Last Exit to Brooklyn - Hubert Selby Jr (35 page)

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Most of the parties in the Project were over and the
only lights lit were in those apartments where pay-parties where
being thrown where the guests played cards and dice and the host cut
the game and supplied beer at 35cents a can, gin at 60cents a shot,
wine at 30cents a glass, sandwiches 50cents 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.

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Abe was dragged from sleep with the hardening of his
prick. He had trouble focusing his eyes and could feel something
brushing lightly against his thighs and stomach. He raised his head
slightly and could see the fine nipples of Lucys tits caressing him
as she sucked his cock. When she saw his head move she got up and sat
on his dick and rotated, smiling at Abe, his eyes opening wider with
each gyration. She sat on it grinding away and leaned over and took
two cigarettes from the table, stuck one in her mouth and one in
Abes, then lit them. You want a drink daddyo. Abe shook his head,
moving automatically in perfect time and rhythm with her grinding. He
took a few drags of the cigarette then put it out and started to fuck
with concentration . . .

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The sun rose behind the Gowanus Parkway lighting the
oil filmed water of the Gowanus Canal and the red bricks of the
Project. Church bells announced the beginning of services. Ada looked
out her window for a while before starting breakfast; Louis got up
planning on getting out as early as possible, alone, and going for a
ride; Irene woke up before Mike and laid in bed listening to him
grumble and wondering how he would feel when he woke up; VINNIE GOT
UP FIRST AND YELLED FOR THE KIDS TA KEEP QUIET, YEAH? AND DRAGGED
MARY RY THE ARM ACROSS THE RED AND TOLDER TA GET UP: Nancy woke,
scratched her crotch then smelled her finger and yelled for the kids
to shutup. When ol Abe got home the kids were sitting at the table
yelling and eating and he told them to be quiet, he wanted to sleep
and went into the bedroom, staggering slightly, his eyes red and
barely open. He carefully took off his clothes and hung them up, put
on his hairnet and went to bed. Nancy came in and lay down beside him
and started tickling his asshole. He shoved her away, laughing at
her, and told her to get the fuck out and leave him alone. She told
him she werent goin, that she was gonna have some cock and he
backhanded her across the face and toler ta go get a banana and she
called him a noaccount-blackniggabastard and he punched her in the
motherfuckin face, knocking her off the bed, and toler ta get her ass
outta there or I/ll bust ya apart woman, and rolled her out of the
room. She crawled out to the kitchen and pulled herself up, holding
onto the edge of the sink, still yelling he was a blackniggabastard,
then let cold water run over her head. Her daughter came over to help
her and Nancy continued yelling and then the frustration started her
crying and her daughter told her not to cry, Jesus loves us Mommy.
Nancy told her to get the fuck away from her.

Abraham slept.