said Fay, showing all her lovely teeth in a big smile.
“When did you last see him?” asked Bessie.
“Well, about eighteen years ago. I brought him here after my marriage was over. That woman wasn’t fit to raise him. I asked Fay to look after him for a while.”
“When it was obvious you weren’t coming back,” said Fay, “I adopted him. His name is now Robert Ingram.”
Frank signaled that he’d had enough of the discussion. “Tell Robert where I’m staying,” he told Fay. “Tell him to come by sometime.”
Then Frank took his new bride back to the Semoh Hotel. The marriage had begun.
S EVERAL HOURS LATER—AT ABOUT 4 A.M .—Frank and Bessie were enjoying the first sleep of their marriage when there was a knock at the door. Bessie felt Frank tense up beside her. “Who is it?” he said. “It’s Robert.”
Frank seemed relieved, but also annoyed. “Goddamn, what are you doing here this time of the night?”
Bessie said, “Oh, get up and let him in.”
Frank got up, opened the door, and looked at his son. Bessie, lying in bed, looked at him at the same time. Robert had dark brown, curly hair and, like Fay and Frank, bright blue eyes. She thought to herself: This is the best-looking man I have ever seen in my life. This must be what Frank looked like twenty-five years ago. One handsome fellow.
Frank said, “Well, let’s walk down to the park and get acquainted. We’ll wait out here in the hallway while Bessie gets dressed.”
The three of them sat down on a bench in the park. The conversation was awkward at the start. Robert told Frank that he had run away once at age fourteen to find Frank and had been arrested and returned to Fay. Frank didn’t say anything in reply. After a bit, Robert turned to Bessie and said, “You remind me of my girlfriend. You have beautiful hair.” It was more of a compliment than she had ever got out of Frank. Bessie liked Robert right away.
Frank and Robert sat there, trying to get acquainted, but Frank acted like he was bored. As it grew light out, Robert asked Frank if he knew how he could find his mother.
“No,” said Frank, “and I wouldn’t tell you if I did. She was no damn good.”
That was the end of their first visit. It would never be a close relationship. Bessie suspected that Frank was making Robert continue the payment for whatever the boy’s mother had done, eighteen years before.
A FTER THEIR FIRST FEW COMMUNICATIONS, IT WAS APPARENT that some old discomforts still lingered between Frank and Fay. It seemed to Bessie that Frank probably loved his mother a great deal—he spoke of her in the most praising and longing of terms—but when he was actually in Fay’s company, the climate could be tense and chilly. In turn, Fay often taunted her son with her coyness and with ceaseless demands. Also, Bessie noted, when the four of them—Frank and Bessie, Robert and Fay— were together and company would come over, Fay would always introduce Robert as her son, and Frank as simply Frank Gilmore. Fay seemed to save her real fondness for Robert and Bessie. About the only time the guard ever dropped between her and Frank was when the two of them would share a bottle of whiskey. This was something Bessie was learning about Frank: He could drink at great length, and when he did, he was an impressive drunk. He was funny and told colorful stories, and Bessie learned to keep her ears open when Frank and Fay drank together. She heard scandalous tales about show business and circus performers at those times. In particular, she heard a lot about the famous late magician and escape artist Harry Houdini. It was apparent that Fay had known him well—had, in fact, helped him at an early stage of his career—but felt wronged by something he had later done to her. Bessie figured it had something to do with Houdini’s expose of spiritualist charlatans. Whatever it was, Frank shared his mother’s hatred for the dead man. Thetwo of them would get drunk and call
“When did you last see him?” asked Bessie.
“Well, about eighteen years ago. I brought him here after my marriage was over. That woman wasn’t fit to raise him. I asked Fay to look after him for a while.”
“When it was obvious you weren’t coming back,” said Fay, “I adopted him. His name is now Robert Ingram.”
Frank signaled that he’d had enough of the discussion. “Tell Robert where I’m staying,” he told Fay. “Tell him to come by sometime.”
Then Frank took his new bride back to the Semoh Hotel. The marriage had begun.
S EVERAL HOURS LATER—AT ABOUT 4 A.M .—Frank and Bessie were enjoying the first sleep of their marriage when there was a knock at the door. Bessie felt Frank tense up beside her. “Who is it?” he said. “It’s Robert.”
Frank seemed relieved, but also annoyed. “Goddamn, what are you doing here this time of the night?”
Bessie said, “Oh, get up and let him in.”
Frank got up, opened the door, and looked at his son. Bessie, lying in bed, looked at him at the same time. Robert had dark brown, curly hair and, like Fay and Frank, bright blue eyes. She thought to herself: This is the best-looking man I have ever seen in my life. This must be what Frank looked like twenty-five years ago. One handsome fellow.
Frank said, “Well, let’s walk down to the park and get acquainted. We’ll wait out here in the hallway while Bessie gets dressed.”
The three of them sat down on a bench in the park. The conversation was awkward at the start. Robert told Frank that he had run away once at age fourteen to find Frank and had been arrested and returned to Fay. Frank didn’t say anything in reply. After a bit, Robert turned to Bessie and said, “You remind me of my girlfriend. You have beautiful hair.” It was more of a compliment than she had ever got out of Frank. Bessie liked Robert right away.
Frank and Robert sat there, trying to get acquainted, but Frank acted like he was bored. As it grew light out, Robert asked Frank if he knew how he could find his mother.
“No,” said Frank, “and I wouldn’t tell you if I did. She was no damn good.”
That was the end of their first visit. It would never be a close relationship. Bessie suspected that Frank was making Robert continue the payment for whatever the boy’s mother had done, eighteen years before.
A FTER THEIR FIRST FEW COMMUNICATIONS, IT WAS APPARENT that some old discomforts still lingered between Frank and Fay. It seemed to Bessie that Frank probably loved his mother a great deal—he spoke of her in the most praising and longing of terms—but when he was actually in Fay’s company, the climate could be tense and chilly. In turn, Fay often taunted her son with her coyness and with ceaseless demands. Also, Bessie noted, when the four of them—Frank and Bessie, Robert and Fay— were together and company would come over, Fay would always introduce Robert as her son, and Frank as simply Frank Gilmore. Fay seemed to save her real fondness for Robert and Bessie. About the only time the guard ever dropped between her and Frank was when the two of them would share a bottle of whiskey. This was something Bessie was learning about Frank: He could drink at great length, and when he did, he was an impressive drunk. He was funny and told colorful stories, and Bessie learned to keep her ears open when Frank and Fay drank together. She heard scandalous tales about show business and circus performers at those times. In particular, she heard a lot about the famous late magician and escape artist Harry Houdini. It was apparent that Fay had known him well—had, in fact, helped him at an early stage of his career—but felt wronged by something he had later done to her. Bessie figured it had something to do with Houdini’s expose of spiritualist charlatans. Whatever it was, Frank shared his mother’s hatred for the dead man. Thetwo of them would get drunk and call
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