Last Exit to Brooklyn - Hubert Selby Jr by Hubert Selby Jr. Page A

beat with a double beat, then she looked back
in the living room and everyone was talking, drinking (Georgette
seemed to have been watching her), and when she caught Sals eye she
blushed and turned back to Rosie and called her again. Rosie sat in
the corner with her head on her knees. Camille walked over to her,
carefully avoiding the stove, asked if she was alright. Why dont you
come back inside Rosie, lightly touching her shoulder. Rosie jerked
her head around, bit Camilles hand, looked at her for a moment then
put her head back on her knees. Camille screeched and ran back to the
living room clutching her injured hand, extending it before her. She
bit me, she bit me, that crazy little thing. She turned in a circle,
arms still stiffly extended, jumping up and down. What thefucks wrong
wit you? O she bit me. O for heavens sake Camille sit down. Sit down.
O she bit me. Shaddup. Harry pushed her and she fell on Lee and they
screeched and tried to right themselves, but Camille kept falling
down as she tried to push herself up then remembered her hand and
halfway up she would try to clutch it and fall again, her arms
whirling in the air and she rolled off Lee and Lee fought frantically
to keep her skirts down, all the time yelling at Camille to get off
her and Camille finally raised herself to her knees and grabbed the
elusive hand and searched for the teeth marks. Dont worry little
girl, yawont get the rabyz. Lee sat up and smoothed her skirt and
threw Camille a vicious glance, O really Miss Thing, and took a
mirror from her pocketbook, examined her face then dove in her
pocketbook and extracted her comb, cosmetics and hurredly fixed her
face. Camille finally sat down and continued to examine her finger,
completely ignoring the laughter. O it was terrible. All I did was
try to speak to her and she bit me. She bit me like----like some kind
of animal. O it was terrible. Why didntya biter back? She/d get the
crud. Here, dipit in the hot coffee. Goldie was laughing as hard as
the rest but managed to lean over and offer solace and bennie. O yes,
please. She brought me down something dreadful. O . . . she scooped
up the bennie and dropped them in her mouth (with her good hand) then
picked up her coffee (with her good hand) and took a few tiny sips
until the bennie were down. Hey, what time does the next show start?
They were all laughing, except Camille, and Lee only sneered at
first, but when she finished putting her face on she too relaxed and
joined the party, each new remark bringing forth a loud guffaw and
refined laughter; Camille sitting with a peevish look on her face;
but the boys were having a ball, not too sure what they were laughing
about, but really digging the bennie scene, enjoying the cold chills
and the strange feeling in their jaws as they clenched and ground
their teeth (Harry wondering if maybe he oughtta go out to the
kitchen and straighten Rosie out); Georgette content to relax and
laugh ( she was 3 up on Lee ) yet still watchful for an opportunity
to regain the center of attraction; and Goldie was ethereal . . .
things were going so well and she was atingle with anticipation; but
poor Camille felt ashamed and tried to relax and laugh it off but O
it was so terribly embarrassing. She had carried on so; and Lee was
determined to maintain her aloofness (yet she did not want to
estrange herself from Goldie ), the aloofness that her beauty and
position demanded. The laughter continued even after they were too
breathless from laughing to continue dropping remarks, and Goldie
called for more coffee and Rosie made the rounds once more and
retired to the kitchen and started a new pot and sat in the corner
with her head on her knees. Goldie counted the bennie determining
that there would be enough left for a few rounds (and by then the
drugstore would be open) and handed more out. Vinnie asked for some
gin (spurts of giggling still coming forth) and Georgette offered her
glass but Vinnie refused (the code forbids drinking