The Iceman Cometh (21 page)

Grabs him by the shoulder and shakes him
.

God damn you, shut up! What the hell is it to me?

ROCKY
starts awake
.

ROCKY

What’s comin’ off here?

LARRY

Controlling himself
.

Nothing. This gabby young punk was talking my ear off, that’s all. He’s a worse pest than Hickey.

ROCKY

Drowsily
.

Yeah, Hickey—Say, listen, what d’yuh mean about him bein’ scared you’d ask him questions? What questions?

LARRY

Well, I feel he’s hiding something. You notice he didn’t say what his wife died of.

ROCKY

Rebukingly
.

Aw, lay off dat. De poor guy—What are yuh gettin’ at, anyway? Yuh don’t tink it’s just a gag of his?

LARRY

I don’t. I’m damned sure he’s brought death here with him. I feel the cold touch of it on him.

ROCKY

Aw, bunk! You got croakin’ on de brain, Old Cemetery.

Suddenly
ROCKY’S
eyes widen
.

Say! D’yuh mean yuh tink she committed suicide, ’count of his cheatin’ or someting?

LARRY

Grimly
.

It wouldn’t surprise me. I’d be the last to blame her.

ROCKY

Scornfully
.

But dat’s crazy! Jees, if she’d done dat, he wouldn’t tell us he was glad about it, would he? He ain’t dat big a bastard.

PARRITT

Speaks up from his own preoccupation
—
strangely
.

You know better than that, Larry. You know she’d never commit suicide. She’s like you. She’ll hang on to life even when there’s nothing left but—

LARRY

Stung
—
turns on him viciously
.

And how about you? Be God, if you had any guts or decency—!

He stops guiltily
.

PARRITT

Sneeringly
.

I’d take that hop off your fire escape you’re too yellow to take, I suppose?

LARRY

As if to himself
.

No! Who am I to judge? I’m done with judging.

PARRITT

Tauntingly
.

Yes, I suppose you’d like that, wouldn’t you?

ROCKY

Irritably mystified
.

What de hell’s all dis about?

To
PARRITT
.

What d’you know about Hickey’s wife? How d’yuh know she didn’t—?

LARRY

With forced belittling casualness
.

He doesn’t. Hickey’s addled the little brains he’s got. Shove him back to his own table, Rocky. I’m sick of him.

ROCKY

To
PARRITT
,
threateningly
.

Yuh heard Larry? I’d like an excuse to give yuh a good punch in de snoot. So move quick!

PARRITT

Gets up
—
to
LARRY
.

If you think moving to another table will get rid of me!

He moves away
—
then adds with bitter reproach
.

Gee, Larry, that’s a hell of a way to treat me, when I’ve trusted you, and I need your help.

He sits down in his old place and sinks into a wounded, self-pitying brooding
.

ROCKY

Going back to his train of thought
.

Jees, if she committed suicide, yuh got to feel sorry for Hickey, huh? Yuh can understand how he’d go bughouse and not be responsible for all de crazy stunts he’s stagin’ here.

Then puzzledly
.

But how can yuh be sorry for him when he says he’s glad she croaked, and yuh can tell he means it?

With weary exasperation
.

Aw, nuts! I don’t get nowhere tryin’ to figger his game.

His face hardening
.

But I know dis. He better lay off me and my stable!

He pauses
—
then sighs
.

Jees, Larry, what a night dem two pigs give me! When de party went dead, dey pinched a couple bottles and brung dem up deir room and got stinko. I don’t get a wink of sleep, see? Just as I’d drop off on a chair here, dey’d come down lookin’ for trouble. Or else dey’d raise hell upstairs, laughin’ and singin’, so I’d get scared dey’d get de joint pinched and go up to tell dem to can de noise. And every time dey’d crawl my frame wid de same old argument. Dey’d say, “So yuh agreed wid Hickey, do yuh, yuh dirty little Ginny? We’re whores, are we? Well, we agree wid Hickey about you, see! Yuh’re nuttin’ but a lousy pimp!” Den I’d slap dem. Not beat ’em up, like a pimp would. Just slap dem. But it don’t do no good. Dey’d keep at it over and over. Jees, I get de earache just thinkin’ of it! “Listen,” dey’d say, “if we’re whores we gotta right to have a reg’lar pimp and not stand for no punk imitation! We’re sick of wearin’ out our dogs poundin’ sidewalks for a double-crossin’ bartender, when all de thanks we get is he looks down on us. We’ll find a guy who really needs us to take care of him and ain’t ashamed of it. Don’t expect us to work tonight, ’cause we won’t, see? Not if de streets was blocked wid sailors! We’re goin’ on strike and yuh can like it or lump it!”

He shakes his head
.

Whores goin’ on strike! Can yuh tie dat?

Going on with his story
.

Dey says, “We’re takin’ a holiday. We’re goin’ to beat it down to Coney Island and shoot the chutes and maybe we’ll come back and maybe we won’t. And you can go to hell!” So dey put on deir lids and beat it, de bot’ of dem stinko.

He sighs dejectedly. He seems grotesquely like a harried family man, henpecked and browbeaten by a nagging wife
.
LARRY
is deep in his own bitter preoccupation and hasn’t listened to him
.
CHUCK
enters from the hall at rear. He has his straw hat with the gaudy band in his hand and wears a Sunday-best blue suit with a high stiff collar. He looks sleepy, hot, uncomfortable and grouchy
.

CHUCK

Glumly
.

Hey, Rocky. Cora wants a sherry flip. For her noives.

ROCKY

Turns indignantly
.

Sherry flip! Christ, she don’t need nuttin’ for her noive! What’s she tink dis is, de Waldorf?

