stopped for the night, covered Wilson with one of their two blankets and bundled up together beside each other to sleep in stupor, they had advanced Wilson five miles from the place where they had left Brown and StanleyAlready the gucci silver bag jungle was not too far awayAlthough they did not say it, they had glimpsed it from the top of the last hill they had crossedTomorrow they might be sleeping on the beach, waiting for the boat to bring them back
11
MAJOR DALLESON was in a quandaryThe General had left that morning -- the third morning of the patrol -- for Army Headquarters in an attempt to get a destroyer for the invasion of Botoi Bay, and Dalleson effectively had been left in commandColonel Newton, the CO of the 460th, and Lieutenant Colonel Conn technically ranked Dalleson, but in the General's absence Dalleson was in charge of operations, and now he had a tough problem before him
The attack had been grinding ahead for five days, had bogged down only yesterdayThey had expected it, for the advance had been ahead of schedule, and it was probable the Japanese would louis vuitton scarf increase their resistanceIn consideration of this, Cummings had told him to mark time"Things are going to be quiet, DallesonI suspect there'll be an attack or two from the Japs but nothing to worry aboutJust keep up your pressure on the front as a wholeIf I can waggle a destroyer or two, we'll be able to knock off the campaign in a week
Simple enough instructions, but things were not turning out that wayAn hour after the General's plane had taken off, Dalleson received a bewildering patrol reportA squad from E Company had patrolled a thousand yards into the jungle beyond their latest positions and found a Japanese bivouac desertedUnless the co-ordinates they reported were completely incorrect, that bivouac should have been nearly in the rear of the Toyaku Line
At first Dalleson didn't believe the reportThere was the memory of chanel pearls Sergeant Lanning and the false reports he had given, the indications that any number of squad and platoon leaders were not fulfilling their missionsBut still it seemed unlikelyIf a man was going to falsify a report, he was more likely to say he had encountered resistance and turned back
The Major scratched his noseIt was eleven o'clock and the morning sun had been baking long enough on the operations tent to make the air inside unbearably hot, leavened with the dry unpleasant smell of heated canvasThe Major was sweating, and the portion he could see of the bivouac clearing through the furled side walls of the tent shimmered in the heat and blared back in his eyesHe was thirsty and debated emptily for a few minutes whether to send one of the enlisted clerks to officers' mess for an iced beer from the refrigeratorBut it seemed too much gucci bookbag troub |
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"I tell you, I've watched you, Goldstein, and... |
6th September 2010, 00:39 |
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"I tell you, I've watched you, Goldstein, and you're a good manI've seen the way you work on details, and no noncom could ask for moreI don't want you to think it ain't appreciated Indefinably, Stanley felt superior to Goldstein once more; his voice, warm, pliable, had the faintest touch of condescensionHe was the noncom talking to the rookieEffectively, he had forgotten that two minutes before he had waited tensely for Goldstein to say that he liked him
Goldstein was pleased, and yet his satisfaction was cloyedThat's what it's like in the Army, he told himselfThe opinion of balenciaga dix motorcycle a youngster is so important
Wilson was moaning againThey stopped talking, and turned about in their blankets, propped on their elbows to listenBrown, with a sigh, had sat up, and was trying to soothe him"What's the matter, boy, what's the matter?" he asked softly, as if trying to comfort a puppy
"Ohh, mah belly is killin' me
Brown wiped away his perspiration"Who's this talking to you, Wilson?"
"That's you, Brown, ain't it?"
"YeahWilson must be betterIt was the first time he had recognized him"How're you feelin', Wilson?"
"Ah'm okay, but Ah cain't see a -bleep- black fendi spy bag thing
Wilson began to giggle weakly"Ah thought that hole in mah belly made me blind He worked his mouth dryly, and in the darkness it sounded like the tense choking murmurs of a woman in grief He seemed to roll on the stretcher"Where the hell am I?"
"We're takin' you back to the beach, Stanley and Goldstein and Ridges and me
Wilson digested this slowly"Ah'm out of the patrol, huh?"
"Yeah, all of us, boy"Ah bet Croft was mad as a goosed beeSonofabitch, they're gonna op-per-rate on me now, an' cut out all that pus, ain't they, Brown?"
"Yeah, they'll fix you up
"By the time Ah rolex submariner 50th anniversary git done, Ah'll have two belly-buttons, one right on top of t'otherGoddam that's gonna make me a hell of an attraction to the women He tried to laugh, and began to cough softly"On'y thing beat that would be two peters"Ah can taste blood in mah mouthIs that good?"
