The Wanderers

by Richard Price

  Scottie, howling and wiping his chin, stumbled away from Dougie. Suddenly Dougie stopped and tossed the book over the iron grill.

  "Ah, this sucks ... let's go downstairs," and as Scottie stood bent over with laughter, Dougie trotted over to the iron door and turned the knob. Nothing happened. He yanked and pulled but the door was immobile. White-faced, he ran to Scottie. "The door's locked! Whada we gonna do?" He started whining in terror. Scottie started whining also, his eyes big and wet. "Whada we gonna do! Whada we gonna do! Whada we gonna do!" He grabbed Scottie by the arms and shook him.

  "Whada we gonna do!" Scottie echoed weakly.

  "ANNNNNNH-NNN-NNNH," Dougie sniffled, starting to cry.

  "MAAAA! MAAAA!" Scottie ran over to the iron grill and bleated in dull oxen terror to the empty street far below.

  "Scottie! Scottie!" Dougie ran to him eyes glistening. "I got it! I got it!" Scottie's face was coated with tears, his breathing labored, his lips shivering. "Scottie! Lissen! We ... can ... jump!" Dougie's lips were shivering too.

  "What!" Scottie gasped in horror.

  "We can jump! Look!" He pointed to Scottie's sneakers. "We got P.F. Flyers! We'll bounce up like kangaroos! Like on 'Terrytoon Circus'!"

  Scottie, sensing salvation, nodded excitedly. "Yeah!"

  "We'll be safe!" Dougie shouted.

  "Safe!" screamed Scottie.

  Dougie climbed the iron grill and crouched on the top rail. "C'mon, Scottie!"

  Scottie hoisted himself up to Dougie. Both boys grasped the top bar. Crouched, they looked like swimmers waiting for the starting gun. Scottie's eyes were shut tight. Dougie looked at him.

  "O.K., now when I say three we jump, O.K.?" Scottie started sniffling again but wouldn't open his eyes. "Ready? One ... two ... three!" Dougie jumped backward onto the gravel but Scottie pitched himself clumsily off the roof. About four stories down he started to scream. Hearing a WHAP like a splattering coconut, Dougie ran to the rail. Looking down he saw Scottie sprawled on the pavement like a bloody Howdy Doody with cut strings Dougie pressed his face between the cool bars of the grill and stared off to the park After a while he trotted back to the iron door, opened it, and disappeared down the stairs.

  5. The Love Song of Buddy Borsalino

  THE GUYS were hanging around Big Playground with nothing to do. It was Thanksgiving, and almost everyone went away to see relatives. It was getting too dark to play basketball and it was too cold anyway. Richie sat beside Buddy on the bench. Perry and Joey were idly throwing rocks through the mesh fence.

  "You wanna go to White Castle?"

  "Got no dough."

  "I'll lend you a quarter."

  "You owe me a dollar."

  "No, I don't."

  "Who bought the Tango last night?"

  "O.K. I'll lend you a quarter and I'll buy you a pack of cigarettes."

  "See that shit?"

  "Hey, you wanna go elbow titting?"

  "Too cold."

  "Bronx House is havin' a dance."

  "Got no dough."

  "We can hang aroun' outside."

  "An' freeze your titties off."

  "You wanna go to Eugene's house?"

  "He ain't home."

  "Let's go elbow titting."

  "What the hell."

  They started walking down to Allerton Avenue in search of girls. The street was deserted, and all the stores were closed. A block away they spotted two women walking toward them.

  "Who goes first?"

  "Perry."

  "I went first last time."

  "Joey."

  "Nah, I don't wanna."

  "G'head. Just pretend it's your mother."

  "At least my mother got tits."

  "Yeah ... three."

  "Two more than your's got."

  "Least they ain't hairy."

  The girls walked past them while they were arguing.

  "See that shit?"

  "Fuck it, you guys are pussies. I'll go," Buddy said. Richie helped him off with his jacket. "C'mon, c'mon." Buddy jumped up and down to keep warm. They were now standing out of sight in a storefront. A fat woman was walking down the street toward them.

  "Get'er, Buddy."

  Buddy put his hands in his pockets, his elbows stuck out from his body. He winked at the guys and walked slowly toward the fat lady. When he was five feet from her, he cut in front of her path, bumping into her. As they stood facing each other, figuring out how to pass, Buddy moved left and rubbed his right elbow across her left tit. He mumbled "sorry" and moved right rubbing his left elbow across her right tit. He was trying the right elbow again when she caught on and belted him with a beefy forearm. He fell down. She cursed him in a foreign language and marched away. The Wanderers were on their asses laughing. Passing them she shouted, "You bois a' peegs! Feelty peegs!" Perry started grunting. Then they all got down on their hands and knees and grunted their way to Buddy's prostrate form, crouching around him like hyenas.