CHUCK

Yeah, I told her, what would we use for sherry, and dere wasn’t no egg unless she laid one. She says, “Is dere a law yuh can’t go out and buy de makings, yuh big tramp?”

Resentfully puts his straw hat on his head at a defiant tilt
.

To hell wid her! She’ll drink booze or nuttin’!

He goes behind the bar to draw a glass of whiskey from a barrel
.

ROCKY

Sarcastically
.

Jees, a guy oughta give his bride anything she wants on de weddin’ day, I should tink!

As
CHUCK
comes from behind the bar
,
ROCKY
surveys him derisively
.

Pipe de bridegroom,
LARRY
! All dolled up for de killin’!

LARRY
pays no attention
.

CHUCK

Aw, shut up!

ROCKY

One week on dat farm in Joisey, dat’s what I give yuh! Yuh’ll come runnin’ in here some night yellin’ for a shot of booze ’cause de crickets is after yuh!

Disgustedly
.

Jees, Chuck, dat louse Hickey’s coitinly made a prize coupla suckers outa youse.

CHUCK

Unguardedly
.

Yeah. I’d like to give him one sock in de puss—just one!

Then angrily
.

Aw, can dat! What’s he go to do wid it? Ain’t we always said we was goin’ to? So we’re goin’ to, see? And don’t give me no argument!
He stares
at
ROCKY
truculently. But
ROCKY
only shrugs his shoulders with weary disgust and
CHUCK
subsides into complaining gloom
. If on’y Cora’d cut out de beefin’. She don’t gimme a minute’s rest all night. De same old stuff over and over! Do I really want to marry her? I says, “Sure, Baby, why not?” She says, “Yeah, but after a week yuh’ll be tinkin’ what a sap you was. Yuh’ll make dat an excuse to go off on a periodical, and den I’ll be tied for life to a no-good soak, and de foist ting I know yuh’ll have me out hustlin’ again, your own wife!” Den she’d bust out cryin’, and I’d get sore. “Yuh’re a liar,” I’d say. “I ain’t never taken your dough ’cept when I was drunk and not workin’!” “ Yeah,” she’d say, “and how long will yuh stay sober now? Don’t tink yuh can kid me wid dat water-wagon bull! I’ve heard it too often.” Dat’d make me sore and I’d say, “Don’t call me a liar. But I wish I was drunk right now, because if I was, yuh wouldn’t be keepin’ me awake all night beefin’. If yuh opened your yap, I’d knock de stuffin’ outa yuh!” Den she’d yell, “Dat’s a sweet way to talk to de goil yuh’re goin’ to marry.”

He sighs explosively
.

Jees, she’s got me hangin’ on de ropes!

He glances with vengeful yearning at the drink of whiskey in his hand
.

Jees, would I like to get a quart of dis redeye under my belt!

ROCKY

Well, why de hell don’t yuh?

CHUCK

Instantly suspicious and angry
.

Sure! You’d like dat, wouldn’t yuh? I’m wise to you! Yuh don’t wanta see me get married and settle down like a reg’lar guy! Yuh’d like me to stay paralyzed all de time, so’s I’d be like you, a lousy pimp!

ROCKY

Springs to his feet, his face hardened viciously
.

Listen! I don’t take dat even from you, see!

CHUCK

Puts his drink on the bar and clenches his fists
.

Yeah? Wanta make sometin’ of it?

Jeeringly
.

Don’t make me laugh! I can lick ten of youse wid one mit!

ROCKY

Reaching for his hip pocket
.

Not wid lead in your belly, yuh won’t!

JOE

Has stopped cutting when the quarrel started
—
expostulating
.

Hey, you, Rocky and Chuck! Cut it out! You’s ole friends! Don’t let dat Hickey make you crazy!

CHUCK

Turns on him
.

Keep outa our business, yuh black bastard!

ROCKY

Like
CHUCK
,
turns on
JOE
,
as if their own quarrel was forgotten and they became natural allies against an alien
.

Stay where yuh belong, yuh doity nigger!

JOE

Snarling with rage, springs from behind the lunch counter with the bread knife in his hand
.

You white sons of bitches! I’ll rip your guts out!

CHUCK
snatches a whiskey bottle from the bar and raises is above his head to hurl at
JOE.
ROCKY
jerks a short-barreled, nickel-plated revolver from his hip pocket. At this moment
LARRY
pounds on the table with his fist and bursts into a sardonic laugh
.

LARRY

That’s it! Murder each other, you damned loons, with Hickey’s blessing! Didn’t I tell you he’d brought death with him?

His interruption startles them. They pause to stare at him, their fighting fury suddenly dies out and they appear deflated and sheepish
.

ROCKY

To
JOE
.

Aw right, you. Leggo dat shiv and I’ll put dis gat away.

JOE
sullenly goes back behind the counter and slaps the knife on top of it
.
ROCKY
slips the revolver back in his pocket
.
CHUCK
lowers the bottle to the bar
.
HUGO
,
who has awakened and raised his head when
LARRY
pounded on the table, now giggles foolishly
.

HUGO

Hello, leedle peoples! Neffer mind! Soon you vill eat hot dogs beneath the villow trees and trink free vine—

Abruptly in a haughty fastidious tone
.

The champagne vas not properly iced.

With guttural anger
.

Gottamned liar, Hickey! Does that prove I vant to be aristocrat? I love only the proletariat! I vill lead them! I vill be like a Gott to them!

They vill be my slaves!

He stops in bewildered self-amazement—to
LARRY
appealingly
.

I am very trunk, no, Larry? I talk foolishness. I am so trunk, Larry, old friend, am I not, I don’t know vhat I say?