Last Exit to Brooklyn (29 page)

Abraham opened the door of his bigass Cadillac and looked smugly around at the people sitting, the people passing and the people washing their cars, children running back and forth with clean buckets of water, before getting in and closing the door with a flourish. He stretched his legs, pushing back against the seat, and smiled. It was his. Ghuddamn right. All his. He looked at the dashboard with all its knobs and patted it. Every ghuddamn hunk of chrome belonged to him, Abe. He started the motor and let it idle, then turned on the radio and opened the window on his side. He tuned in the station he wanted, tapping his foot as a sax screeched and wailed, took a cigarette out of the pack, placed it slowly and carefully between his lips, pushed in the dashboard lighter, leaned back, still tapping his foot and smiling, until the lighter popped out then pulled it from the socket and lit his cigarette, blowing the smoke at the windshield, watching it drift out the window. He looked again at the poor studs washing their cars by hand and sneered. You didnt catch this cat washing his own car. Not ol Abe. He rested his elbow on the door, stretched his legs again and adjusted his genitals. Ill fuck the lightskinned ass ofener). Ol Abe always felt relaxed and great in his Cadillac and today he felt betteranever. Ghuddamn if this wasnt a real fine day and he looked at the back seat, at the floor (seems to be a little messy, but the boys always clean it out after theys finished washin), rubbed his hand along the fine upholstery, patted the dashboard again (ghuddamn if it didnt shine like a babys ass), turned up the radio and once more dug the cats washin their cars with buckets of water, soap and sponges. Ghuddamn if it dont look like every ass in the Projects is out today washing his car. Thats not fo me. Ah
pays
to have that shit done. Ah, it was great, real great man, to just sit and dig the radio and smell the car,
that special CADILLAC smell and not have those ghuddamn house-rats arunnin all ovuhya, and that ghuddamn bitch yellin. Abe inhaled deeply and flipped his cigarette out the window. Betta get mah ass movin. He threw the car into reverse and backed out, made a screeching u-turn (haha, looka those cats diggin me) and drove to Blackies garage. He stepped forth from his Cadillac and Blackie came over to greet him. How yodoin man? Great Blackie. Hows mah man? OK pops. Want the usual job? Youknow me, ah knows how to treat a Cadillac. Ahll be back afta awhile for it. Abe strolled down the block to the barber shop and when he opened the door everyone greeted him and he smiled and walked to a vacant seat, beaming at everyone and waving his hand, his popularity making him feel great, real great cause everyone knew he was a great guy, a real swingin cat, and everyone dug him the most. As soon as he sat down the bootblack came over and started shining his shoes. He wisht that chick could see him now and how everyone knew he was a great guy, but she’d know that tonight. Man, would she know it. She’d know she wasnt messin with no farm boy fresh from the south, but Ol Abe, and he was one stud who really knew the score (caressing his genitals) and she’d damn sure know it soon enough. The radio was playing and Abe sang along with the vocalist, singing much louder, and he knew he was a damn sight better than the cat on the radio, although he was good enough. The bootblack finished with Abes shoes and he flipped him a half dollar. Before Abe sat in the chair to have his hair cut he carefully combed it again, adjusting each wave until it was in precisely the proper position, then he sat down and said, the usual. He crossed his legs and checked the barber in the mirror as he cut. He supervised the cutting of each and every hair, having the barber lift a mirror to the back of his head every few minutes, making certain the back was absolutely straight across and not too short, checking the length of his sideburns, watching how he shaved around the ears and telling him to cut the tips of the few hairs that were sticking out on the left side just behind the second wave. The chair was levelled and Abe was shaved, the barber working carefully so there wouldnt be any irritation or danger of a slight rash, and Abe told him which way to go as he shaved the different parts of his face, telling him to be careful of that pimple. When
he was finished the barber wiped his face with a towel, not too hot but just the way Ol Abe liked it, then carefully rubbed in skin cream and a special after shave lotion. Then Abe had his moustache trimmed and the hair in his nose cut. He stepped out of the chair and looked at himself in the mirror, combing his hair and adjusting the waves, and flashed a couple of bills into the barbers hands. He stayed for a while with the boys, listening to and singing along with the music, telling the boys about the fine chicks hes got after him and the cool brown-skinned chick that was givin him the eye last night and how he dumped some big mothafucka on his ass a few weeks ago in MELS, and ah mean he was big Jim, and he had a blade that long, but ah laid one onim and pow, he went down jus lake that, and showed them his fist and smiled and they all laughed and he waved again as he sauntered out the door. Yeah, they all liked Ol Abe. He looked at his watch, but it was still too early to pick up the Cadillac. Itll takem a few more hours to do a good job. Too bad, cause this was the kindda day you lake to take a ride and just cruise around and dig the music on the radio and maybe pick somethin up. Too bad that chick wasnt around now. They could go for a little drive … yeah, man, a little drive, hehehe … well, maybe we do a little drivin tonight … He snapped his fingers, sheeeit … He stopped outside the movie and studied the signs advertising the movies being shown. Two cowboy pictures were playing so Ol Abe decided hed kill the afternoon in the movie and sheeit, he always did dig cowhoy pictures and when he got out the Cadillac would be ready.

