Suds In Your Eye (16 page)
They had just stopped admiring each other when the first cold barrel of beer arrived. Mrs. Feeley had ordered a hundred pounds of ice and it was chopped up in the bathtub. She had the men set the barrel on top of the ice. One thing she couldn’t stand was warm beer.
Miss Tinkham said it wouldn’t seem like a proper wedding without some champagne.
‘That stuff!’ Mrs. Feeley snorted. ‘Tastes like cy-trate o’ magnesia! We don’t need no sissy likker! Beer! That’s what we need! And lots of it! Looks like we’re gonna get it, too,’ she said proudly.
There were four men at the door. Mrs. Feeley went to greet them. They didn’t speak much English, but she finally gathered that they wanted to bring something out of a truck. She recognized them when they came back carrying a marimba: they were the musicians from the bar in Tia Juana.
‘How’d they ever get here?’ she asked Miss Tinkham.
‘Oh, I asked them to come and play at the wedding! It’s such romantic music, don’t you think?’
‘If you don’t beat all! How’d you get ahold of them?’
‘I asked the Chinese-American League to find out the name of the bar where we captured the lawyer and they telephoned to Mexico and engaged the band for me!’
Mrs. Feeley shook her head in speechless admiration. Then she went over to the musicians with a bung-starter in her hand. In spite of the menacing gesture they smiled at her as she said, ‘Kerry serve aces?’ They grinned and nodded violently. When they had been served large mugs of beer, Mrs. Feeley remarked politely, ‘Much-oh galore!’ They must have understood for they said. ‘Si, señora; very hot today!’ Why, oh why, was Kate Logan not here to hear her pupil speak Spanish?
‘Here they come!’ Mrs. Rasmussen shouted while Miss Tinkham coached the marimba band by humming as they played ‘Here Comes the Bride’ and then ‘Anchors Aweigh.’
Old-Timer came out from behind the house in a poisonous blue suit and high celluloid collar. He had a large bag of rice and pelted Kate and Danny thoroughly.
After the couple had been hugged and kissed, they began to look around and admire the decorations and the table. Mrs. Rasmussen showed them the food, all ready to be served. Kate was touched when they told her who had baked the wedding cake. Then they sat down for a chat before the other guests should arrive.
‘Katy told me all about the tax mix-up and catching the lawyer…but you should have got in touch with me!’ Danny scolded.
‘We couldn’t…an’ wouldn’t if we could!’ his aunt replied. ‘Besides, they gave us five hundred dollars’ reward; we’re still two hundred to the good!’
‘Looks like you spent it all on this blow-out,’ Danny remarked.
‘Not by a long shot!’ said Mrs. Feeley.
‘What are you going to do for a living, now that all the junk’s sold?’ he inquired.
‘Well, when we was at the tuna factory, all them people was beefin’ about parkin’-places for their cars, so I’m figgerin’ to rent ’em space by the month in the junk yard. Turn it into a parkin’-lot. No transients, just steady customers.’
Kate looked at her new aunt:
‘Sheer genius!’ she said.
‘You can’t keep a squirrel on the ground,’ her husband added.
‘That way Old-Timer will still have a job,’ Mrs. Feeley said. ‘What about Katy, here? Where you gonna stay, dear?’
‘I’m going to stay on in the same apartment. I’ll probably look for a summer defense job after the ship sails.’
‘Let’s not think about that yet! Here comes a admiral!’ said Mrs. Feeley, rising and lining the others up into a sort of receiving line.
‘It’s the Captain,’ Danny whispered.
‘Good afternoon, sir!’ said Danny, very military all of a sudden. ‘May I present Mrs. Malone, sir? This is Captain Stoddard, Kate.’
‘I want to wish you every happiness, Mrs. Malone. All the happiness that’s possible with a seagoing husband! We’re all very proud of your courage in marrying Malone.’
‘Thank you, Captain Stoddard; but it would have taken more courage than I have to turn him down!’
‘And I congratulate you from the bottom of my heart, Malone. I wish I’d seen her first!’ the Captain said.
‘Well, sir, I had my aunt looking out for my interests! You haven’t met my aunt yet, Mrs. Feeley!’
Mrs. Feeley pumped the Captain’s arm and hauled him off for cold beer. Then she introduced him to Mrs. Rasmussen and Miss Tinkham. The Captain complimented the cook on the appearance of the food and said he would do it justice later; he was glad he had not eaten on board.
The faculty was the next to arrive. Then the class members began to drift in, in little groups of two and three. Through it all the marimba gave out its pulsating music. The musicians appeared to be tireless and were having a thoroughly good time. To the amazement of the guests and Mrs. Feeley, the employees of the tuna factory arrived
en masse
. When the shock of the arrival had worn off, twenty members of the Chinese-American League made their entrance. Mrs. Feeley began to wonder if Miss Tinkham had invited the entire population of the West Coast. The League members carried an enormous box: it contained a carved camphor-wood chest filled with exquisite linens for the bride and groom. It was presented in a beautiful speech. Evidently Mr. Quong Sing and the committee had gained much face by the manner of their reception the day before. The bestowal of the gift started the ball rolling and the Principal of the Evening High School presented Kate and Danny with a chest of silver from the faculty.
Mrs. McSparry was in her glory: she had been selected by the class to make the presentation speech, and she did so with many elaborate figures and flights of fancy. On behalf of the class she presented the couple with an electric waffle iron and grill. When she finished, a delegation of sailors respectfully called the Captain to one side. Their big moment had come. The Captain cleared his throat and Mrs. Feeley banged on the table with a beer mug for silence.
