Last Exit to Brooklyn

by Hubert Selby Jr.

  Mike and Sal made the rounds of a few joints, but couldnt score. They had danced with a couple a broads, but nothing else. Not even a phone number or a date for the next weekend. Sal wanted to try a spick joint on Columbia street, but Mike didnt feel like walking that far and anyway he didnt trust the spicks. So they stood at the bar drinking, hoping something might come in that they could latch on to, getting drunker. Mike laughed at Sal and toldim he could go home and get laid and Sal had to pull his prick. Sal laughed and said that was o k, hed rather pull his prick than take care of a couple a kids all day. Thats o k man, at least I get mine. They had another drink and Mike was getting tired of hanging around, and was too goddamn horny to wait any longer. He told Sal he was gonna leave and asked him if he was goin. No, I think I/ll hang around a while. Nothin ta do home. Mike told him not ta pull it too much, he was goin home ta get laid (and by krist he was, rag or no rag). The apartment was dark and Mike let the door bang then stumbled toward the bedroom, cursing the fuckin chairs for bein in his way. Irene woke when Mike came in and listened for a moment to hear if the kids woke up, then waited for Mike. She said hello and he flopped on the bed and started undressing, throwing his clothes onto a chair. You still awake? You woke me up when you came in. What-id ya want me ta do, crawl through the key hole, determined he wouldnt take any shit off her tonight and if she said a word hed knocker teeth in. I didnt say anything Mike. Comeon, come to bed. He finished undressing and flopped over toward her and she put her arms around him. He tried to kiss her, but he missed her mouth and kissed her nose and mumbled something about her staying still and she finally directed him properly and she kissed him and Mike fumbled around for her crotch and they kissed and Irene ran her hand along the inside of his thigh and Mike squirmed and grabbed her crotch and they continued kissing and squirming and Irene worked steadily and expertly with her hands and tongue, but after 15 minutes Mike still couldnt get a hardon so he cursed and rolled over on her and tried to get it in anyway, but it kept bending and flopping out and he tried to stuff it in with his finger but it was useless and Mike cursed her for a useless bitch, still trying, still stuffing, until he eventually passed out and rolled off her. Irene pulled her arm from around him and sat up looking at him, listening to him breathe, smelling his breath . . . Then she laid down and stared at the ceiling.

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  Naturally Lucy smiled demurely when Abe asked her if she/d like to cut and asked where theyd go and ol Abe said theyd make a party of their own and Lucy hesitated and ol Abe turned the sweet talk on that chick and told her, come-on baby, we/11 have a time and he giver the BIG smile and she started to waver and ol Abe knew, as he had known all along, that he would make another conquest. Sheeeit, theres no bitch livin that ol Abe couldnt fuck. They left MELS and Abe let her look his Cadillac over before he opened the door. He wanted to be sure she saw those bigass fins and the whitewalls. Abe flipped on the radio and handed her a cigarette and they took off. They drove downtown and stopped at a hotel and when they got up to the room ol Abe tipped the boy big and asked for a bottle of whisky and some ice. He came back with it in a few minutes and by the time Abe poured the drinks Lucy was undressed and in bed. Ol Abe stared at those fine tits and set the drinks down and undressed. As he rolled over on her the first time he smiled thinking how hed have that bitch callin him DADDYO before that night was ovuh. After fucking her once Abe wanted to have a drink and a smoke, but Lucy wasnt the type of girl who believed in rest periods so ol Abe sunk it again and this time he really concentrated on his work, but he didnt have his drink and smoke until he had fucked her 3 times and by then ol Abe was even thinking of a little sleep. Not much, just a little. Lucy finally gulped her drink down and put out her cigarette and rolled over on Abe and though he was a little beat he did justice to the girl, but he was thinking hed have to stop for a while. After the fourth piece they did stop for a while, but Lucy wouldnt let him sleep, continually playing with his ear, kissing his neck, caressing his balls, playing with his cock until it was hard and then she pulled him over again an ol Abe fucked, but he wasnt concentrating too hard and was thinking that the ghuddamn bitched fuckim ta death.

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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 yel
ling 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.