The Playground

Most of the kids were out now, running around, knocking or being knocked down, depending upon their size. Some picked up a few bags of garbage that were lying around the halls and started a fire, running around it yelling, picking up pieces of burning garbage and throwing it at each other until a few doors opened and they were told ta get the fuck outta there ya little mothafuckas and they kicked the fire around the hall, yelled fuck you, and ran down the stairs, screaming, and out
of the building. Others put strips of paper in the mail boxes with mail, then lit the paper and jumped up and down gleefully as the mail burned and the flames blackened the wall. When all the mail had been burned they rang as many bells as they could reach then ran screaming from the building. Heads popped out of windows and the kids were told theyd get their goddamn asses kicked if they didnt stop that shit and a bag of garbage and an empty bottle were thrown at them and the kids laughed and said up yur ass and ran to the playground where the smaller ones climbed up the sliding pond, knocking off the even younger kids, stamping on the hands of those who tried to climb the ladder, yanking another one off, kicking another in the face; then they made the rounds of the seesaws, flipping kids off, banging one in the face with the seesaw, the younger kids lying on the ground crying until a few parents, sitting in the sun, looked over and yelled, then the kids ran away to another part of the playground; and some of the bigger kids took a basketball away from the kids on the court and when the owner of the ball started crying for his ball they finally hurled it at him smashing his nose and making it bleed and one of his friends yelled at the fleeing kids calling them black bastards and they came back and told him he was blackeran shit and the other kids said they had black bedbugs and the other kid said his mother fucks for spicks and the kid pulled out a nailfile and slashed the other kid across the cheek and then ran, his friends running with him; and in the far corner of the playground a small group of kids huddled quietly, keeping to themselves, ignoring the fighting and screaming, their arms of comradeship around each others shoulders, laughing and smoking marijuana.

