Last Exit to Brooklyn - Hubert Selby Jr (32 page)

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Sal had been there for a while, having brought a
bottle and a bag of potato chips, just in case they got hungry,
hahaha. Mike took a couple of quick shots, chasing it with the
remainder of the beer, and he was feeling good. Arthur was quietly
playing in the crib and Helen didnt bother him anymore about going
out and was playing in her room coming out occasionally for a potato
chip and Mike smiled at her and patted her head and told her she was
a good girl. Sal had a few bucks and they figured theyd hit a few
joints tonight and see what they could pick up. After the first few.
shots they didnt drink too fast, not wanting to get too high, it was
too early yet, so they sat at the table sipping their whisky,
listening to the radio, waiting for Irene to come home so she could
take care of the kids; and waiting for night to come when they would
go out and have a ball and get some ass. Yeah!

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PROJECT NEWSLETTER
EVICTIONS
The following is a list of evictions from the
Project
during the last two months:
Morals                                                        
7
Dirty
Housekeeping                                      
3
Non Payment of
Rent                                   
2
Criminal                                                       
9
Disturbing the
Peace                                      
4
Miscellaneous                                                
8
Be sure you do not break any of the Rules.
We
want this Project to be a safe and Happy
place
in which to live. Only you can help.

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THE LESSON

A couple of the kids were sparring with each other,
the others standing around forming a ring. They hit with open hands
and each time one scored all the kids yelled. One of the kids fathers
looked out the window and saw them and rushed from the building
yelling at the other kids to leave his son alone and yelling at his
son for fighting. The kids stared at him for a moment, not moving,
then the other kids said they wasnt fighting, they was just foolin
around. He was teachin Harold how to fight. The father grabbed his
son by the arm and yanked him to his side and slapped his head,
telling him he had been warned about fighting and hanging out with
those crummy kids. Dont you know we could be evicted if you get in
trouble? He pointed his finger at the other kid and told him to leave
his son alone, that if he caught him hitting his son again hed take a
strap to him. Harold stood pinned to his fathers side afraid to look
at him and ashamed to look at his friends. His father continued
yelling at the other kid and the kid told him again that they wasnt
fightin, that he was just teachin him how to box. The father
continued waving his finger in the boys face and told him he didnt
have to teach his Harold how to fight. I/ll teach him how to fight.
I/ll teach him how to kill, thats what I/ll do. Im not going to have
my son hit by lousy kids like you. If he wants to learn how to fight
I/ll showim. He started shaking Harold by the arm and told him if
ever those kids bothered him again to pick up a stick and bash in
their heads. Or a rock. The kids just stared at him until he stopped
and, dragging Harold by the arm, left. When the door closed behind
him another kid took Harolds place and the exhibition continued.

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Abraham sat through the movies and the cartoons,
continually looking at his watch until he got involved in the movie.
One of the movies had a real bad cat who was shoot-in up everybody
and Abraham was greatly impressed by the way he had everybody in the
town shittin green until that bad bastard from Texas got on his ass
and burndim. Ol Abe knew that cat couldnt fuck around with that Texas
stud. He chuckled when the guy got his lumps at the end. When he left
the theater he walked quickly to the garage to pick up his Cadillac.
He looked it all over inside and out-and smiled when he saw the big
black body shining and the whitewalls gleaming. He paid the bill and
gave the stud a buck tip and jumped in and drove off. He drove around
for a while, just cruising around the streets, listening to the purr
of the motor, feeling the steering wheel in his hands, digging the
sounds on the radio. Even while driving he could see the whitewalls
and the bigass fins in the back and he felt good. Real great. He
drove past MELS BAR and stopped, honked the horn and waved to the
guys inside, then slowly drove home. He parked the car, but didnt
leave at once. He sat behind the wheel diggin the few cats who were
still washing their cars. He stepped forth from his Cadillac and went
home to lie down and rest for the night.

