Max by Howard Fast Page B

night.’
    â€˜What? Hey, is that straight goods?’
    â€˜Yes, I said you could take me to dinner tomorrow night. But I want you to understand that I do this with some trepidation. We have never been formally introduced.’
    Max was not certain what trepidation meant, nor was he quite clear about the social meaning of a formal introduction. He was certain that she had agreed to a date on the following night. ‘O.K.! Great! Right now I’m introducing myself.’ He bowed, removing his hat. ‘My name is Max Britsky. Right now I am nobody but I intend to become somebody. You can’t go wrong with me, believe me. Max Britsky introduces himself!
    His enthusiasm Was such that Miss Levine broke into laughter.
    â€˜Sally?’ he said.
    â€˜Yes?’
    â€˜You see – Sally. I am calling you Sally. Try Max.’
    â€˜What?’
    â€˜Try calling me Max. Just try it.’
    â€˜Max.’
    â€˜See, it don’t hurt.’
    â€˜It doesn’t – She swallowed it.
    â€˜Go on,’ Max said.
    â€˜No, I’m being dreadful. I’m correcting your speech.’
    â€˜Do it. I got to learn.’
    When they reached Washington Square, they were much more at ease with each other, and Sally pointed to the houses on the north side of the park. ‘When you become that great wealthy millionaire Max Britsky, you can buy me one of those houses.’
    â€˜Oh?’ Glancing at her sharply.
    â€˜Just as a gift. We’ll still be casual acquaintances, but just the way Diamond Jim throws his jewels around.’ She had changed, thrown off the austere mantle of the teacher.
    â€˜Which house?’
    â€˜That one will do,’ she said lightly, pointing to a lovely red brick mansion.
    â€˜I’ll remember that.’
    Frustrated, fuming in the tiny bedroom that he shared with Ruby, both of them sleeping together in an ancient three-quarter bed, his two suits hanging from a hook on the wall, his linen stuffed into the drawers of a battered chest, Max tried to construct a bow-tie knot and failed. He rooted in the drawer and came up with a wrinkled four-in-hand. It needed ironing, but Sarah was otherwise engaged. Max listened to his mother scream at his sister Freida. Cramped and crowded into the little cold-water flat, cheek by jowl with an endless and undefeatable army of roaches and bedbugs as well as each other, they lived with tension. They screamed and raged at each other, and now, hearing his mother, Max contemplated bringing Miss Sally Levine into this madhouse. ‘Come right in, Miss Levine, this is my mother and my sisters and my brothers.’ Sarah had just finished denouncing her daughter Freida, fifteen and a half years old, as a tramp and a bum.
    Freida defended herself in the only way she knew, by attempting to outscream her mother. ‘What am I?’ she demanded. ‘Am I some kind of freak? We’re not in Europe! I’m not a prisoner of yours, you should decide who I see and who I marry!’
    â€˜God forbid!’ Sarah interjected.
    â€˜A boy looks at me, right away I’m a tramp. That’s all you ever got to say to me, I’m a tramp. Beautiful words!’
    â€˜You act like a tramp, you dress like a tramp, you’re a tramp!’ Sarah stated. ‘You hang out with bums at a candy store! Who else does it but a tramp? Tell me. Just tell me.’
    â€˜All right! From now on I go to cotillions. At the Waldorf, naturally. You will please arrange my debut! Or should I sit here with you every night and bite my nails?’
    Unable to endure it any longer, Max stamped into the kitchen and shouted, ‘Will you two stop that! Every time I come in here, you’re screaming at each other.’
    â€˜You two! You two!’ Sarah exploded. ‘Suddenly, I’m not your mother! I’m something called you two! I’m nothing! I’m dirt!’ She grabbed a dishtowel and tried to wipe off the bit of rouge