HURRYUP AND DRESS THE KID. I WANNA TAKE JOEY FOR A HAIRCUT. WHATAYA MEAN HAIRCUT? SHAKING HER HAND IN HIS FACE. WHATS THE MATTA HE GOTTA TAKE A HAIRCUT? SOMETHING WRONG WITH HIS HAIR, EH? WHATZA MATTA YOU WANNA CUT IT OFF? ITS TOO LONG, THATS WHATZA MATTA. LOOK, HES GOT CURLS
LIKEA GURL, PULLING JOEY BY HIS HAIR, ALMOST LIFTING HIM OFF HIS FEET, THE KID YELLING AND KICKING AT VINNIE. ITS TOO LONG, THATS WHATZA MATTA. MARY GRABBED A HANDFUL OF HAIR AND SAID WHATZA MATTA WITH THE CURLS? YOU DONT LIKE CURLS SO THE KID GOTTA TAKE A HAIRCUT? NO, I DONT LIKE ALL THOSE CURLS, VIOLENTLY SHAKING THE HAND HOLDING JOEYS HAIR. I DONT WANIM LOOKIN LIKE NO GURL. HES GONNA TAKE A HAIRCUT. YURAZ HES GONNA TAKE A HAIRCUT. I LIKE HIS HAIR LONG AND CURLY AND ITS GONNA STAY LIKE DAT, PULLING SO HARD ON JOEYS HAIR SHE LIFTED. HIM FROM THE FLOOR AND HE SCREECHED AND SCRATCHED HER HAND SO HARD SHE OPENED IT AND HE TURNED AND KICKED HIS FATHER AND SCRATCHED HIS HAND AND VINNIE LET GO OF HIS HAIR AND SLAPPED HIM ON THE BACK OF HIS HEAD AND MARY KICKED HIS ASS AND THEY YELLED AT HIM, BUT JOEY DIDNT MIND, HE JUST KEPT RUNNING AND THEY TURNED BACK TO EACH OTHER. VINNIE YELLED AGAIN TA GET THE KID DRESSED SO HE COULD TAKEIM FOR A HAIRCUT AND MARY SAID HE DONT NEED ONE. MEEEEEE, WHAT A FUCKIN JERK. THE KIDS HAIRS DOWN TA HISZASS AND SHE SAYS HE DONT NEED NO HAIRCUT. YEAH. I SAY. I SAY. IT LOOKS NICE. I LIKE IT. HE AINT SUPPOSEDTA LOOK LIKE A GURL. WHO SAYS, EH? WHO SEZ. AND ANYWAY HE DONT LOOK LIKE NO GURL. HE LOOKS CUTE. VINNIE SLAPPED HIS HEAD AND GROANED. MEEEEEE, HE LOOKS CUTE. WHAT KINDDA CUTE WITH ALL DOZE CURLS. WHATSAMATTA WITH CURLS, EH? WHATSAMATTA? DIDNT YA BRODDA AUGIES KID HAVE CURLS AND DIDNT ROSIE MAKE IT STAY LONG, EH? EH? SO WHAT THE FUCK YAYELLIN ABOUT? YEAH. YEAH. AND YA SEE HOW CREEPY THE KID IS. LONG HAIR MAKES A KID CREEPY. THATS WHAT IT DOES. GODFABID MY KID GROWS UP LIKE THAT. ID
GIVEM A SHOT IN THE HEAD. joey peeked at them from his room. WHO YA GONNA GIVE A SHOT IN THE HEAD, EH? WHO? WHATTAYAMEAN WHO? ILL GIVE YAONE TOO. YA THINK SO, EH? YEAH. GOAHEAD. ILL SPLIT YA FUCKIN SKULL. WHOSE SKULL YA GONNA SPLIT. EH? YOU MAKEIM TAKE A HAIRCUT. GOAHEAD, MAKEIM. YOULL SEE. I SAY HES GOTTA TAKE A HAIRCUT SO SHUT UP. YEAH? WAVING HIS HAND IN HER FACE AND MARY HIT HIM ON THE FOREHEAD AND YELLED SHE DIDNT WANT JOEY TA TAKE A HAIRCUT AND VINNIE SHOVED HER, GO WAAAAAAY, AND WENT TO JOEYS ROOM. JOEY WAS SITTING IN THE CORNER WATCHING THE DOOR AND STARTED TO SCREAM WHEN VINNIE PICKED HIM UP AND CARRIED HIM TO THE CLOSET AND STARTED YANKING CLOTHES OFF THE HANGERS. HE SAT THE KID ON THE BED AND STARTED DRESSING HIM WHEN MARY CAME IN AND SHOVED HIM AWAY FROM JOEY AND TOLD HIM TA LAY OFF, HE DIDNT HAVE TA TAKE A HAIRCUT, AND VINNIE