life. Shit, you could buy Harold Pye with a clap on the back and a smile and a fifth of J&B and he’d gladly handle the overtime.
Inside the unit he found Carla in the bathroom trying to stem the tide, dipping a pan into the filthy water and emptying it into the sink. There were rolled-up towels on the floor by the entranceway. She’d managed to protect the green wall-to-wall carpeting anyway.
“I’ll take it from here,” he said. “I’ll have her call you when I’m through.”
“Thanks, Ray.”
She was grateful. This kind of job? She damn well should be.
Twenty minutes later he had the water running clear again and a soggy brown Kotex in the sink, Fucking women. Some of these women were fucking animals . You posted a sign in every unit telling them not to flush the goddamn things, provided disposable bags but they went and did it anyway. He cleaned and rinsed the plunger in the tub, dried it with a towel and headed out to the manager’s office to get Carla for the final cleanup.
His mother was sitting in the swivel chair behind the desk with a pretty young blonde standing in front of her who turned and smiled at him briefly as he walked in. His mother did not smile. She rarely did. On the television behind her they were showing clips from the moon landing. No sound. His mother thought sound intrusive in public places and in bad taste. At home she’d blast the sucker.
“Ray, meet Sally Richmond. Sally, this is my son Ray. He manages the place along with my husband Harold. Sally’s coming on in housekeeping tomorrow.”
Housekeeping . His mother called them housekeepers. They were maids for chrissake. In some other town they’d all have been black. Sparta had no blacks. Not so far at least. So far the niggers were at bay.
“Hello, Sally. Good to meet you.” He extended his hand and she took it. Her grip was surprisingly firm, her hand not nearly as soft as he expected. He exerted just the right amount of pressure and then let it fall away.
“Hello, Mr. Pye.”
“If you’re going to be on staff here it’s Ray, okay?”
“Okay. Ray.”
“Nine o’clock, then,” his mother said.
“Sure. Nine will be fine.”
“Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. We’ll give you three days to start with and then see about extending you.”
“Fine. Tomorrow, then. Nice to meet you, Mrs. Pye. Nice to meet you, Ray. Thanks.”
“See you tomorrow.” He smiled at her and she returned it brightly. It was no more a shy smile than his was. The girl was pretty and knew it and didn’t mind somebody appreciating the fact.
She walked past him out into the parking lot and he told his mother about the Kotex in the toilet and that the room was ready for Carla and his mother said she’d page her. And that was the extent of their conversation. When he stepped out of the office again Sally Richmond was just pulling out into traffic in a blue Volkswagon Beetle.
The girl was interesting. Very interesting, he thought. Slim but not fine-boned. Tall too. And pretty. Not as pretty as Katherine Wallace was but that was going some. Long blond hair and big green eyes.
And not shy.
She’d be coming in tomorrow. Tomorrow was Monday and that gave him four days and four nights before his date with Katherine on Friday. He could get rid of Jennifer easily enough whenever he wanted to. He had Jennifer pretty well trained by now. She came and went pretty much on his say-so.
A lot could happen in four days. You never knew.
He crossed the hot macadam to his apartment. He hoped Jennifer would be dressed by now and ready to split. It would be nice to take a long, hot shower, find Tim and maybe Lee and some of the other guys and hang out for a while and smoke a little dope and tell them about Katherine and this new girl Sally and he couldn’t do that with Jennifer tagging along.
Fact was, Jennifer was getting to be something of a drag on his action lately. Katherine obviously didn’t like her or Tim. He wondered what he should do about
Inside the unit he found Carla in the bathroom trying to stem the tide, dipping a pan into the filthy water and emptying it into the sink. There were rolled-up towels on the floor by the entranceway. She’d managed to protect the green wall-to-wall carpeting anyway.
“I’ll take it from here,” he said. “I’ll have her call you when I’m through.”
“Thanks, Ray.”
She was grateful. This kind of job? She damn well should be.
Twenty minutes later he had the water running clear again and a soggy brown Kotex in the sink, Fucking women. Some of these women were fucking animals . You posted a sign in every unit telling them not to flush the goddamn things, provided disposable bags but they went and did it anyway. He cleaned and rinsed the plunger in the tub, dried it with a towel and headed out to the manager’s office to get Carla for the final cleanup.
His mother was sitting in the swivel chair behind the desk with a pretty young blonde standing in front of her who turned and smiled at him briefly as he walked in. His mother did not smile. She rarely did. On the television behind her they were showing clips from the moon landing. No sound. His mother thought sound intrusive in public places and in bad taste. At home she’d blast the sucker.
“Ray, meet Sally Richmond. Sally, this is my son Ray. He manages the place along with my husband Harold. Sally’s coming on in housekeeping tomorrow.”
Housekeeping . His mother called them housekeepers. They were maids for chrissake. In some other town they’d all have been black. Sparta had no blacks. Not so far at least. So far the niggers were at bay.
“Hello, Sally. Good to meet you.” He extended his hand and she took it. Her grip was surprisingly firm, her hand not nearly as soft as he expected. He exerted just the right amount of pressure and then let it fall away.
“Hello, Mr. Pye.”
“If you’re going to be on staff here it’s Ray, okay?”
“Okay. Ray.”
“Nine o’clock, then,” his mother said.
“Sure. Nine will be fine.”
“Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. We’ll give you three days to start with and then see about extending you.”
“Fine. Tomorrow, then. Nice to meet you, Mrs. Pye. Nice to meet you, Ray. Thanks.”
“See you tomorrow.” He smiled at her and she returned it brightly. It was no more a shy smile than his was. The girl was pretty and knew it and didn’t mind somebody appreciating the fact.
She walked past him out into the parking lot and he told his mother about the Kotex in the toilet and that the room was ready for Carla and his mother said she’d page her. And that was the extent of their conversation. When he stepped out of the office again Sally Richmond was just pulling out into traffic in a blue Volkswagon Beetle.
The girl was interesting. Very interesting, he thought. Slim but not fine-boned. Tall too. And pretty. Not as pretty as Katherine Wallace was but that was going some. Long blond hair and big green eyes.
And not shy.
She’d be coming in tomorrow. Tomorrow was Monday and that gave him four days and four nights before his date with Katherine on Friday. He could get rid of Jennifer easily enough whenever he wanted to. He had Jennifer pretty well trained by now. She came and went pretty much on his say-so.
A lot could happen in four days. You never knew.
He crossed the hot macadam to his apartment. He hoped Jennifer would be dressed by now and ready to split. It would be nice to take a long, hot shower, find Tim and maybe Lee and some of the other guys and hang out for a while and smoke a little dope and tell them about Katherine and this new girl Sally and he couldn’t do that with Jennifer tagging along.
Fact was, Jennifer was getting to be something of a drag on his action lately. Katherine obviously didn’t like her or Tim. He wondered what he should do about
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