Last Exit to Brooklyn (34 page)

The Contest

The street was quiet and a gang of young spades on one corner started walking toward a gang of spicks on the other, each gang ripping the aerials off the parked cars; some carrying rocks, bottles, pipes, clubs. They stood a few feet apart in the middle of the street calling each other black bastards and monkey mothafuckas. A car came along the street, horn blowing, trying to pass, but they didnt move and finally
the car had to back out of the street. The few people on the street ran. The gangs remained in the middle of the street. Then someone threw a rock, then another was thrown and 30 or 40 kids were screaming, throwing bottles and rocks until there were none left, then they ran at each other swinging clubs and whipping the car aerials, cursing, screaming, someone crying in pain, a zip gun being fired and a window breaking and people yelled from windows and one of the kids went down and was kicked and stomped and knots of kids formed, swinging, clubbing, kicking, yelling and a knife was stuck in a back and another went down and a cheek was cut to the mouth with an aerial and the ragged flesh of the cut cheek flapped against the bloodied teeth and a skull was opened with a club and another window was broken with a rock and a few tried to drag another away as three pairs of feet kicked at his head and a nose was smashed with a pair of brass knuckles and then a siren was heard above the yelling and suddenly, for a fraction of a second, everyone stood still then turned and ran, leaving three lying on the street. The cops came and people came back to the street and the cops kept them back, asking questions and finally the ambulance came and two were helped in the ambulance the third being carried. Then the ambulance left, the cops left, and it was quiet once again.

As soon as they got in the door the guy grabbed her ass. Goddamnit, cant yawait, pushing him away. She staggered and leaned against the wall, the guy leaning over her kissing her neck as she yanked open a closet door looking for a bottle, then slammed it shut when no bottle could be found. She looked around trying to figure out what was wrong. Somethin was wrong. Maybe her husband came home. She called. Called again and still no answer. She pushed the guy away and staggered into the bedroom to see if he was there, but he wasnt. Guess he aint here. Somethin sure as hells wrong. Then she remembered her kids. They should be here. She looked in their room and called, but they were gone. Shit, whered them little bastads go. I toldem ta stay put. She went back to the kitchen, the guy still behind her pulling
her coat off and grabbing her ass. She looked around the kitchen and the living room, reaching behind her and bouncing the guys balls with her fingertips, the guy slobbering over her, groping and mumbling. Finally she saw the note left by the Police. Well, fuckem then. They can stay the night. She went back to the bedroom, the guy behind her. They undressed, fell onto the bed and fucked.

Mike and Sal made the rounds of a few joints, but couldnt score. They had danced with a couple a broads, but nothing else. Not even a phone number or a date for the next weekend. Sal wanted to try a spick joint on Columbia street, but Mike didnt feel like walking that far and anyway he didnt trust the spicks. So they stood at the bar drinking, hoping something might come in that they could latch on to, getting drunker. Mike laughed at Sal and toldim he could go home and get laid and Sal had to pull his prick. Sal laughed and said that was OK, hed rather pull his prick than take care of a couple a kids all day. Thats OK man, at least I get mine. They had another drink and Mike was getting tired of hanging around, and was too goddamn horny to wait any longer. He told Sal he was gonna leave and asked him if he was goin. No, I think I’ll hang around a while. Nothin ta do home. Mike told him not ta pull it too much, he was goin home ta get laid (and by krist he was, rag or no rag). The apartment was dark and Mike let the door bang then stumbled toward the bedroom, cursing the fuckin chairs for bein in his way. Irene woke when Mike came in and listened for a moment to hear if the kids woke up, then waited for Mike. She said hello and he flopped on the bed and started undressing, throwing his clothes onto a chair. You still awake? You woke me up when you came in. Whatid ya want me ta do, crawl through the key hole, determined he wouldnt take any shit off her tonight and if she said a word hed knocker teeth in. I didnt say anything Mike. Comeon, come to bed. He finished undressing and flopped over toward her and she put her arms around him. He tried to kiss her, but he missed her mouth and kissed her nose and mumbled something about her staying still and she finally directed
him properly and she kissed him and Mike fumbled around for her crotch and they kissed and Irene ran her hand along the inside of his thigh and Mike squirmed and grabbed her crotch and they continued kissing and squirming and Irene worked steadily and expertly with her hands and tongue, but after 15 minutes Mike still couldnt get a hardon so he cursed and rolled over on her and tried to get it in anyway, but it kept bending and flopping out and he tried to stuff it in with his finger but it was useless and Mike cursed her for a useless bitch, still trying, still stuffing, until he eventually passed out and rolled off her. Irene pulled her arm from around him and sat up looking at him, listening to him breathe, smelling his breath … Then she laid down and stared at the ceiling.