SHOVED HER AGAINST THE WALL AND TOLD HER TA LEAVEIM ALONE, YEAH? AND CONTINUED DRESSING JOEY AND MARY CAME BACK AND SCREECHED IN HIS FACE AND STARTED SHOVING AND HE SHOVED BACK WITH ONE HAND WHILE TRYING TO DRESS JOEY WITH THE OTHER AND JOEY SAT ON THE BED KICKING HIS FEET AND YELLING AND THE YOUNGER KID CRAWLED IN FROM THE LIVING ROOM AND SAT BY THE BED FOR A MOMENT THEN HE TOO STARTED YELLING AND VINNIE SHOVED MARY HARDER AND SHE FELL BACK, TRIPPING OVER THE BABY, FALLING ON THE FLOOR AND SHE JUMPED BACK UP AND STARTED KICKING VINNIE AND HE BACKHANDED HER HARD ACROSS THE FACE AND JOEY TWISTED AWAY FROM VINNIE AND LAY ON HIS STOMACH CRYING AND KICKING AND THE BABY WAS SILENT FOR A SECOND AS MARY FELL OVER HIM THEN STARTED WAILING EVEN LOUDER AND MARY SAID TA LEAVE THE
FUCKIN KID ALONE AND VINNIE GRABBED HER BY THE SHOULDERS AND SHOOK HER AND ASKED WHATZAMATTA YA CRAZY AND SHOVED HER AGAINST THE WALL AGAIN AND JOEY FELL FROM THE BED ONTO THE FLOOR AND HE KICKED THE FLOOR SCREAMING, HIS HANDS POUNDING THE FLOOR AND VINNIE LEANED OVER THE BED AND PICKED HIM UP AND STARTED DRESSING HIM AGAIN AND MARY PUMMELLED HIM OVER THE HEAD WITH HER FISTS AND VINNIE KEPT SHOVING HER AWAY AND DRAGGING CLOTHES OVER THE KIDS ARMS AND LEGS AND WHEN HIS SHIRT RIPPED AND VINNIE PULLED HIS ARM TOO FAR HE LET GO OF THE KID FOR A MINUTE AND PUNCHED MARY ON THE JAW AND SHE WENT STAGGERING THROUGH THE DOORWAY, BOUNCED OFF A WALL AND FELL TO THE FLOOR AND THE BABY WATCHED, STILL WAILING AND JOEY STOPPED KICKING FOR A MINUTE AND VINNIE DRAGGED SOMEMORE CLOTHES ON THE KID, THEN JOEY STARTED YELLING AGAIN, BUT HE WAS ALMOST DRESSED NOW AND MARY WAS STILL UNCONSCIOUS AND VINNIE WAS STILL MUMBLING TO HIMSELF ABOUT THE KID GOTTA TAKE A HAIRCUT, HE AINT GONNA LOOK LIKE NO CREEP AND AUGIE WAS GODDAMN MAD ROSIE DIDNT MAKE THE KID TAKE A HAIRCUT AND HE AINT GONNA HAVE NO SHIT LIKE THAT AND HE FINALLY GOT ENOUGH CLOTHES ON JOEY AND MARY STARTED TO MOAN AND VINNIE YELLED TA SHUTUUUUUP AND HE DRAGGED JOEY FROM THE ROOM INTO THE OTHER BEDROOM AND VINNIE GOT A JACKET AND PUT IT ON AND THE BABY HAD CRAWLED OVER TO MARY AND WAS SLAPPING HER ON THE STOMACH AND GIGGLING AND MARY OPENED HER EYES AND VINNIE AND JOEY CAME OUT OF THE ROOM AND SHE TRIED TO GRAB VINNIES LEG AS HE STEPPED OVER HER, BUT HE JUST SHOOK IT LOOSE AND SHE WATCHED THEM LEAVE THE
APARTMENT, SLOWLY GETTING TO HER FEET AND SHE FINALLY MADE IT TO THE LIVING ROOM WINDOW JUST AS VINNIE AND JOEY WERE LEAVING THE BUILDING, JOEY STILL YELLING, BUT NOT AS LOUD, AS VINNIE DRAGGED HIM ALONG AND MARY OPENED THE WINDOW AND YELLED COME BACK YA FUCKIN SONOFABITCH AND VINNIE SHOOK HIS HAND AT HER SHUTUUUUUUP, YEAH? AND HE CONTINUED DOWN THE PATH TO THE STREET, MARY STILL SCREAMING FROM THE WINDOW …