Last Exit to Brooklyn (27 page)

Abraham got up late. He stayed in bed as long as he could, but the noise the 5 kids made was too much for him. Even the closed door didnt help so he got up. He sat on the side of the bed and carefully took the hairnet off his konked and marcelled hair, lit a cigarette and started thinking about the fine, I mean
real
fine brownskinned gal that
was in MELS last night. Her skin was light and real smooth and her hair was long and wavy. Not all tight and stiff, but smooth man, and long. Yeah … And she had on this real tight dress and when she walked her big ol ass just quivered and shook like crazy and when she danced the slop you could see the muscles of that fine ass just rollin all ovuh. Yeah … that was some fine stuff. Man, he shuh would like to bag that bitch and really lay it oner. Sheeeit … Id fuck the ass right offen that bitch man. I mean right
off
. Man when I finish screwin that ol broad she’d know she’d been laid and she’d damn sure know who tu call daddyo. Ghuddamn … I’ll put on some fine rags tunight and make all those cats look like bums man. I mean this stud is gonna be the sharpest motherfucka that chick ever seed. Sheeit. This is ol Abe. Ol honest Abe Washington, hehhehheh … and aint nobody, man I mean nobody caint put no shit ovuh on
me
. This cats hip man, and when I lay it on that chick I mean shes gonna knowit … Yeah … He stood up and stretched, put out his cigarette and dressed. He opened the bedroom door and yelled to the kids tu shut up as he walked to the bathroom. They quieted for a moment then continued running, yelling and shooting. Abe worked the soap up to a lather then worked the lather thoroughly into his face, rinsing first with warm water then cold. He patted his face dry with the towel then inspected his face in the mirror, going over every square centimeter very carefully, pushing his nose first to one side then the other, stretching the skin of his neck. After 5 minutes he was happy to find only one pimple. This he carefully squeezed then wet the corner of the towel with cold water and patted the infected area. He brushed his teeth, which were naturally white, but he had to be certain he got off the yellow smoking stains. Then he gargled. Next he rubbed skin cream into his face – leaning out of the door to yell at the Ghuddamn kids tu shut up – then inspected his face once more. He was satisfied. He rubbed some hair grease between the palms of his hands then patted it on his hair. Then he picked up the comb and gently, tentatively at first, combed his hair, laying down the comb from time to time and using the soft brush, pushing each wave in place, touching here and there, working up this wave a little more than the other, being careful a hair wasnt sticking up or out of place – why dont chuall shutup – stepping back from the
mirror to admire the way his hair sparkled, adjusting a wave a little more, then picking up the small hand mirror and turning his back to the large mirror over the sink and holding the small mirror in front of him he inspected the back of his head, pushing a little here and there, then, smiling and thinking of her fine ass, wiped his hands off on the towel and went out to the kitchen. He told his wife to fix him some eggs and sat down and cleaned his nails, scrapping the funk off on the edge of the table. He filed away at his nails and asked his wife why she didnt get the kids dressed and send them out. They make too ghuddamn much noise running all ovuh. She told him she was too busy to fret about the kids. The kids had stopped for a moment again, but started running and shooting and one stepped on Abes foot and he yelled and swung his arm. The kid darted away, but knocked into his mother as she was taking the eggs from the refrigerator. She put the eggs down and yelled that she was gonna get a strap toem and then maybe theyd stop runnin around like crazy mens. The kid started whimpering that he was sorry and she took the strap from around her waist and waved it at him and he cringed and backed away until his mother relented, then he sat quietly and his sister, the oldest, scolded him for being naughty and he wanted to kick her like he usually did, but was afraid. Hed wait until they got outside. Abe wanted to know what was holdin up his eggs, he had some things to do today. She brought the eggs and he ate, Nancy telling him about how the doctor at the clinic say the kids got the maltrition and they giver some cod
liver
oil, but he say they should have some vitamins and Abe dipped his bread in the yoke and caught the yoke with his tongue as it dribbled from the bread and tolder not tu wurry him about no vitamins and she say she need some money forem and he tolder he giver 20 dollars every week and she can get the vitamins with that. But ah caint. He shrugged and tolder to givem more collard greens and he slopped up the stringy uncooked white of the egg with his bread and tolder to givem his coffee and she poured it and said Ghuddamnit, I need some more money and he said sheeit, he worked his ass off on the docks fur his money and he be Ghudamned if hed let her throw it away, and the kids still sat in silence waiting for the father to go so they could be dressed and get out where it was safe,
and Nancy cursed Abes black ass and he tolder tu shut up those blubber lips and he counted out 20 dollars and threw it on the table and said she was lucky to have all that, that he had a whole mess a bills tu pay and all she had tu do was buy food and Ghudamnit if yu caint buy enough with that and the Ghuddamn vitamins then shame onyu. She snatched the money off the table and yelled at the kids to get dressed and get the hell out and the two older boys scampered to their room, the daughter saying, yes Mommy and walking; and Abe gulped down his coffee and left the kitchen. He put on a jacket, inspected his face and hair once more, adjusting the frontmost wave, then left the house.

