Memories of Another Day (48 page)

Daniel stared down at him for a moment, then turned back to Lansky. He spoke as if there had been no interruption. ''I don't like having guns shoved at me either."

Lansky stared at him for a moment, then glanced down at the bodyguard. He gestured to the two other men in the room. ''Better get him out of here and clean him up."

"If I were you," Daniel said. *'I would get him to a doctor. Your boy's got a glass jaw. I felt it break in at least three different places." He moved toward the chair. "Mind if I sit down?"

Lansky gestured silently. They didn't speak until they were alone in the room and the door had clicked shut.

"Now what was that all about?" Daniel asked.

"Fm sorry," Lansky said. "But you know how it is. I had to let him prove himself."

Daniel shook his head. "What did he prove? Noth-mg.

"He proved himself out of a job," Lansky said. "I don't need bodyguards with glass jaws."

Daniel laughed. His voice turned serious. "So much for the fim and games. You wanted to see me?"

Lansky came right to the point. "The mutual ftind. My feelings are hurt. You didn't ask me in."

"That's right."

"I want in."

"It's not part of our deal," Daniel said.

"I didn't say it was," Lansky replied. "I just told you I wanted in."

"Then let me make it simple for you, Mr. Lansky. The reason you weren't asked in is that I don't want

you in. This is one operation that's going to stay clean."

"You're being naive," Lansky said. '"You're asking for trouble. We can blow you away like that." He snapped his fingers.

Daniel smiled. 'Then you have nothing. Not the mutual fiind nor the business we're already operating."

''You have a pregnant wife and a son at school," Lansky said.

"And what do you have, Mr. Lansky?" Daniel asked softly. "A life you live in the shadows, surrounded by glass jaws to keep you from being blown away? Did you stop to think that every time the butcher and grocer come to your house, every electrician and telephone man, every delivery that's made to you is made by a man who wears a union button? There's twenty million of them. And if I say the word, there is no way on God's earth you can escape them short of dying of natural causes."

Lansky stared at him without speaking. Daniel got to his feet. Lansky finally spoke. "I'm not alone in this. I'll have to explain it to my associates."

Daniel looked down at him. "You speak Yiddish don't you?"

Lansky nodded.

"When I was going to the labor school in New York many years ago, I picked up a few phrases that really said it all. This is one of them. You tell your associates that I'm the shabbes goy. That I'm the one man who can help keep^ the labor movement respectable and legitimate in the public eye. And they don't want to fuck with that, because if they do, they might very well kill the goose that lays the golden egg."

"I don't know whether they'll buy it."

"If they don't," Daniel said, "we'U both be sorry."

Lansky stared up at him thoughtfully. Finally a slow • smile crossed his face. "Are you really sure you're not Daniel Webster?"

'That's not my style," Daniel said. "Fm not a con man." He bit the end from another cigar. ''Where do I go next?"

"It's a big one," Jack said. "Detroit. We expect fifteen thousand men at this one. In addition to the Teamsters, Reuther promised us a big turnout from the United Auto Workers. It's so big that we've even got network television and radio coverage."

Daniel chewed on the cigar for a moment. "Maybe we'd better cancel it. I don't feel like having the whole country watch me fall on my ass."

"Father." D.J. came toward the desk. "I have an idea, but I don't know whether it will work."

His father looked at him. "Let's hear it. Right now I'm ready to listen to anything."

"It may not be a practical application for this," D.J. said. "But one of the courses I just finished was on credit and installment buying. You know—automobile, appliances, home furnishings, things like that."

Daniel was suddenly interested. "Tell me more."

"They pay so much down and so much a week or a month until it's all paid off. The minute the contract is signed, the seller discounts the contract with a bank and he's got his money right away. And the buyer has the merchandise."

"It's not quite the same thing," Daniel said.

"Maybe. But in our case, a share in the mutual fund is our merchandise. And you know as well as I do that the average man will think twice about shelling out a hundred dollars at one clip, but two dollars a week doesn't sound so bad."

