booze locker.
“ You got bigger tits, though. ”
Alex served him another nip.
“ When you say you was goin ’ to Mexico? ”
“ I didn ’ t say I was. ”
“ Yes, you did. You just said you was. ”
“ That ’ s a dream, ” Hicks told him. “ A dream. ”
“ Ever see Coley? ”
Coley was a dealer who had also worked for Sea Lift Command and had quit when paranoia overcame him. Hicks swallowed his beer and tapped on the upper tooth with his forefinger.
“ Coley? ”
“ You know Coley, ” Alex said. “ You used to drink with him here. ”
“ Oh, yeah, ” Hicks said, watching Alex. “ Sure. Him. ”
“ I hear he went to Mexico. ”
“ Yeah? ”
“ They say he went down there with a whole lot of money
to buy something for somebody and he blew it all. ”
“ Blew it all on the jai ‘ lai, huh? ”
“ Blew it all on the good pussy. People are real pissed at him. ”
Hicks was about to say that he would be real pissed too if it was his money, but he let it pass. He had never heard Alex talk around dope before.
When the record on the box finished, the girls from the cage climbed down and wrapped some sequined cloth around themselves. One of the girls was a mocha-colored East Indian with the features of a brahmin; she went to sit with a slightly frayed executive type at a back table.
“ The guy ’ s a bug, ” Alex said, looking at them. “ He ties her up and beats on her. She loves it. They ’ re both bugs. ”
Hicks stood up.
“ I don ’ t want to know all this shit, man, ” he said. “ I don ’ t want to know it. ” He walked back toward the telephone booth through knots of drinking blacks.
Christ, there ’ s a lot of them, he thought.
As he walked he tried to maneuver himself in such a way that he would not have to make anyone back up for him, or himself have to back up for anyone. He weaved skillfully among the black customers projecting a genial demeanor, but they seemed only to see the murder in his heart. They were funny folks.
Inside the booth, he secured the door with his foot and thumbed through the phone book. He could not re member deciding to call her. It was just happening.
Etsuko ’ s second husband was named Eligio Robles, D.D.S. On deciding to leave Hicks she had enrolled in a dental technology course, financing herself by years of petty hoarding. Her English was good enough by then. Dr. Robles was a Filipino, her very first employer.
Humming to himself, he dialed Dr. Robles ’ number. And she answered.
“ Konibanwa Etsuko? Shitsurayu Mrs. Robles-san. ”
“ It ’ s you, ” she said.
It seemed to him that he could picture her face exactly as she calmly attempted to determine what the call might mean.
“ How ’ s everything? ”
“ Fine. How ’ s everything with you? ”
“ I just got back from Nam. ”
“ How was that? ” Not that she gave a shit, he thought.
“ Fucked up. ”
She made no sound, but the line itself seemed to convey her impatience w ith his profanity.
“ How ’ s the good doc? ”
“ None of your business. ”
“ I got some trouble with my teeth. You think he could fix me up? ”
“ Don ’ t be stupid. ”
“ He ’ s a dentist, ain ’ t he? ”
He took the tooth out a gain and held it in his handker chief.
“ Ith orful. ”
“ Why are you stupid? ” she said. Cold, ivory anger. “ You ’ re drunk. ”
“ Yeah. ”
“ It ’ s not a funny joke. Don ’ t bother busy people who aren ’ t bothering you. ”
He decided to ask a stupid question. “ Don ’ t you miss me, Etsuko? I miss you sometimes. ”
He could picture her again quite clearly; her mouth would be rippled with a small tremor of embarrassment and faint disgust.
“ Give me a chance, ” she said. “ Stop calling. ”
“ Christ sakes, I haven ’ t called you for a year. More than that. ”
“ When I get calls from you, ” she said, “ I think you ’ re becoming a drunken bu m. Too bad for a man of your in telligence.
“ You got bigger tits, though. ”
Alex served him another nip.
“ When you say you was goin ’ to Mexico? ”
“ I didn ’ t say I was. ”
“ Yes, you did. You just said you was. ”
“ That ’ s a dream, ” Hicks told him. “ A dream. ”
“ Ever see Coley? ”
Coley was a dealer who had also worked for Sea Lift Command and had quit when paranoia overcame him. Hicks swallowed his beer and tapped on the upper tooth with his forefinger.
“ Coley? ”
“ You know Coley, ” Alex said. “ You used to drink with him here. ”
“ Oh, yeah, ” Hicks said, watching Alex. “ Sure. Him. ”
“ I hear he went to Mexico. ”
“ Yeah? ”
“ They say he went down there with a whole lot of money
to buy something for somebody and he blew it all. ”
“ Blew it all on the jai ‘ lai, huh? ”
“ Blew it all on the good pussy. People are real pissed at him. ”
Hicks was about to say that he would be real pissed too if it was his money, but he let it pass. He had never heard Alex talk around dope before.
When the record on the box finished, the girls from the cage climbed down and wrapped some sequined cloth around themselves. One of the girls was a mocha-colored East Indian with the features of a brahmin; she went to sit with a slightly frayed executive type at a back table.
“ The guy ’ s a bug, ” Alex said, looking at them. “ He ties her up and beats on her. She loves it. They ’ re both bugs. ”
Hicks stood up.
“ I don ’ t want to know all this shit, man, ” he said. “ I don ’ t want to know it. ” He walked back toward the telephone booth through knots of drinking blacks.
Christ, there ’ s a lot of them, he thought.
As he walked he tried to maneuver himself in such a way that he would not have to make anyone back up for him, or himself have to back up for anyone. He weaved skillfully among the black customers projecting a genial demeanor, but they seemed only to see the murder in his heart. They were funny folks.
Inside the booth, he secured the door with his foot and thumbed through the phone book. He could not re member deciding to call her. It was just happening.
Etsuko ’ s second husband was named Eligio Robles, D.D.S. On deciding to leave Hicks she had enrolled in a dental technology course, financing herself by years of petty hoarding. Her English was good enough by then. Dr. Robles was a Filipino, her very first employer.
Humming to himself, he dialed Dr. Robles ’ number. And she answered.
“ Konibanwa Etsuko? Shitsurayu Mrs. Robles-san. ”
“ It ’ s you, ” she said.
It seemed to him that he could picture her face exactly as she calmly attempted to determine what the call might mean.
“ How ’ s everything? ”
“ Fine. How ’ s everything with you? ”
“ I just got back from Nam. ”
“ How was that? ” Not that she gave a shit, he thought.
“ Fucked up. ”
She made no sound, but the line itself seemed to convey her impatience w ith his profanity.
“ How ’ s the good doc? ”
“ None of your business. ”
“ I got some trouble with my teeth. You think he could fix me up? ”
“ Don ’ t be stupid. ”
“ He ’ s a dentist, ain ’ t he? ”
He took the tooth out a gain and held it in his handker chief.
“ Ith orful. ”
“ Why are you stupid? ” she said. Cold, ivory anger. “ You ’ re drunk. ”
“ Yeah. ”
“ It ’ s not a funny joke. Don ’ t bother busy people who aren ’ t bothering you. ”
He decided to ask a stupid question. “ Don ’ t you miss me, Etsuko? I miss you sometimes. ”
He could picture her again quite clearly; her mouth would be rippled with a small tremor of embarrassment and faint disgust.
“ Give me a chance, ” she said. “ Stop calling. ”
“ Christ sakes, I haven ’ t called you for a year. More than that. ”
“ When I get calls from you, ” she said, “ I think you ’ re becoming a drunken bu m. Too bad for a man of your in telligence.
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