The Chase

A group of kids, about 5 and 6 years old, stood on the steps of the entrance to one of the buildings. Another group stood huddled about a hundred feet away. The 2 groups eyed each other, spitting, cursing, staring. Some of the kids on the steps wanted to get the mothafuckas now and killem, the others wanted to wait for Jimmy. Jimmy was the biggest guy they had. When he come we’ll get the bastards. He run fasteran any ofem. Sheeit man, we’ll catchem all and killem. Yeah man, we’ll burn the mothafuckas alive. They paced on the steps impatiently, spitting and glaring at the other group. Then they heard someone running down the stairs and Jimmy came out. Jimmy yelled to them and took out a gun and said, comeon, lets kill those fuckinbastards. They all screeched wildly and followed Jimmy as he ran at the other gang. They screeched too and started running. The game of cowboys and indians had started. They ran along the streets shooting, yelling, bang, bang, yur dead motherfucka. I gotya. Yo aiss yo did. I gotya. Bang. Bang. In, out and between the people walking, standing, sitting on the benches; running around the trees, bang, bang, looking behind and shooting at the pursuer; knocking into someone and spinning them around – Why dontya look where ya goin ya stupid bastard – or if they were small they simply knocked them down the pursuer jumping over the fallen kid who was now
crying and yelling for his mommy. Bang, bang, through the hedges and spinning around the young trees; knocking over the shrubs, bang, bang. Jimmy got one cornered by the steps. He stood just in front of Jimmy on the other side of a baby carriage. The kid feinted to one side then the other. Finally Jimmy committed himself to one side and the kid whirled around the opposite side pulling over the carriage, the baby falling out and rolling along the ground, stopping as it hit the hedge. The 2 kids looked at it for a moment, listening to it scream, then a head popped out a window and wanted to know what the fuck they was doin, and the kids hauledass and Jimmy ran through the hedge after the other kid, bang, bang, and they ran around the building out of sight. The game of cowboys and indians continued.

Ada hummed as she washed the dishes. She scoured the sink then made her bed, first opening the windows so the bed clothes should air out, then carefully tucking in the sheets and blanket, fluffing up the pillows (Hymie always liked his pillow thick and fluffy), then hanging up her nightgown and the pajamas she laid out on Hymies side of the bed each night. (Hymie had always liked a clean pair of pajamas every night and though he had been dead these 5 years, 6 in October, October the 23rd, she still laid out a pair of pajamas every night, though now she used the same pair each night, washing them once a month, ironing them and putting them back on the bed.) Then she tidied up the apartment, sweeping the kitchen floor and adjusting the furniture, before wiping the dishes and putting them away with the other dairy dishes. The humming evolved into light singing as she put on her sweater and coat and readied herself to go downstairs. She looked around the apartment, making certain the stove was off and all the lights out, before closing the door and going out. Near the entrance to the building was a small area bordered with benches and a few young trees. Here Ada sat whenever the weather permitted. She sat on a bench on the near side as she knew it would be in the sun longer than any of the others. This was
her
bench and here she sat and watched the children, the people passing or sitting, and enjoying the warmth of the sunshine. She closed her eyes and faced the sun, lifting her face, and sat thus for many minutes feeling the heat on her forehead, her eyelids, her cheeks, feeling the suns rays penetrating her chest, warming her heart, making her feel almost happy. She breathed deeply, sighing inaudibly, and lowered her head and opened her eyes, then raised her feet slightly and wiggled her toes in her shoes. Her poor feet had such a burden to carry and they suffered so in the winter, but now even they were alive and relieved. It would be many, many wonderfully warm and sunny months before her feet would have to be tortured with thick heavy socks and forced to feel the cold. Soon she could go one day to Coney Island and sit on the Boardwalk and watch the swimmers or maybe she could even walk in the surf, but she wasnt sure if she should. She might slip, or someone might knock her over. Anyway, the beach was nice even just sitting on a bench getting the sun. She watched a small child ride by on his tricycle then watched a group of children running after each other and yelling. Occasionally she would be able to distinguish the words they were yelling and she blushed and immediately pushed it from her mind (this too would be remembered next winter) then turned abruptly as she heard a baby crying, seeing the overturned carriage, hearing the voice from a window, seeing a blur as 2 children ran away; trying to locate the baby, getting up from the bench when she finally saw it lying on the ground, but sitting down when she saw a woman coming out of the building. Those children really should be more careful. She watched the mother pick up the child and drop him in the carriage and shove a bottle in his mouth and go upstairs. I hope it wasnt hurt. The baby eventually stopped crying and Ada turned away and once more watched the child circling the benches on its tricycle. She saw a woman passing with her children and shopping cart. The woman smiled, nodded and said Hello. Ada returned her greeting but didnt smile. She was a nice lady but her husband was a no good. He always looked at Ada funny like he was going to hurt her. Not like her Hymie. Her Hymie was always friendly. Such a good man. They would have been married 43 years this summer, July 29th, if he was still alive. Hymie used to help her