"Can't hurt ya," Brown lied"Just comes out both ends
"Ain't that a sonofabitch though, man who's been around's long as me in the platoon gettin' hit in a lousy -bleep--storm like that He lay back reflecting"Ah wish to hell that hole in mah belly would stop actin' up
"It'll be all right
"Listen, they was Japs after me gucci watch bands in that field, jus' a couple of yards away from meThey was talkin', jus' jabberin' away, doky cola kinda it sounded likeBut they was right after me
He's off again, Brown thought"You feeling cold, boy?"
At the suggestion, Wilson shudderedSlowly, as he had been talking, his body had been losing its fever, becoming increasingly chill and dampNow he shivered with cold
"You want another blanket?" Brown asked
"Yeah, can you gimme that?"
Brown stepped away from him, moved over to where the others were talking"Anybody got two blankets?" he asked
None of them answered cartier tank watch immediately |
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A low shocked chorus, grumbling and resentful,... |
5th September 2010, 00:38 |
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A low shocked chorus, grumbling and resentful, answered him"Any one of you men got something to say about it?"
"Why the hell don't we go back, Croft?" Red asked
'"Cause that ain't what they sent us out to do Croft hovered about an intense rageHe would not be balked nowFor an instant he was tempted to raise his rifle and blast it at Valsen's headHe felt himself compressing his jaws"Come on, you men, you want the Japs to be waitin' for ya again?"
Gallagher glared at him"That lootenant said we're goin' back
"I'm in charge of this platoon now He stared at them, besting them with his eyesOne by one they stood up, hoisted their packs sullenlyThey were a little numbThis was a shock which left them passive"Aah, fug him," Croft heard one of them mutter, and he grinned to himself, lashed them with his tongue"You bunch of women!"
They balenciaga blue were all standing now, all ready"Let's go," he said quietly
The platoon moved out slowly in the midmorning sunAfter a few hundred yards they were tired again, and plodded along encased in a stuporThey had never really believed the patrol would end so easilyCroft led them on a route parallel to the cliffs of the mountain and toward the eastAfter twenty minutes they came to the first rent in the great bluffs of the mountain's baseA deep ravine slanted upward for several hundred feet to the first ridge, its red clay walls refracting brightly the heat of the sunWithout a word Croft turned toward it and the platoon began to climb the mountainThere were eight men left now
"You know that Croft," Polack said to Wyman, "he's an idealist, that's what the fug he is The big word pleased him for a moment and then was lost in the labor of top chanel bags scrambling up the burning clay floor of the ravineHe'd have to pump Martinez
Wyman could see the Lieutenant againA process which had been working in him since the ambush came to a focusBefore he could think, for he was very afraid of Polack's derision, he mumbled, "Listen, Polack, you think there's a God?"
Polack grinned, worked his hands under his pack straps to ease the chafing"If there is, he sure is a sonofabitch
"Oh, don't say that
Painfully, the platoon continued to ascend the ravine
The Time Machine:
POLACK CZIENWICZ
GIMME A GIMMICK AND I'LL MOVE THE WORLD
The lewd mobile mouth, the three upper teeth missing on the left side of his faceperhaps twenty-one years old, but his eyes were shrewd, bawdy, and when he laughed his skin was wizened and tough like the skin of a middle-aged manWith his hooked broken nose, his long black chanel tote pointed jaw, which slanted back to his receded gums, Minetta thought he looked like a cartoon of Uncle SamYet he felt uncomfortable with him; secretly he was afraid to match his knowledge against Polack's
The lock on the downstairs door is broken of course, and the mailboxes have been looted long ago; the hinges that remain are rusting offIt smells like a urinal in the hallway; the dirty tile of the entrance has absorbed the odors of the leaking pipes, the cabbage and garlic, the grease traps in the plumbing, which no longer workOn your way up the stairs you must lean toward the wall, for the banister is broken and yaws over undependably like the carcass of a ship rotting on the sandsIn the gray angles where the walls meet the floor you can watch the mice ambling through the dust, the pure and erratic motion of the cockroaches out zucca spy fendi bag for a stroll
The air shaft that connects the bathrooms from floor to floor is filling up with trash and an occasional discharge of garbageWhen it reaches the second story the janitor will set fire to it
Improvised incinerator
The house is exactly like every other one on the block and the square mile surrounding it
Casimir ("Polack") Czienwicz, age of nine, wakes up in the morning and scratches his head, sits up on the pile of quilting spread out upon the floor, and looks at the stove in the center of the room, which has gone outThere are three other children besides himself sleeping there, and he rolls over, pretends he is still asleepSoon his sister Mary will be waking, moving about and dressing, and he wants to watch her
Outside the wind is begging against the windowpanes, slinking between the cracks to slide freely along the chanel white j12 watch floo |
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He rarely questioned his reasons for doing... |
4th September 2010, 08:27 |
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He rarely questioned his reasons for doing anything, but now he sensed he could not search himself, and it made him furiousHe strode up to Minetta and stared at him with rage"Goddammit, man, you gonna keep bitchin'?"