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WOMENS CHORUS III

The women finished their shopping, took the beer home
and returned to their bench. Mrs. Olson, who had had a stroke 2 years
ago when her husband died, came out and as she hobbled by the women
watched her and laughed. She leaned forward slightly as she walked
and dragged her right foot. She was unable to lower her right arm and
it was bent at the elbow and stretched across her chest, her hand
partially closed and jerking up and down. The women loved to watch
her, wondering if she picked up chewing gum and dog shit with her
right foot. She oughtta wear steel toe shoes. She probably got that
way from jerking her husband off. Laughter. Maybe thats what
killedim. One of the women looked up at a window on the fourth floor
then called the others and pointed to a baby that had crawled out the
window and was kneeling on the ledge. The women watched the baby as
it crawled around on the ledge and window sill. Maybe he thinks hes a
bird. Hey, ya gonna fly? Laughter. Others looked up and someone
screamed and someone else yelled get back, O my God, O my God. Ada
covered her lace with her hands. The women continued to laugh and
wonder when it would fall. People ran frantically in circles under
the window; someone ran up the stairs and banged on the door, but no
one answered. They banged again and listened at the door for a sound,
hearing something, a murmuring, yet still no answer. They ran back
down stairs and people asked if anyone was home? are you sure no one
was in? Heard something . . . maybe kids ... I dont know . . . what
can we do ... O my God . . . Hes moving ... I cant look . . . call
the cops . . . The people continued running in circles, some running
to the street looking for a police car; someone else had called the
Office and the women stopped laughing now that there were so many
people around, but still looked anxiously, waiting for the small body
to slowly slip over the edge of the ledge and fall down, down . . .
then plop on the ground or in a hedge; and Ada looked at the window
with every screech from the crowd, covering her eyes quickly after
each peek; and the baby rocked back and forth on the ledge and seemed
to be toppling and two men ran under the window to try to catch it
and others raised their arms (the women still hoping for a little
more excitement) and yelled go back—O my God—go back, and the
baby leaned forward a little more and seemed to be looking down at
the crowd and hysterical screechings came from them and the baby
leaned back and the crowd sighed and someone yelled for the cops,
theyre never here when you need them—O why dont they hurry; and
someone ran back upstairs and pounded on the door and yelled, still
no answer; and someone suggested lowering a rope from the window
above and have someone lowered; then 2 Housing Authority Policemen
came running up and yelled to the 2 men under the window to stay
there and they ran up the stairs and opened the door with a pass key,
rushing past the 3 children huddled by the door and into the room
where the baby knelt on the ledge, and stopped a few feet from the
window, then carefully and silently tiptoed the last few feet trying
not to draw the babys attention fearing it might turn and fall,
holding their breaths as one inched his arms out the window and
grabbed the baby by the arms and quickly jerked him inside . . . held
him for a moment . . . closed the window (the crowd still staring
(the women annoyed that it was all over and that the kid didnt fall)
then slowly lowering their eyes as the window was closed then slowly
walking away). Then the policemen carried the baby to the living room
and sat down, taking off their hats and wiping their foreheads.
Christ, that was a close one, his body starting to tremble. The other
nodded. The baby started to cry so they put him on the floor and he
crawled over to his brothers and sister. The children stared,
frightened, as the cops and the policemen smiled at them and asked
them where their mommy was. They continued to stare at the cops and
said nothing. Then one tottered over to them and asked if they really
was policemen? and they said yes and the boy laughed. They asked him
where his mommy was and he said out. Wheres your daddy. The youngster
laughed and said mommy says hes drunk and he clapped his hands,
laughing, and his sister added quickly that her daddy was gonna get a
job on the boats and bring home lots of food and get a t v. The other
2 boys said nothing, continuing to stare at the policemen. I guess
we/d better take them down to the office and call Welfare, eh Jim. I
guessso. I/ll see if I can get some clothes on them. He asked the
children where their clothes were and they showed him, saying nothing
and remaining silent as they were being dressed. As they were about
to leave the oldest boy, about 5 years old, asked them not to tell
their mommy what happened. She said not to let nobody in and if she
see somebody came in she/ll beatus. The cops reassured the children,
left a note stating where the children would be, and left.

