what he had to. We never starved, he always had a roof over our heads an' we always had a little coin in our pockets. He useta say alia time a man's only worth what he got in his wallet. An' he shoulda known too. I remember one year in the thirties he was holdin' down three jobs. He would come home at five from the construction site, eat dinner an' go down to the
Times
plant on Forty-sixth Street and load papers on the trucks until midnight an' on the weekends he was the bouncer at Gianelli's. You remember Gianelli's?"
"Pop was a bouncer?"
"Yeah. You was really little at that time. He did it for about six months until one Saturday night when he eighty-sixed some punk. The guy came back with some friends after closing an' they bushwhacked him outside the club, broke his fuckin' arm. Old man Gianelli fired him on the spot. What good's a bouncer with a busted arm? An' they din't have compensation in those days either."
"I never knew that."
"It's the truth. An' it took six months for that arm to heal because he wouldn't take time out to rest. He was probably the only guy doin' construction an' loadin' trucks in New York City with his arm in a sling."
"Hard-nose bastard."
"Give 'im his due, Tom."
5
M ONDAY MORNING Marie and Phyllis did their weekly shopping together. After unpacking the groceries, Phyllis walked to Marie's to shoot the shit.
Marie foraged in the refrigerator for the Half & Half. "I went to Schindler Friday."
"For Albert?" Phyllis sat at the kitchen table, two cups of steaming black coffee and a box of marble cake in front of her.
"For me." Marie shut the refrigerator door and sat down, putting a quart of milk on the table.
"For what?" Phyllis lightened her coffee with the milk.
Marie shrugged. "I still got those cramps."
"I thought they went away." Phyllis picked at the cake.
"They did. They came back. And I started bleedin' a little too." Marie extracted a cigarette from her red plastic case. "Schindler said it's from aggravation."
"Aggravation?" Phyllis repeated incredulously. "He's a goddamn horse doctor. How come you don't use Schwartz?"
Marie shrugged.
"What Schwartz forgot is more than Schindler'll ever know."
"I dunno. He gave me some tranquilizers."
"He's a quack," Phyllis said contemptuously.
"At least he's better'n Marcus. Remember Marcus?"
"Marcus, even if Marcus
was
a horse doctor, he'd still be a quack."
"Remember when I was in Parkchester with Albert?"
"Oh, with the tubes?"
"The tubes?"
"Yeah. The thing with the tubes, you remember."
"Oh that. I almost forgot that. God,
that
was something, but I wasn't thinkin' about the thing with the tubes, I was thinkin' about the thing with the blood," Marie said.
"What thing with the blood?"
"You know, with the needle?"
"I don't remember."
"Maybe I never told you ... when Marcus took blood?"
"No."
"Remember, I was in Parkchester two days before I had Albert? The night before I had him Marcus had to take blood from me. One of the big needles that they take from here." She tapped the inside of her elbow. Phyllis made a face. "You know I'm not squeamish or anything. When Stony opened his head on the wall that time I was the only one that could stand there with the ice cubes," Marie said.
"I remember Tommy fainted." Phyllis raised her eyebrows.
"Yeah, big tough guy. Anyways, so you know, I'm not afraid of a little blood. But what Marcus did ... I was sittin' in a wheelchair. They had me in a white smock, and you know how Marcus always had the shakes?"
"Yeah, well, he was shootin' up all the time," Phyllis said offhandedly. "That was the only thing that kept him going. I saw him do it once in the bathroom. He came over one time when Chubby had the flu. He walks in the house and goes straight to the bathroom and shoots up. It was probably speed," Phyllis added knowledgeably, "that's the only way that old bastard could keep goin'. He wouldn't take on a younger doctor to help him. I saw him shoot up and I said forget it, that's it. I
Times
plant on Forty-sixth Street and load papers on the trucks until midnight an' on the weekends he was the bouncer at Gianelli's. You remember Gianelli's?"
"Pop was a bouncer?"
"Yeah. You was really little at that time. He did it for about six months until one Saturday night when he eighty-sixed some punk. The guy came back with some friends after closing an' they bushwhacked him outside the club, broke his fuckin' arm. Old man Gianelli fired him on the spot. What good's a bouncer with a busted arm? An' they din't have compensation in those days either."
"I never knew that."
"It's the truth. An' it took six months for that arm to heal because he wouldn't take time out to rest. He was probably the only guy doin' construction an' loadin' trucks in New York City with his arm in a sling."
"Hard-nose bastard."
"Give 'im his due, Tom."
5
M ONDAY MORNING Marie and Phyllis did their weekly shopping together. After unpacking the groceries, Phyllis walked to Marie's to shoot the shit.
Marie foraged in the refrigerator for the Half & Half. "I went to Schindler Friday."
"For Albert?" Phyllis sat at the kitchen table, two cups of steaming black coffee and a box of marble cake in front of her.
"For me." Marie shut the refrigerator door and sat down, putting a quart of milk on the table.
"For what?" Phyllis lightened her coffee with the milk.
Marie shrugged. "I still got those cramps."
"I thought they went away." Phyllis picked at the cake.
"They did. They came back. And I started bleedin' a little too." Marie extracted a cigarette from her red plastic case. "Schindler said it's from aggravation."
"Aggravation?" Phyllis repeated incredulously. "He's a goddamn horse doctor. How come you don't use Schwartz?"
Marie shrugged.
"What Schwartz forgot is more than Schindler'll ever know."
"I dunno. He gave me some tranquilizers."
"He's a quack," Phyllis said contemptuously.
"At least he's better'n Marcus. Remember Marcus?"
"Marcus, even if Marcus
was
a horse doctor, he'd still be a quack."
"Remember when I was in Parkchester with Albert?"
"Oh, with the tubes?"
"The tubes?"
"Yeah. The thing with the tubes, you remember."
"Oh that. I almost forgot that. God,
that
was something, but I wasn't thinkin' about the thing with the tubes, I was thinkin' about the thing with the blood," Marie said.
"What thing with the blood?"
"You know, with the needle?"
"I don't remember."
"Maybe I never told you ... when Marcus took blood?"
"No."
"Remember, I was in Parkchester two days before I had Albert? The night before I had him Marcus had to take blood from me. One of the big needles that they take from here." She tapped the inside of her elbow. Phyllis made a face. "You know I'm not squeamish or anything. When Stony opened his head on the wall that time I was the only one that could stand there with the ice cubes," Marie said.
"I remember Tommy fainted." Phyllis raised her eyebrows.
"Yeah, big tough guy. Anyways, so you know, I'm not afraid of a little blood. But what Marcus did ... I was sittin' in a wheelchair. They had me in a white smock, and you know how Marcus always had the shakes?"
"Yeah, well, he was shootin' up all the time," Phyllis said offhandedly. "That was the only thing that kept him going. I saw him do it once in the bathroom. He came over one time when Chubby had the flu. He walks in the house and goes straight to the bathroom and shoots up. It was probably speed," Phyllis added knowledgeably, "that's the only way that old bastard could keep goin'. He wouldn't take on a younger doctor to help him. I saw him shoot up and I said forget it, that's it. I
Similar Books