all the time. And he too loved the beach. But so seldom they could go. Only on Mondays when they closed the store and then sometimes it wouldnt be so nice. But many times they would go and she would make sandwiches and a thermos of a cold drink and Hymie always got for her a beach chair and umbrella. He always insisted. I want you should be comfortable and enjoy yourself. Thats what he said. She would always say no, dont bother. Who needs it? and they would laugh. But always Hymie insisted she should have the umbrella in case she might want to sit in the shade, but she never did and they would sit on the beach chairs getting the sun and once, maybe twice, during the day they would go down to the surf and splash around. He was so good her Hymie. And sometimes when her Ira got older he would tell them to go to the beach, he would mind the store and they would go an extra day to the beach. Her Ira was the best boy any Mother could have. (Everynight before going to bed she kissed their pictures.) Still only a boy already when they killed him. Just a boy. Not even married. Not even married when the Army took him. And he was such a good boy. When he was still just a little one he would come home from school and tell her to take a nap, hed help papa in the store and Hymie would smile so big and rub little Iras head and say yes, take a nap. Iras a big boy now and he will help me and Ira would smile up at his father and Ada would go back to the small rooms behind the candy store and lie down. And sometimes, when maybe it wasnt too busy, Hymie would fix the supper while Ira watched the store and then Ira would come back and wake her up and say suppers ready Mommy. See? And everything would be on the table and they would eat and she would go out and take care of the store while Hymie ate. And Hymie worked so hard. Opening the store at 6 in the morning and going out and getting the papers off the street, and sometimes it would be cold and raining, and he would carry in the big bundles of papers all by himself (he would never let her help him with that) and cut the cords and arrange them on the stand and she would lie in bed, pretending to be asleep, and all the years they were married Hymie got out of bed so quietly so she should sleeplonger and every morning she would wake up but she never let him know she was awake so he wouldnt worry about
her. Then he would come back at 8 oclock and she would pretend to wake up when he touched her, and she would get up and fix the breakfast. For 20 years they had that store and they were so happy – the child ran his tricycle into a tree and toppled off, but got right up and started riding again – maybe they didnt always have so much, but they were happy and she could still smell the soda fountain; the sweet smell of ice cream, syrups, mixed fruits, hot fudge, marshmallow, whipped cream and the fudgicles, popsicles and ices and the candy and chewing gum on the counter and the candy shelves on the opposite side of the store, the sliding glass doors smeared by the smudgy hands of thousands of children. She used to lean on the counter and watch them look at the candies pointing with their fingers pressed against the glass. Many times each day this would happen and Ada would wonder why they had to lean against the glass with their hands and why it took them so long to make up their minds what candy they wanted. And then when Ira came, late in her life, it didnt annoy her as much. They were young like her Ira. But when they get older they werent so nice and said bad things to you. But Ira was always such a good boy. And they had to kill him. And they didnt even see his body. Just a telegram and many years later a sealed coffin. My poor Ira. So young. Not even a father and now dead. Dead already 15 years – a few other children joined the one with the tricycle and they took turns riding it, laughing and running around in circles. Ada smiled as she watched them. Dead 15 years and not even children to remember you. I dont know why they did this to me. Even dead before Hymie, his father. And even Hymie left me. Such a good man. Worked so hard his back bent – someone passed and Ada smiled, but they just walked past not noticing Ada and Ada almost yelled at them, but stopped as she noticed that now women were coming down and people were going to the store and children were running and laughing and the sun was getting brighter and warmer and a few men straddled a bench with a checker board between them and maybe someone would sit down next to her and they would talk.