Minetta was afraid to answerHe stared back as long as he dared and then dropped his eyes"Aaah, c'mon," he said to RothThey picked up their machetes and continued to slash out the trailCroft watched them for a few seconds and then turned and walked away, filing down the newly fashioned path to the platoon
Roth felt he was to blame for the incidentHe had again the corrosive sense of failure that always dogged himI'm no good at anything, he bleated to himselfHe made a stroke with the machete and the impact snapped it out of his hand bolsas louis Drearily, he bent down to pick it up
"You might just as well quit now," Ridges told himHe picked up one of the machetes they dropped, and began to work shoulder to shoulder with GoldsteinAs Ridges slashed at the brush with stolid patient motions, his broad short body became less awkward, assumed a strong fluent graceFrom the rear he looked like an animal fashioning its nestHe had a simple pride in his strengthAs his powerful muscles tensed and relaxed, as the sweat laced his back, he was completely happy, absorbed in the toil, the smells of his body
Goldstein also found the work acceptable, took the same pleasure in the sure motions of his limbs, but his satisfaction was not so pureIt was cloyed with a prejudice Goldstein had against manual laborThat's chanel cc logo earrings the only kind of job I ever find, he told himself wistfullyHe had sold newspapers, worked in a warehouse, become a welder, and it had always bothered him that he had never had an occupation where he could keep his hands cleanThe prejudice was very deep, brewed out of all the memories and maxims of his childhoodHe wavered between warmth and disdain at working well with RidgesIt's all right for Ridges, Goldstein told himself, he's a farmer, but I'd like something betterHe had a mild self-pity at his fateIf I could have had an education, culture, I could have done something better with myself
He was still fretting when they were relieved by the next teamHe trudged back along the trail to where he had left his rifle and pack and settled down into his logo dolce |
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Hearn would have to goCummings was feeling a... |
3rd September 2010, 00:36 |
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Hearn would have to goCummings was feeling a mingled triumph and frustrationHe could move Hearn where he wanted, and yet there was still an area of rebellion he had not been able to override completelyHe squinted his eyes against the glare of the lantern, turned it down a trifle, and then kneaded his thigh with one of his hands, realizing with annoyance it was one of Hearn's gestures
Where should he send him? It was not terribly important; that reconnaissance platoon Dalleson had mentioned would do well enoughAnd it would keep Hearn in headquartersHe would have an idea of what was happening to HearnIn any case he could take care of that in the morningWhen he saw Dalleson about the I Company outpost, he could maneuver it so that the decision seemed to come from DallesonIt would be better that way, less apparent
Cummings lay down again, his hands clasped under his head, staring once more tiffany diamond at the ridgepoleAs if it were mocking him, he could see the map of Anopopei superimposed on the canvas, and he twisted over uncomfortably, feeling again the frustration and anger he had suffered when he received the message that he would probably get no Navy supportHis hopes had been too greatNow he could not divert his mind from the idea of invading Botoi BayThere might be another maneuver, there should be one, and yet his mind kept picturing the pincers of a frontal assault and an invasion from the rearHe wondered if he should chance it without naval support, but it would be a massacre, the rubber boats againHe could do it only if Botoi were undefended beach
There was the nucleus of an idea in thatIf he could level the beach defenses first with one force, and then send in his landing craftPerhaps a small detachment could capture the beach at night, and in the morning the others could spy bag fendi landBut that was far too riskyA night invasion -- he had no troops who were skilled enough for that
A striking force to take Botoi, that could be his substitute for the NavyBut how to do it? It would be impossible to send a company through from his own lines, it would take a break-through for thatPerhaps he could land troops twenty miles behind the Japanese lines and have them advance along the coastBut the jungle was too thickThere were places where they would have to leave the shore and there was an impenetrable forest along the coast behind Botoi
An idea had formed, not even articulated, and he held it numbly, conscious at first only that he had an ideaHe got out of bed, and trod over the duckboards in his bare feet to examine some aerial photographs in his deskCould a company do it?