‘Mr. and Mrs. Malone, ladies and gentlemen: On behalf of the officers and crew of the U.S.S.
Dapa-Dapa
, I take pleasure in presenting you with this coffee service as a token of the respect and esteem they feel toward you both. May you enjoy it in your life together in the years to come!’
He shook hands again with Kate and Danny and the crew broke into thunderous applause. The sailors lined up to shake Danny’s hand and call him ‘Lucky dog!’ Some of the more intrepid ones claimed their right to kiss the bride. Again came the pounding with the beer mug:
‘Ladies and gentlemen…and the Captain!’ Mrs. Feeley shouted. ‘There’s a little unfinished business here! On behalf o’ me an’ my three friends, Mrs. Rasmussen, Miss Tinkham, and Old-Timer, I present my niece an’ nephew with this hundred-dollar defense bond!’ Amid much handclapping she pulled an envelope from the front of her dress and handed Kate the bond. Then again she held up her hand for silence. Briefly and with no wasted words she outlined the story of the tax swindle and the gallant struggle and many sacrifices on the part of her friends to raise the money. She told of the capture of the lawyer and the generous reward made by the Chinese-American League.
‘I can truthfully say that yesterday an’ today have been the happiest days of my life: seein’ Danny an’ his ship come home safe, an’ then havin’ him an’ Katy get married has made all my dreams come true. My good friends here wouldn’t hear o’ me payin’ ’em back even though I had the money to do it, but there couldn’t be no objections to me makin’ a little investment with Uncle Sam for ’em! So I now present Mrs. Rasmussen, Miss Tinkham, an’ Old-Timer, an’ also myself, with a one-hundred-dollar defense bond apiece. Please step up an’ take ’em!’ Very red in the face, the three friends stepped up and took the bonds and stammered their thanks.
‘And now,’ Mrs. Feeley continued, ‘we want you all to eat an’ drink hearty! You boys have a good time while you’re ashore! There’s barrels an’ barrels o’ beer! Don’t stand on no ceremony! Get you a plate an’ fix whatever you’d like to eat! Then we’ll start the dancin’!’
The crowd took her at her word. Sailors, Chinese, tuna queens, teachers, secretaries, and Mexicans all milled around the table. Beer mugs waved and the radio blared dance music to spell the musicians a bit. Miss Tinkham was all over the place at once. Mrs. Rasmussen was wondering if the food would hold up under the onslaught. She thought it was a treat to see the Captain eat and fished out a couple of roll-mops for his special benefit. Looked like they’d make out all right: still two hams and two turkeys untouched.
The marimba throbbed ‘Mexicali Rose’ over and over as the sailors and the girls began to dance. The Captain rose to go, but not until he had invited the three ladies to dine with him aboard ship the next night. They were thrilled speechless. Wait till McSparry heard about this! As the Captain went to take leave of Kate and Danny all the crew snapped to attention; he put his hand in his breast-pocket and pulled out a folded paper which he handed to Danny.
‘This is my personal gift to you two,’ he said. ‘Again, much happiness and the best of luck always! Thanks for a wonderful time!’ And he was gone.
Danny unfolded the paper; it said that his leave expired Monday morning at eight o’clock! Forty-eight hours extra! What a guy that Skipper was!
Kate and Danny excused themselves soon after the wedding cake had been cut and sampled. They thanked everyone and said they would leave the gifts there for the guests to look at and would be over to get them tomorrow. The family kissed them again and said they were happy that they liked the party. They must come back tomorrow and help to eat up what was left, if any.
Mid cheers and shouts of good wishes they reached the car. On the driver’s seat was a brown-paper parcel, not very well wrapped. Kate opened it. In a very old blown-glass bottle was a tiny model of a barkentine wrought with exquisite care and craftmanship. They looked around for a card, or something with the donor’s name on it. Finally Kate saw some printing scrawled on the brown paper. It said: ‘i maid this wen i was cook on the Star of Injia an i want yu shood hav it.—ol timur.’
Kate’s eyes were brimming. ‘I’m trying to decide which of our gifts is the sweetest. Every time I think I have reached a decision, a new one has to be made.’
‘Don’t try, Mrs. Malone; and I’m not talking baby-talk.’
At 3
A.M.
the party was still going full swing. Most of the faculty had gone home, but a few of the more rugged had stuck it out. The sailors were in their glory. Said it was the best wedding they had ever been to. If they had an aunt like Mrs. Feeley they might even get married themselves. Miss Tinkham was getting a big rush and Mrs. Rasmussen was directing a square dance.
Mrs. Feeley decided she had better pay the marimba players before she got too squiffed and forgot it. They informed her that the Chinese-American League had already paid them when they departed some hours earlier, predicting many sons for the Malones.
All in all, it had been a wonderfully successful party, Mrs. Feeley mused. Scarcely any trouble, either. Guess that was how it was when you had money: you ordered whatever you wanted without having to scrimp and cut corners. She was glad she was going into the parking-lot business. A body sure could get used to luxury quick!
‘Bring me some cold beer over here, somebody!’ she shouted as she crawled up into the middle of her brass bed and piled the pillows behind her back. She sat there taking in the spectacle with her legs thrust straight out in front of her and yelled:
‘Carry on, people! I’m not what you could call physically tired; I’m just pooped!’
THE END
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 1942 by Mary Lasswell
ISBN: 978-1-5040-3706-8
Distributed in 2016 by Open Road Distribution
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New York, NY 10038