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MARY STARED AT JOEYS HEAD WHEN VINNIE TOOK THE BOYS
HAT OFF. SEE, NOW HE LOOKS LIKE A BOY. NOT LIKE SOME GODDAMN SISSY.
MARY LOOKED AT JOEYS HEAD. YOU SONOFA-BITCH. LOOK WHAT YADID. WHATTA
YAMEAN WHAT I DID. I DIDNT DO NOTHIN. I TOOKIM FOR A HAIRCUT.
WHATSZAMATTA, YOU DONT LIKE THE HAIRCUT? YA SONOFABITCH, YA CUT ALL
HIS HAIR OFF. ALL THE NICE CURLS HE HAD, YA CUTEM ALL OFF. HE LOOKS
LIKE HES GOTTA BALDY. AW SHUT YAMOUT. YEAH? HE AINT GONNA TAKE NO
MORE HAIRCUTS, joey went to his room. YA STAY AWAY FROM ME YA
SONOFABITCH. YA TINK SO, EH? I/LL BREAK YA FUCKIN LEGS. GO AHEAD. GO
AHEAD. I/LL KILLYA. MEEE, SHES REALLY ASKIN FORIT. YEAH? YOULL SEE.
YOULL SEE. JUST TRY. I/LL CUTCH YAFUCKIN COCK OFF. WHOSE COCK YOULL
CUT OFF, EH? WHOSE? YA CRAZY FUCK I/LL BREAK YA FUCKIN LEGS. VINNIE
SHOOK HIS HAND IN MARYS FACE THEN TURNED AWAY AND SLAPPED HIS
FOREHEAD, MARONE AME, WHATTA IDIOT, AND WENT OUT TO THE KITCHEN AND
HEATED THE COFFEE. MARY WENT INTO THE KIDS ROOM AND PICKED JOEY UP,
HOLDING HIM AT ARMS LENGTH FROM HER AND A LITTLE OVER HER HEAD,
TURNING HIM TO LOOK AT ONE SIDE THEN THE OTHER. WHAT THEY DO TA MY
JOEY? THEY CUT ALL YA PRETTY CURLS OFF JOEY? YA FATHAS A STUPID. ALL
THOSE NICE CURLS AND YA LOOKED SO CUTE. JOEY STARTED TO SQUIRM AND
SQUINT SO MARY DROPPED HIM TO HIS FEET. I got a lollypop from the
man. WHATTAYA MEAN LOL-LYPOP? WHAT MAN? What cut my hair. I cried and
he gave me a lollypop. SHE STORMED OUT TO THE KITCHEN. WHATTA YAMEAN
GIVIN THE KID A LOLLYPOP, EH? WHATTA YAMEAN? WHATS AMATTA WITH A
LOLLYPOP? MEEE, YA THINK IT WAS GONNA KILLIM OR SOMETHIN. I TOLDYA I
DONT WANT THE KID TA HAVE NO LOLLYPOPS. WHATTA YA MEAN? WHATTA YAMEAN
NO LOLLYPOPS? ALL THE KIDS GOT LOLLYPOPS. WHY HE CANT HAVE ONE? I
SAID. A KID CAN CHOKE TA DEAT ON A LOLLYPOP YA STUPID BASTAD. DONT
YAKNOW NOTHIN? EVERYDAY SOME KID DIES FROM A LOLLYPOP. WHATTA YAWANT
FROM ME? THE KID WAS CRYIN SO THE GUY GIVEIM A LOLLYPOP. HE DIDNT DIE
DID HE? THE KID CRIED. THE KID CRIED. IF YADIDNT TAKEIM TA THE BARBAS
HE WOULDNTA CRIED. HE DIDNT WANT NO HAIRCUT. WHY DONT YALEAVE THE KID
ALONE? WHY DONT YASHUT UP, YEAH? THE KID TOOK A HAIRCUT O K. NOW HE
DONT LOOK LIKE NO CREEP. AND YA GIVEIM A LOLLYPOP LIKE A REAL JERK.
SUPPOSE HE HADDA DIED, EH? SUPPOSE HE DIED? WHAT KINDDA DIED. MEEE.
THIS FUCKIN BITCH IS CRAZY. HOWS HE GONNA DIE FROM A LOLLYPOP? HE
COULD SUCK IT RIGHT DOWN HIS THROAT AND ITD GET CAUGHT, YA FUCKIN
STUPID. MARONE AME, SHAKING HIS HAND IN FRONT OF HIM. YA SOME FUCKIN
NUT. YEAH? YA TINK SO, EH? JUST DONT COME TA BED THATS ALL. YA STAY
OUT HERE TANIGHT. I/LL SLEEP IN THE FUCKIN BED AND DONT YA TRY TA
TELL ME NOTHIN. joey and his brother played with plastic trains,
tooting and whisding as loud as they wanted. They were having a fine
lime. YEAH? JUST TRY IT. I/LL BREAK YA LEGS. I SWEAR TA JESUS. I/LL
BREAK YA FUCKIN LEGS.

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BABYS BURNED BODY BARED
The
burned remains of an infant, judged to be about 10 days old, was
found in the incinerator of one of the Citys Housing Projects today.
George Hamilton, 27, of 37-08 Lapidary Avenue, a porter in the
Project, was cleaning out the ashes of the incinerator when he came
across the remains. He immediately notified the authorities. The
police investigating the incident think that the body must have been
dropped in the incinerator sometime during the night. The Housing
Authority expressed the opinion that the baby did not belong to any
of the tenants in the Project. The Police are canvassing the
neighborhood and the Project, but as yet no additional information
has been released by any of the Authorities involved. This is the
second body of a baby found in the Project this month.