It was quite possibleHe could send a company in assault boats completely around the island, have them tiffany knockoff land on the unexplored northern shore, which was separated from Toyaku and his troops by the Watamai mountain rangeThey could strike out directly across the middle of the island, go through the pass adjacent to Mount Anaka and descend into the Japanese rear, where they could attack the beach at Botoi Bay and hold it until he could land a battalionIt would be a plausible attack, for the beach defenses at Botoi were pointed toward the sea; like almost all Japanese positions, there was little maneuverability in the fire lanesThe timing will be a -bleep- on thatBut what a conception it wasThere was an unorthodoxy, a daring about it, which appealed to him greatlyCummings did not concern himself with that, howeverAs in all such moments when he was considering new plans, his mind had become practical and directQuickly, he was estimating the distancesIt was twenty-five miles across the island to the chloe black Japanese side of the pass, and from there it was seven miles to Botoi BayWithout any delaying incidents a company could do it in three days, two if they were to push themselvesHe studied the aerial mapsThe terrain was formidable, of course, but not impassable on the other side of the islandThere was a fringe of jungle not more than a few miles wide at the water's edge, and then a relatively open march over hills and kunai grass until they would reach the mountains and the passThe problem was to find a route through the jungle in the Japanese rear once they were through the passIf he were to send a company out they would almost certainly blunder into an ambush
Cummings sat back in his chair and musedHe would need reconnaissance firstIt would be too expensive, too risky, to tie up a company for a week when the thing might be impossibleA patrol of a few men, a squad or two, would be the better hermes kelly handbag |
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Red listens to their talk, mumbled and... |
2nd September 2010, 00:30 |
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Red listens to their talk, mumbled and unfinished
Maggie Kennedy was a fine figure of a woman, she said to me, now, what was it she said?
I told Tommy Muldoon he had no call to be running me in, and when I got done, he let me go I'll tell you thatThey're afraid of me ever since I broke Ricchio's jaw, you know he was the precinct sergeant, back in, well, now wait a minute and I'll tell you the date, I broke his jaw with one punch back in a New Year's night eight year ago, 1924 it was, no, wait a moment back in 1933 that's closer to itHey, you rummies, pipe down goddammit we got some paying guests in the next room
They're silent for a moment and then one of them says in his low mumbling voice, You ain't so smart, young feller, and ifen you don't shut your rolex chain mouth I'll be obliged to whop you
Come on down in the street, and I'll take you on
Then one of them comes up to Red, and whispers to him, You better leave him alone 'cause he'll throw you down the stairs, the last night man he broke his neckI'm sorry I disturbed ya, pop, I'll be minding my manners
You do that, son, and you and me won't have no trouble
Across the street, they can hear a jukebox grinding in a barroom
Back behind the night desk, Red turns on his radio and plays it softly(THE LEAVES OF BROWN CAME TUMBLING DOWN One of the men awakens screamingRed goes into the hall and quiets him, patting him on the shoulder and leading him back to his cot
In the morning the bums dress hurriedly, and the big room is empty by sevenThey hustle along the chill replica santos cartier streets in the dawn, their caps pulled down to their eyes, and their old jacket collars scrounged around their necksAs if they were ashamed, they won't look at one another, and like automatons most of them line up in the alleys off Canal Street for the coffee they receive from soup kitchensRed walks through the streets for a while before he catches the bus up to West 27thThe long night is always depressing
He looks at his feet striding alongNothing's worth a good goddam
But back in their furnished room, Lois is cooking his breakfast on a hotplate, and the kid, Jackie, comes running up to him, shows him a new schoolbookRed feels tired and happy
Yeah, that's nice, kid, he says, patting him on the shoulder
When Jackie has left for school, Lois sits down to eat fendi big breakfast with himSince he has been working in the flophouse they have only their mornings togetherAt eleven she leaves for the restaurant
The eggs dry enough for you, honey? she asks
Outside, in the new morning, some trucks are grinding by on Tenth AvenueThe traffic has an early-morning soundJesus, this is okay, he says aloud
You like it, huh, Red
She fingers her glassListen, Red, I went to see a lawyer yesterday about gettin' a divorce from Mike
Yeah?
I can do it for a hundred dollars, a little more maybe, but should I, I mean whatthehell if nothing should come of it, maybe it'd be better not to
I dunno, kid, he says to her
Red, I ain't askin' you to get married, you know I ain't nagged you, but I gotta look ahead
It's all there before himThe choice again, 2.55 chanel jumbo but it means admitting he's throughI dunno, Lois, that's the goddam truthI like ya a lot and you're a good kid, there's no gettin' away from that, an' it's only fair to ya, but I gotta think about itI ain't made for stay in' in one place, I dunno there's just somethin', it's kind've a big countryYa gotta let me know one way or the other
Only the war starts before he has made up his mindThat night all the drunks in the flophouse are excited
I was a sergeant in the last one, I'm going to go up there and ask them to take me back
Yeah, they'll make ya a major
I'm going to tell you, Red, that they need meThey're gonna need every one of us
Someone is passing around a bottle, and on an impulse Red sends one of the men down with a ten-dollar bill to buy some louis vuitton wien whis |
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