conversation between Nunzio and me.
“The trouble is, we can’t really do a good job of disruptin’ without movin’ around town,” I was sayin’ durin’ one such discussion, “and if we move around town, then the odds of our runnin’ into someone from the Mob goes way up!”
“Then we’ll have to see what we can stir up from right here,” my cousin sez. “When you stop to think about it, this is a pretty good setup for it... makin’ trouble, I mean. Most of these women have husbands at home, and even the ones that don’t have sufficient standing in the community that if it comes to an altercation, the local authorities will have to take her side of it.”
“Why do you say that? I mean, why should messin’ with these broads cause any more hassle than any others?”
Instead of answerin’ right away, Nunzio leans back and gives me the hairy eyeball for a few minutes.
“Guido,” he says at last, “are you tryin’ to be stupid just to get a rise out of me?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that you yourself said that our commander told us that it was okay if we messed with bimbos, but to leave the respectable women alone. Yet now that I am tryin’ to put together a specific course of action, you are actin’ like it is a brand new concept to you.”
“It just seems to me that it is a revoltin’ form of class bias and bigotry,” I sez, “assumin’ that a woman’s respectability is a matter of her financial standin’ and education. Wouldn’t it be better if it were the other way around? I mean, if a woman’s respectability determined where she stood in the financial order instead of the other way around?”
“There are two problems with that,” Nunzio sez. “First of all, the same unfair standard is applied to men as well... meanin’ it holds for everyone, not just women. Them what is rich and educated is always deemed more respectable... if for no other reason than they wield more power and pay more taxes.”
“That’s true,” I sez, noddin’ thoughtful-like. “The second problem is that it’s completely off the subject of what we was discussin’... which is to say how to cause disruption.”
“It is?”
“What is more, any time you try to start a philosophical discussion with me, it is to be taken as a sure sign that you are deliberately tryin’ to divert my attention... as normally you avoid such conversations like a subpoena.”
I say nothin’ when he pauses, as he seems to have me cold. I had been tryin’ to change the subject.
“All of this, the attempt at stupidity and the lame effort at philosophical discussion leads me to believe that for some reason you are stalling and do not wish to commence working on our assignment. Am I right?”
I avoid his eyes and shrug kinda vague-like.
“Come on, Cuz, talk to me,” Nunzio urges. “Are you really havin’ so much fun playing soldier that you want to prolong the experience?”
“That is not only silly, it is insultin’!” I sez, my annoyance overcomin’ my embarrassment at havin’ been caught.
“Then what is it?... If you don’t mind my asking?”
“Well... to be honest with youse, Nunzio, I feel a little funny stirrin’ up trouble at this particular location, seein’ as how it was me what did the negotiatin’ with Frumple to not cause him any grief.”
Nunzio throws back his head and gives a bark of laughter... which to me is a dubious way to express his sympathy at my plight.
“Let me get this straight,” he sez. “You’re worrying about dealing fair with a Deveel?”
“You may laugh,” I sez, “though I suggest you not do it often when I am the subject of your amusement. Allow me to remind youse, however, that even though Deveels are notoriously hard bargainers, it is also true that once a deal has been struck, they are equally scrupulous about stickin’ to the letter of said agreement. As such, it occurs to me that failin’ to honor one’s own end of such an agreement is to place
“The trouble is, we can’t really do a good job of disruptin’ without movin’ around town,” I was sayin’ durin’ one such discussion, “and if we move around town, then the odds of our runnin’ into someone from the Mob goes way up!”
“Then we’ll have to see what we can stir up from right here,” my cousin sez. “When you stop to think about it, this is a pretty good setup for it... makin’ trouble, I mean. Most of these women have husbands at home, and even the ones that don’t have sufficient standing in the community that if it comes to an altercation, the local authorities will have to take her side of it.”
“Why do you say that? I mean, why should messin’ with these broads cause any more hassle than any others?”
Instead of answerin’ right away, Nunzio leans back and gives me the hairy eyeball for a few minutes.
“Guido,” he says at last, “are you tryin’ to be stupid just to get a rise out of me?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that you yourself said that our commander told us that it was okay if we messed with bimbos, but to leave the respectable women alone. Yet now that I am tryin’ to put together a specific course of action, you are actin’ like it is a brand new concept to you.”
“It just seems to me that it is a revoltin’ form of class bias and bigotry,” I sez, “assumin’ that a woman’s respectability is a matter of her financial standin’ and education. Wouldn’t it be better if it were the other way around? I mean, if a woman’s respectability determined where she stood in the financial order instead of the other way around?”
“There are two problems with that,” Nunzio sez. “First of all, the same unfair standard is applied to men as well... meanin’ it holds for everyone, not just women. Them what is rich and educated is always deemed more respectable... if for no other reason than they wield more power and pay more taxes.”
“That’s true,” I sez, noddin’ thoughtful-like. “The second problem is that it’s completely off the subject of what we was discussin’... which is to say how to cause disruption.”
“It is?”
“What is more, any time you try to start a philosophical discussion with me, it is to be taken as a sure sign that you are deliberately tryin’ to divert my attention... as normally you avoid such conversations like a subpoena.”
I say nothin’ when he pauses, as he seems to have me cold. I had been tryin’ to change the subject.
“All of this, the attempt at stupidity and the lame effort at philosophical discussion leads me to believe that for some reason you are stalling and do not wish to commence working on our assignment. Am I right?”
I avoid his eyes and shrug kinda vague-like.
“Come on, Cuz, talk to me,” Nunzio urges. “Are you really havin’ so much fun playing soldier that you want to prolong the experience?”
“That is not only silly, it is insultin’!” I sez, my annoyance overcomin’ my embarrassment at havin’ been caught.
“Then what is it?... If you don’t mind my asking?”
“Well... to be honest with youse, Nunzio, I feel a little funny stirrin’ up trouble at this particular location, seein’ as how it was me what did the negotiatin’ with Frumple to not cause him any grief.”
Nunzio throws back his head and gives a bark of laughter... which to me is a dubious way to express his sympathy at my plight.
“Let me get this straight,” he sez. “You’re worrying about dealing fair with a Deveel?”
“You may laugh,” I sez, “though I suggest you not do it often when I am the subject of your amusement. Allow me to remind youse, however, that even though Deveels are notoriously hard bargainers, it is also true that once a deal has been struck, they are equally scrupulous about stickin’ to the letter of said agreement. As such, it occurs to me that failin’ to honor one’s own end of such an agreement is to place
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