must pack. She wants me there by six o’clock. I haven’t much time.’
‘You mean you are going to live with her right now?’
‘Yes . . . she is without anyone.’
Gerald shifted uneasily.
‘What’s going to happen to me?’
She moved by him, took a suitcase from the closet, put it on the bed and opened it.
He caught hold of her arm and swung her around to face him.
‘Did you hear me? What’s going to happen to me?’
She regarded him with her calm, smoky blue eyes and this quiet calmness angered and frightened him.
‘You accepted the arrangement,’ she said and jerked her arm free. ‘Be careful . . . you will bruise me.’
‘I’ll do more than that!’ Gerald snarled and hooking his foot around her ankle, he upset her, sprawling her on her back across the boxes on the bed. As he dropped on her, his hand groping for her skirt, she struck him across his face. Water jumped into his eyes and he felt blood starting from his nose. Stunned by the force of the blow, he felt her move out from under him, then a Kleenex tissue was thrust into his hand. He sat up, the tissue held to his nose while he glared at her.
‘You bitch!’
‘Control yourself,’ she said curtly. ‘Get off the bed . . . you’re bleeding.’
Trembling and now in despair, he got to his feet.
‘I know the signs, you bitch,’ he mumbled as he dabbed at his nose. ‘You’ve got the hots for this banker bastard. I don’t mean anything anymore to you.’
‘Stop talking,’ she said. This quiet, firm voice made him feel like a performing ape who answers to signals. He sat on the sagging chair and she went into the bathroom, returning with a wet sponge. With expert and completely impersonal hands, she wiped the blood off his nose and mouth. Then she returned to the bathroom, rinsed out the sponge while he sat there like a beaten child.
‘Gerry. . .’ She stood in the bathroom doorway, looking at him. ‘I haven’t much time, but we must talk. This is a big operation. You have to agree to it. Bromhead knows his business. I know my business. We could be rich for life and this is what I want. You must stop behaving like an idiot child. You ask what is going to happen to you. You are important to this plan, but you have a waiting part. If you can’t think what is going to happen to you, then I can make suggestions.’
Gerald dabbed at his nose with the bloodstained tissue.
‘So what are your goddamn suggestions?’
‘I will give you seventy dollars a week: that is half what I’m being paid,’ Sheila said. ‘You must leave here . . . it’s too expensive. You must find a cheap room. With seventy dollars a week you should be able to manage. You could even get a job.’
Gerald dropped the tissue on the floor. He sniffed, rubbing the back of his hand across his nose and then looked suspiciously to see if his hand was bloody.
‘Job? What are you talking about? What the hell could I do?’
She regarded him.
‘All right . . . never mind. You must manage on seventy dollars a week . . . a lot of people do.’
‘And in the meantime this banker bastard will be screwing you?’
‘Gerry . . . will you please leave me? I have to pack. Tomorrow, you leave here. This is the beginning of an operation that could change our lives. Will you please try to act like an adult?’
He glared at her.
‘Suppose I don’t want this money?’ he said. ‘Money can bring trouble. Get on that bed, baby, I want you.’
Still the calm expression, but the smoky blue eyes came alive.
‘Get out!’ There was a sudden snap in her voice that scared Gerald. ‘I must pack!’
He got reluctantly to his feet.
‘How am I to find a room?’ There was now a whine in his voice. ‘It’s fine for you, living in luxury with that old cow and having it off with that banker bastard . . . how do I find a room?’
‘Gerald! Will you get out!’ She looked around, caught up her handbag, opened it and tossed money on the bed. ‘There . . . seventy dollars!
‘You mean you are going to live with her right now?’
‘Yes . . . she is without anyone.’
Gerald shifted uneasily.
‘What’s going to happen to me?’
She moved by him, took a suitcase from the closet, put it on the bed and opened it.
He caught hold of her arm and swung her around to face him.
‘Did you hear me? What’s going to happen to me?’
She regarded him with her calm, smoky blue eyes and this quiet calmness angered and frightened him.
‘You accepted the arrangement,’ she said and jerked her arm free. ‘Be careful . . . you will bruise me.’
‘I’ll do more than that!’ Gerald snarled and hooking his foot around her ankle, he upset her, sprawling her on her back across the boxes on the bed. As he dropped on her, his hand groping for her skirt, she struck him across his face. Water jumped into his eyes and he felt blood starting from his nose. Stunned by the force of the blow, he felt her move out from under him, then a Kleenex tissue was thrust into his hand. He sat up, the tissue held to his nose while he glared at her.
‘You bitch!’
‘Control yourself,’ she said curtly. ‘Get off the bed . . . you’re bleeding.’
Trembling and now in despair, he got to his feet.
‘I know the signs, you bitch,’ he mumbled as he dabbed at his nose. ‘You’ve got the hots for this banker bastard. I don’t mean anything anymore to you.’
‘Stop talking,’ she said. This quiet, firm voice made him feel like a performing ape who answers to signals. He sat on the sagging chair and she went into the bathroom, returning with a wet sponge. With expert and completely impersonal hands, she wiped the blood off his nose and mouth. Then she returned to the bathroom, rinsed out the sponge while he sat there like a beaten child.
‘Gerry. . .’ She stood in the bathroom doorway, looking at him. ‘I haven’t much time, but we must talk. This is a big operation. You have to agree to it. Bromhead knows his business. I know my business. We could be rich for life and this is what I want. You must stop behaving like an idiot child. You ask what is going to happen to you. You are important to this plan, but you have a waiting part. If you can’t think what is going to happen to you, then I can make suggestions.’
Gerald dabbed at his nose with the bloodstained tissue.
‘So what are your goddamn suggestions?’
‘I will give you seventy dollars a week: that is half what I’m being paid,’ Sheila said. ‘You must leave here . . . it’s too expensive. You must find a cheap room. With seventy dollars a week you should be able to manage. You could even get a job.’
Gerald dropped the tissue on the floor. He sniffed, rubbing the back of his hand across his nose and then looked suspiciously to see if his hand was bloody.
‘Job? What are you talking about? What the hell could I do?’
She regarded him.
‘All right . . . never mind. You must manage on seventy dollars a week . . . a lot of people do.’
‘And in the meantime this banker bastard will be screwing you?’
‘Gerry . . . will you please leave me? I have to pack. Tomorrow, you leave here. This is the beginning of an operation that could change our lives. Will you please try to act like an adult?’
He glared at her.
‘Suppose I don’t want this money?’ he said. ‘Money can bring trouble. Get on that bed, baby, I want you.’
Still the calm expression, but the smoky blue eyes came alive.
‘Get out!’ There was a sudden snap in her voice that scared Gerald. ‘I must pack!’
He got reluctantly to his feet.
‘How am I to find a room?’ There was now a whine in his voice. ‘It’s fine for you, living in luxury with that old cow and having it off with that banker bastard . . . how do I find a room?’
‘Gerald! Will you get out!’ She looked around, caught up her handbag, opened it and tossed money on the bed. ‘There . . . seventy dollars!
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