How was he going to fix it? I demanded.
That was none of my business, he gave me to understand. «You’re desperate, aren’t you? You want to get rid of her, that’s all, isn’t that so?»
I shook my head and smiled, smiled because it seemed utterly preposterous that Stanley, of all people, could be so confident of arranging such a decisive coup. He acted as if he had plotted it all out a long time ago, as if he had merely been waiting for the opportune moment to broach the subject. He wanted to know more about Mara—was I absolutely sure of her?
«Now about the kid,» he said, in his usual cold-blooded way, «that’s going to be tough on you. But you’ll forget about her after a time. You were never meant to be a father. Only, don’t come to me and ask me to fix it up again, understand? When I do this job it’s going to be settled once and for all. I don’t believe in half-way measures. Now, if I were you I’d go to Texas or some place like that. Don’t ever come back here! You’ve got to start all over again, as if you were just beginning your life. You can do it, if you want to. I can’t. Tm trapped. That’s why I want to help you. I’m not doing this for your sake—I’m doing it because it’s what I’d like to do myself. You can forget me too while you’re at it. I’d forget everybody if I were in your boots.» Curley was fascinated. Wanted to know immediately if he couldn’t go with me.
«Don’t take him along, whatever you do!» Stanley blurted savagely. «He’s no good—he’d be in the way, that’s all. Besides, he’s not to be trusted.» Curley was hurt and he showed it. «Listen, don’t rub it in,» I said. «I know he’s no good, but what the hell…»
«I don’t mince matters,» said Stanley bluntly. «As far as I’m concerned, I don’t want to see him ever again. He can go away and die for all I care. You’re soft—that’s why you’re in such a lousy mess. I haven’t any friends, you know that. I don’t want any. I don’t do anything for anybody out of pity. If he’s hurt it’s too bad, but he’ll have to swallow it as best he can. I’m talking seriously. I mean business.»
«How do I know I can trust you to handle this right?»
«You don’t have to trust me. One day—I won’t say when—it’ll happen. You won’t know how it happened. You’ll get the surprise of your life. And you won’t be able to change your mind because it’ll be too late. You’ll be free whether you like it or not—that’s all I can tell you. It’s the last thing I’ll do for you—after that you take care of yourself.
Don’t write me that you’re starving because I won’t pay any attention to you. Sink or swim, that’s the size of it.»
He got up and brushed himself off. «I’m going,» he said. «It’s settled then?»
«O.K.,» I said.
«Give us a quarter,» he said, as he was about to walk off.
I didn’t have a quarter on me. I turned to Curley. He nodded, to indicate he understood, but made no move to hand it over.
«Give it to him, will you,» I said, «I’ll return it to you when we get home.»: http://home./
«To him?» said Curley, looking at Stanley contemptuously. «Let him beg for it!»
Stanley turned his back and walked off. He had the loping gait of a cowboy. Even from the back he looked like a thug.
«The dirty bastard!» mumbled Curley. «I could stick a knife in him.»
«I almost hate him myself,» said I. «He’ll wither and die before he softens. I don’t know why he’s doing this for me—it’s not like him.»
«How do you know what he’s going to do? How can you trust a guy like that?»
«Curley,» I said, «he wants to do me a favor. Something tells me it’s going to be unpleasant, but I don’t see any other way out. You’re just a kid. You don’t know what it’s all about. I feel relieved somehow. It’s a turn in the road.»
«Reminds me of my father,» said Curley bitterly. «I hate him, hate his guts. I’d like to see the two of them hanging from the same post: I’d like to burn them up, the dirty bastards.»
A few days later I was sitting in Ulric’s studio waiting for Mara to arrive with her friend Lola Jackson. Ulric had never met Mara.
«You think she’s good stuff, eh?» he was saying, meaning Lola. «We won’t have to stand on too much ceremony, what?»
These feelers which Ulric always put out amused me highly. He liked to be guaranteed that the evening would not be entirely wasted. He was never certain of me when it came to women or friends; in his humble opinion I was just a wee bit too reckless.
However, the moment he laid eyes on them he felt reassured. In fact, he was bowled over. He took me aside almost at once to congratulate me on my taste.
Lola Jackson was a queer girl. She had only one defect—the knowledge that she was not pure white. That made her rather difficult to handle, at least in the preliminary stages. A little too intent upon impressing us with her culture and breeding. After a couple of drinks she unlimbered enough to show us how supple her body was. Her dress was too long for some of the stunts she was eager to demonstrate. We suggested that she take it off, which she did, revealing a stunning figure which showed to advantage in a pair of sheer silk hose, a brassiere and pale blue panties. Mara decided to follow suit. Presently we urged them to dispense with the brassieres. There was a huge divan on which the four of us huddled in a promiscuous embrace. We turned the lights down and put on a record. Lola thought it too warm to keep anything on except the silk stockings.
We had about a square yard of space in which to dance flesh to flesh. Just as we had changed partners, just as the tip of my cock had buried itself in Lola’s dark petals, the phone rang. It was Hymie Laubscher telling me in a grave and urgent voice that the messengers had declared a strike. «You’d better be on hand early to-morrow morning, H. M.,» he said. «No telling what will happen. I wouldn’t have bothered you if it hadn’t been for Spivak. He’s on your trail. He says you ought to have known that the boys were going on strike. He’s hired a fleet of taxi cabs already. There’s going to be hell to-morrow.»
«Don’t let him know you got in touch with me,» I said. «I’ll be there bright and early.»
«Are you having a good time?» piped Hymie. «No chance of my horning in on the party, is there?»
«I’m afraid not, Hymie. If you’re looking for something I can recommend you one up at I. Q. office—you know, the one with the big teats. She goes off duty at midnight.»
Hymie was trying to tell me something about his wife’s operation. I couldn’t make it out because Lola had slipped up alongside me and was petting my cock. I hung up in the midst of it and pretended to explain to Lola what the message was about. I knew Mara would be on my heels in a moment.
I had just gotten it half way in, Lola’s back bent almost in half, and still talking about the messenger boys, when I heard Ulric and Mara stirring. I pulled away and picking up the phone I called a number at random. To my astonishment a woman’s voice answered sleepily—«Is that you, dear? I’ve just been dreaming about you.» I said Yes? She went on, as if still half asleep: «Do hurry home, won’t you dear? I’ve been waiting and waiting. Tell me you love me…»
«I’ll make it as quick as I can, Maude,» I said, in my own clear natural voice. «The messengers are on strike. I wish you’d call…»
«What’s that? What are you saying? What is this?» came the woman’s startled voice.
«I said rush a few waybills up to D.T. office and ask Costigan to…» The phone clicked.
The three of them were lying on the divan. I could smell them in the dark. «I hope you don’t have to go,» said Ulric in a smothered voice. Lola was lying over him, her arms around his neck. I reached between her legs and caught hold of Ulric’s pecker. I was on my knees, hi a good position to tackle Lola from the rear should Mara suddenly decide to go to the lavatory. Lola raised herself a bit and sank down on Ulric’s prick with a savage grunt. Mara was tugging at me. We lay down on the floor beside the divan and went to it. In the midst of it the hall door opened, the light was suddenly switched on, and there stood Ulric’s brother with a woman. They were a bit drunk and had apparently returned at an early hour to do a bit of quite fucking on their own.
«Don’t let us stop you,» said Ned, standing in the doorway inspecting the scene as if it were an every day affair. Suddenly he pointed to his brother and shouted—«Holy Smokes! What’s happened? You’re bleeding!»
We all looked at Ulric’s bleeding cock; from the navel down to his