Jack spoke quickly. "I think D.J. has a good point there."

"We're not set up to do business like that," Daniel said.

"We can handle it," Moses said. "They can make their payments directly to their union, which can then forward it to us each month."

^'That's right." Jack nodded. "And if we draw up the right kind of purchase contract I'm sure we can find a bank to discount it."

Daniel finally held a match to his cigar. He was nodding to himself. It could just work. 'Tve got the bank. The U.M.W. is the major shareholder of the National Bank of Washington. Fm sure John L. will tell Barney Colton, who's running the bank for them, to give us the money."

He looked up at DJ. ''You've come up with a very good idea, son."

D.J. flushed. ''We don't know yet, Father. It might not work."

"We have to make it work," Daniel said. He turned to Jack. "How come the television and radio people are covering this meeting?"

"They think it's an interesting story. First time it's ever happened that union members are beginning a mutual fund to invest their money in capitalism."

Daniel looked at him. Suddenly he smiled; his voice boomed again with confidence. "It's going to work. Everything's falling into place. They don't know, but they're giving us an opportunity to organize the whole country."

"You're nervous," Margaret said as she watched him pack the small valise he was taking to Detroit.

He took a deep breath. "If this doesn't work, we have to put away the whole idea and we're right back where we started."

"Is that really too bad?" she asked. "We're getting along."

He turned to her. "You don't understand. Once you begin to stand still in the labor movement, you might as well quit. All you can do is go backward."

"There's enough money coming in from the regular memberships, isn't there? We can live comfortably on that."

*'Now there is," he said. "But how long do you think it will last? Sooner or later we'll run out of jobs to do for the unions we have. Then unless we get others to join us, we're out of business. It's a vicious circle, but success breeds on success. The moment our people begin to realize we're not attracting new members, they begin to wonder why they need us. The minute they start thinking that, we're finished."

She was silent as he closed the valise. "Is it that important to you, Daniel?''

"Yes," he said. "All my life I'd dreamed of doing something important in the labor movement, and every time I tried I wound up with shit thrown in my face. The name of the game was politics. I needed a union local of my own for a base, and they would never let me have it because Ihad a mind of my own and they were afraid I wouldn't play ball with them. This is a chance to go around all of them and force them to listen to me. In the only language they understand. Money and power."

He picked up the valise, and she followed him downstairs. He left the bag in the hall and went into the living room. He took the bottle of whiskey from the sideboard and poured himself a drink.

"Have you finished your speech yet?" she asked.

"No. I'll work more on it. I'll have it finished by the time I have to deliver it tomorrow afternoon."

"I wish I were going with you," she said.

"I wish you were too." He took a sip of his drink. "But we won't have to wait long now. Two more weeks."

"It seems like forever."

He smiled, "It will pass quicker than you think." He put down the glass. "You know where to get me if you need me?"

She nodded. "I have the hotel number written next to the telephone."

"I'll call and let you know how we're doing."

"I'll be watching you on television," she said.

''Jack told me the evening news will be carrying a clip from your speech.''

'*I hope it will be all right. TV does funny things to people."

''You'll be okay," she said.

"You're prejudiced," he said, smiling.

''Maybe. But you'll still be okay. I worry enough now about the way women come on to you. After this I'm going to have to worry double."

He laughed. "Don't double your trouble, double your pleasure."

She laughed with him. "I can't wait. I feel like a virgin again. I think the first time we make love after this I won't be able to stop coming."

"Promises, promises. I'll remember that."

"Daniel."

He looked at her. Her voice had suddenly become serious. "Even if it doesn't work, it's not that important. We still have each other. I don't need very much."

He kissed her cheek. "I know that, baby. That's one of the reasons I love you."

She smiled gently. "I'm glad to hear that. Until just a little while ago I thought all you cared about was my beautiful body."

"That too." He laughed. An automobile horn sounded from outside. "The car is here. I've got to get going."

