Appointment in Samarra by John O'Hara Page A

in which no money changed hands. Ed wanted Al to be at the Apollo to receive messages and so on. Whenever there were strangers from other mobs in town on business, or friends who just happened to be passing through Gibbsville, they always looked up Ed Charney at the Apollo. And if Ed was not there, he wanted someone to be on hand, and that someone usually was Al Grecco.
    Al had his hat on but was carrying his dark blue overcoat. There was not a customer in the place. Smitty, who was a taxi driver and two-bit pimp, was sitting at the marble counter, drinking a cup of coffee, but Smitty was always at the counter drinking coffee. George Poppas was standing behind the cigar counter. He looked as though he were sitting down, but Al knew better. George leaned with his fat hands folded, supporting himself on the cigar counter, and appearing to be in great pain. George always appeared to be in great pain, as though he had eaten, an hour ago, all the things that can give you indigestion. Al once had seen him in a crap game make fifteen straight passes and win over twelve thousand dollars, but he still appeared to be in great pain.
    Loving Cup was behind the counter, and seemed to be the only waiter in the place. Loving Cup was about twenty, perhaps less; slight, with a bad complexion and a terrible breath. The boys were always kidding Loving Cup about his ears, from which he got his name. They were at least a third as long as his whole head, and stuck out. Also, the boys often had kidded Loving Cup about his lonely sex life, until one night for a gag they took him to the Dew Drop and paid for his entertainment. But when he came downstairs Mimi said to them: “Well, you wise guys, this kid got more than any of you. Howdia like that? He’s the only man in the crowd.” And Loving Cup listened delightedly, his eyes bright and gleaming and wicked and small. From that night on the boys made no cracks aboutLoving Cup and his lonely sex life. They still referred to him as Loving Cup, and called him Bertha, but they had some respect for him.
    Al did not speak to George Poppas. They had a mutual contempt for each other; George for Al, because Al was a minor member of the mob; and Al for George because George did not belong to the mob at all. They never spoke, except in crap games, when they confined their remarks to “You’re faded” and the other language of the game. Al placed his coat on a hanger and removed his hat, using both hands in taking off the hat so as not to disturb his hair.
    He took the
Philadelphia Public Ledger,
which was lying on the counter in front of George. He sat down at the mob’s table, which was in the very front of the restaurant, in a corner just back of the front window, where various crustaceans were squirming about in a pool. Al looked at the front page and saw that that Hoover was going to entertain some newsboys for Christmas. He turned over to the sport pages.
    “Hyuh,” said a voice. It was Loving Cup.
    “Oh, hyuh, Loving Cup,” said Al.
    “Two over? Bacon well done? Coffee?” said Loving Cup.
    “No,” said Al. “Gimme the bill of fare.”
    “What for?” said Loving Cup. “You can read the paper.”
    “God damn it! Get me the bill of fare before I cut your heart out.”
    “All right, all right,” said Loving Cup, running away. He came back with a menu and laid it beside Al’s right arm. “There.”
    “What are you, a Jew or something? Didn’t they tell you it’s Christmas, or don’t they have Christmas where you come from? Say, where
did
you come from, anyway, sweetheart?”
    “That’s my business,” said Loving Cup. “The turkey is all right. You want some of that? I thought you was having breakfast.”
    “It’s Christmas, you lug,” said Al.
    “Yeah, I know,” said Loving Cup. “What are you gonna have, or do I have to wait here all day while you spell out the words?”
    “Crack wise, Bertha,” said Al. “I’ll have that a dollar and a half dinner.”
    “What kind of