something else. The way I did. I didn’t see anybody walking around worrying about me, so why should I worry about the rest of the world? Maybe I’m getting a little cockeyed, but I don’t seem to see anything in the papers any more about eccentric old millionaires running around snatching hard-working, deserving young men out of poverty and rewarding them with fortunes.
“We can’t help that ,” I said again, shrugging and playing with the heavy deck of application cards that the two hundred shipping clerks who had been turned away had left with us. Nothing too obvious, you know. I just bounced them back and forth in my hand so that they should all see them and know what I meant. “That’s the best we can do,” I said. “After all, you know, you don’t have to work for us.”
10
I STOPPED IN AT the bank and cashed a decent-sized check.
“Better give it to me in singles and fives,” I said to the teller. I wanted the roll to look important.
Then I went into the subway and took a 180th Street-Bronx Park Express. It was only a little after four and the trains weren’t crowded yet. I got a seat. At least that was one advantage of being your own boss. You could leave whenever you wanted to and avoid the mob.
I got off at the last stop and walked up 180th Street. I went into the bakery on the corner of Daly Avenue and bought a cheese cake and a Stollen. Then I walked up the remaining two blocks and turned into Honeywell Avenue.
I paused in front of the house and looked at it. A couple of the neighbors were leaning out of their front windows. But I didn’t pay any attention to them. I was doing a little calculating, trying to figure how much longer it would be before I could afford to move her into a decent place.
“One more month,” I said to myself finally, “and out you go.”
Or maybe two months. But whenever it would be, she was first on the list.
I rang the bell and walked up the stairs. She was holding the door open for me when I reached it.
Her face began to light up as soon as she saw me, but she squeezed the smile out of her lips and looked stern.
“Hello, Mom,” I said grinning.
“Hello, Big Business Man,” she said sarcastically, holding the door wide for me to pass her.
“How’s the girl?” I said, and stooped to kiss her cheek quickly as I went by.
“Go on,” she said, ducking away and making a threatening gesture. But she couldn’t hold the smile back any longer. It broke out and spread all over her face. “I thought maybe you forgot the way home already.”
“Aah, you know I’d never forget that , Mom,” I said over my shoulder as I walked ahead of her to the kitchen.
“Yeah,” she said, “I know. Then why weren’t you home last night?”
“Aah, now, Mom,” I said, “didn’t I tell you it was the last day of our first month? Didn’t I tell you I wanted to be downtown early so’s I could look through the checks that came in the mail? Didn’t I?”
I set the packages down on the kitchen table and turned toward her. She was trying to wipe her hands on her apron and tuck her loose hair back at the same time. I put my arms around her quickly and kissed her, lifting her off the ground a few inches. In public I could kill guys that did things like that.
“Heshie!” she said sharply, but she put her own arms around me and kissed me back.
“Come on, now, Ma,” I said, kissing her again. “Didn’t I say I wouldn’t be home for the night?”
“Sure you said it,” she said. “But just the same you weren’t home, were you?”
I laughed and hugged her, lifting her off the ground again. “Say, you want to watch your figure, there, Ma,” I said. “Pretty soon I won’t be able to lift you up any more.”
“Never mind,” she said. “Don’t tell me any stories. I weighed myself only yesterday.”
“Yeah?” I said. “How much?”
For answer she walked over to the table and began to undo the packages.
“Come on, now,” I said. “How
“We can’t help that ,” I said again, shrugging and playing with the heavy deck of application cards that the two hundred shipping clerks who had been turned away had left with us. Nothing too obvious, you know. I just bounced them back and forth in my hand so that they should all see them and know what I meant. “That’s the best we can do,” I said. “After all, you know, you don’t have to work for us.”
10
I STOPPED IN AT the bank and cashed a decent-sized check.
“Better give it to me in singles and fives,” I said to the teller. I wanted the roll to look important.
Then I went into the subway and took a 180th Street-Bronx Park Express. It was only a little after four and the trains weren’t crowded yet. I got a seat. At least that was one advantage of being your own boss. You could leave whenever you wanted to and avoid the mob.
I got off at the last stop and walked up 180th Street. I went into the bakery on the corner of Daly Avenue and bought a cheese cake and a Stollen. Then I walked up the remaining two blocks and turned into Honeywell Avenue.
I paused in front of the house and looked at it. A couple of the neighbors were leaning out of their front windows. But I didn’t pay any attention to them. I was doing a little calculating, trying to figure how much longer it would be before I could afford to move her into a decent place.
“One more month,” I said to myself finally, “and out you go.”
Or maybe two months. But whenever it would be, she was first on the list.
I rang the bell and walked up the stairs. She was holding the door open for me when I reached it.
Her face began to light up as soon as she saw me, but she squeezed the smile out of her lips and looked stern.
“Hello, Mom,” I said grinning.
“Hello, Big Business Man,” she said sarcastically, holding the door wide for me to pass her.
“How’s the girl?” I said, and stooped to kiss her cheek quickly as I went by.
“Go on,” she said, ducking away and making a threatening gesture. But she couldn’t hold the smile back any longer. It broke out and spread all over her face. “I thought maybe you forgot the way home already.”
“Aah, you know I’d never forget that , Mom,” I said over my shoulder as I walked ahead of her to the kitchen.
“Yeah,” she said, “I know. Then why weren’t you home last night?”
“Aah, now, Mom,” I said, “didn’t I tell you it was the last day of our first month? Didn’t I tell you I wanted to be downtown early so’s I could look through the checks that came in the mail? Didn’t I?”
I set the packages down on the kitchen table and turned toward her. She was trying to wipe her hands on her apron and tuck her loose hair back at the same time. I put my arms around her quickly and kissed her, lifting her off the ground a few inches. In public I could kill guys that did things like that.
“Heshie!” she said sharply, but she put her own arms around me and kissed me back.
“Come on, now, Ma,” I said, kissing her again. “Didn’t I say I wouldn’t be home for the night?”
“Sure you said it,” she said. “But just the same you weren’t home, were you?”
I laughed and hugged her, lifting her off the ground again. “Say, you want to watch your figure, there, Ma,” I said. “Pretty soon I won’t be able to lift you up any more.”
“Never mind,” she said. “Don’t tell me any stories. I weighed myself only yesterday.”
“Yeah?” I said. “How much?”
For answer she walked over to the table and began to undo the packages.
“Come on, now,” I said. “How
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