She followed him to the door, where he picked up his valise. "Give my best to D.J. and the others."

"I will." He looked down at her. "I forgot to tell you. If there's anything you need. Jack Haney is staying in town. Don't hesitate to call him. He'll be at home or at the office."

"I thought he was going with you too," she said.

"We had to change our plans at the last minute. He's waiting for the new purchase contracts to come back from the printer sq that he can check them and get them out to us in time for the meeting."

**Then only DJ. and Moses will be with you?'*

''I don't need any more from here. Hoffa has placed some of his office staff at my disposal." He bent over and kissed her cheek. 'Take care of yourself. I'll be back the day after tomorrow."

"Good luck." She kissed him. ''And stay away from them bad women. I love you."

"I love you too," he said, laughing.

She stood in the doorway and watched him get into the car. He leaned out the window and waved to her. She waved back, and the car started from the curb. She watched until it had turned the comer and gone out of sight. The telephone began to ring. She closed the door and went to it.

It was Jack Haney. "Big Dan gone already?"

"He's just left."

"Okay. I'll call him when he gets to Detroit."

"Are there any problems?"

"No. I just wanted to check some agreement language with him." He hesitated a moment. "Will you be home tomorrow?"

"Yes."

"I'll give you a call to see how you are. Big Dan asked me to check in with you."

"He told me," she said. It was her turn to hesitate. "Look, if you're not doing anything tomorrow, why don't you come over and have supper here and we can watch him on television together?"

"I don't want you to go to any trouble."

"It's no trouble," she said. "Mamie takes care of everything. And I won't feel as alone as I usually do when he's away."

"Okay," he said. "I'll check with you tomorrow in case you should change your mind."

"I won't change my mind."

He hesitated agam. "Okay. What time do you want me?"

"Seven o'clock all right?"

"I'll be there," he answered. "Thanks."

She put down the telephone and went upstairs to the bedroom. Slowly she got out of her dress and picked up her robe. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Her belly looked so big. She couldn't be sure, but she thought it was beginning to drop slightly. She slipped into the robe and went to the bed.

She leaned back against the pillows. She was glad she had asked Jack to dinner. It was the first time she had ever spoken with him without many people around. He seemed like a nice young man—a little shy perhaps, but maybe that was because she was the boss's wife. But he had always been very nice and polite to her. Not like so many of the others, whose very attitudes made her feel that they thought she was nothing but a clever young girl who had used her youth and sex in order to trap Daniel into marriage.

She let out a deep breath. To hell with them. After the baby was bom she would show them all how wrong they were.

whose genius thought up the plan, a man whose lifelong dedication to union labor is known to everyone, a man I am proud to call my friend: the president of the Confederated Alliance of Living Labor, Big Dan Huggins."

Daniel walked onto the stage. The speaker came toward him, a big smile on his face. They shook hands while the speaker whispered. ''Go get 'em, Big Dan. We softened them up for you."

Daniel smiled and went to the lectern. He placed his speech cards on the lectern in front of him. He held up his hand, waving and smiling to the applause. Then he turned his hand palm out, and slowly the applause died down and the hall became quiet.

Daniel stood there silently for a moment as his eyes surveyed the audience. A good fifty percent of the men were still in their work clothes. They had probably come directly from their shift. The other men were in their shirt sleeves. It was over eighty degrees outside, and there were very few jackets in evidence. Between the very first row of seats and the stage, the television cameras began to move into position in front of him.

Daniel looked at the audience again. The working-man. He almost could feel and touch every one of them. He had grown up with them, eaten and drunk and slept with them. He felt himself all of them and each of them.

He looked down at his speech cards again. Something was wrong. He was the same man sitting out there in the audience; he was not a securities salesman. No matter how valid the idea was, those men had not come here to listen to a sales pitch. They had come to see him. They had come to hear him and renew their faith in labor and the union. They had come to hear him say just one thing. That he still cared, that he still believed.