Naturally Lucy smiled demurely when Abe asked her if she’d like to cut and asked where theyd go and ol Abe said theyd make a party of their own and Lucy hesitated and ol Abe turned the sweet talk on that chick and told her, comeon baby, we’ll have a time and he giver the
BIG
smile and she started to waver and ol Abe knew, as he had known all along, that he would make another conquest. Sheeeit, theres no bitch livin that ol Abe couldnt fuck. They left MELS and Abe let her look his Cadillac over before he opened the door. He wanted to be sure she saw those bigass fins and the whitewalls. Abe flipped on the radio and handed her a cigarette and they took off. They drove downtown and stopped at a hotel and when they got up to the room ol Abe tipped the boy big and asked for a bottle of whisky and some ice. He came back with it in a few minutes and by the time Abe poured the drinks Lucy was undressed and in bed. Ol Abe stared at those fine tits and set the drinks down and undressed. As he rolled over on her the first time he smiled thinking how hed have that bitch callin him DADDYO before that night was ovuh. After fucking her once Abe wanted to have a drink and a smoke, but Lucy wasnt the type of girl who believed in rest periods so ol Abe sunk it again and this time he really concentrated on his work, but he didnt have his drink and smoke until he had fucked her 3 times and by then ol Abe was even thinking
of a little sleep. Not much, just a little. Lucy finally gulped her drink down and put out her cigarette and rolled over on Abe and though he was a little beat he did justice to the girl, but he was thinking hed have to stop for a while. After the fourth piece they did stop for a while, but Lucy wouldnt let him sleep, continually playing with his ear, kissing his neck, caressing his balls, playing with his cock until it was hard and then she pulled him over again an ol Abe fucked, but he wasnt concentrating too hard and was thinking that the ghuddamn bitched fuckim ta death.

Most of the parties in the Project were over and the only lights lit were in those apartments where pay-parties were being thrown where the guests played cards and dice and the host cut the game and supplied beer at 35c a can, gin at 60c a shot, wine at 30c a glass, sandwiches 50c each and a real fine chicken dinner with rice and yams for a buck and a half. Occasionally someone got too drunk and accused someone else of cheating and started an argument or pulled a knife, but the host was always fast and cooled the scene with a quick rap on the head with a small club and so no real disturbances occurred. The rest of the Project was dark and quiet, the only noise caused by a passing drunk or someone being mugged, the victim, when regaining consciousness, usually yelling like hell for the cops, but this didnt happen more than once or twice on a weekend night and bothered no one. VINNIE AND MARY HAD STOPPED ARGUING, VINNIE FINALLY PULLING HER LEGS APART AND GETTING A PIECE BEFORE GOING TO SLEEP, AND THEY ROLLED NOISILY IN THE BED, THE SPRINGS SQUEAKING AS THEY SLEPT UNDER THE PICTURE OF THE BLESSED MOTHER; Lucy and Louis had been asleep for hours, their backs to each other, her body still stiff and tense, Louis grumbling in his sleep; Mike rolled and grumbled drunkenly, but Irene eventually fell asleep; Ada slept, after kissing Hymies and Iras pictures, with one hand touching the pajamas on the other side of the bed; and Nancy dropped off with her clothes still on and her
hand still on her crotch; and even ol Abe was eventually allowed to sleep for a while.