  "Hey ... I tink dis feelty peeg he got knocked down." They crawled around him, grunting and sniffing.

  "Hey, peeg, I tink maybe you should get up now." Buddy raised his hands, curling them into clutching claws, squeezing invisible flesh.

  "Oh, my lovely titties ... oh, my lovely titties!"

  "I think dis peeg he want seconds."

  They stood up and helped Buddy to his feet.

  "You wanna go again, man?"

  "Believe it! Except maybe this time I go for a smaller size."

  They retired to the storefront. Buddy put his jacket on. A few minutes later, a girl walked toward them, and Buddy was on the move again. The closer he got, the more he liked what he saw. She was about sixteen and had jet black hair piled high on her head. She had a nice figure, as much as he could see, and her face was Cunty Italian—small dark features, dark eves, high cheekbones, and a lot of eye makeup. He was so involved in checking her out he almost forgot to cross her path. When he did, it was so abrupt that she bumped her nose on his chest. He stood there looking at her, intoxicated by her Juicy Fruit breath. She looked up at him quizzically. He realized that he wasn't moving his elbows, and he started twisting them back and forth ineffectually like the pumper in a washing machine.

  "What's wrong with you?"

  "Huh?" He stood in front of her doing the twist with his hands in his pocket.

  "You gotta go to the bat'room?" She walked around him. He started after her, his tongue thick in his mouth, and caught up to her.

  "Uh ... what's wrong wit' me?" His mind worked feverishly. She stared at him.

  "Uh ... what's wrong wit' me? Uh, nothin'"

  "You O.K.?"

  "Uh ... yeah." He had a brainstorm. "Except I just got jumped by two guys."

  "What!"

  "Yeah. Uh ... they jumped outta a Cadillac down by the park and jumped me ... I fought 'em off but they sapped me with a blackjack." He held his forehead and shook his head dazedly. "I'm sorry I bumped into you ... I'm a little dizzy." He leaned against a parked car and suffered. "Lissen, do you wanna have a slice of pizza wit' me? I gotta talk to somebody," he said.

  "I think you oughta see a doctor."

  "Nah ... I'll be O.K."

  "I still think you should go."

  "Nah ... this ain't the first time it happened ... I'm O.K. What's your name?"

  She laughed out loud. "What kinda line is this?"

  "It ain't no line! I swear to God!"

  She looked at him amused and started down Allerton. He walked by her side past an astonished group of Wanderers. Suddenly he remembered he had no money. He grabbed her arm. "Wait here, I'll be right back." He ran back to the Wanderers, obscured from her sight. He grabbed Richie. "Lissen! Gimme that dollar now!" He shot a quick glance to see if she was still waiting for him. She was.

  "Buddy! What's happenin', got your elbow stuck?"

  "Lissen." He grabbed Richie by the front of his jacket. "Gimme the dollar or I'll tear your fuckin' heart out!"

  "All I got is half a buck." Richie w
as shook by Buddy's panic.

  "Give it here." He leaned backward to check on the girl and at the same time stuck his hand out, wiggling his fingers impatiently. Richie laid it on him and Buddy was off like a shot. "Thanks for waitin'."

  "You lose your wallet?"

  "Yeah."

  The Wanderers watched them walk down the street, looked at each other, and walked up three blocks past bars and gas stations to White Castle.

  Buddy and the girl walked into a pizza shop by the park and sat at a littered table munching on dripping slices.

  "What's your name?"

  "Despie."

  "Despie ... like in Despinoza?"

  "Yeah. What's yours?"

  "Buddy."

  "What's that short for?"

  "Mario ... Where you live?" he asked, scooping up some cheese.

  "Up by White Castle."

  "Hey ... do you know Fat Sally?"

  "No."

  "Do you know Eugene Caputo?"

  "No."

  "Do you know ... Toby Becker?"

  "I think so."

  "He's my best friend."

  "Oh yeah?"

  "Yeah, we was in ninth grade together."

  "You go to Olinville?"

  "Yeah. I graduated."

  "Where you go now, Evander?"

  "Nah, Tully."

  "Do you know Phillip D'Allessio?"

  "What grade?"

  "Tenth."

  "I'm in twelfth."

  "Do you know ... Donna Palombo?"

  "No."

  "Do you know ... Marie Gueli?"

  "Yeah, she's in my English class. A real skank."

  "She's my sister."

  "Oh..." He turned red.

  She laughed. "I'm only kiddin'. Where you live?"

  "The projects."

  "Do you know Barry Jacobi?"

  "No."

  "He's my boyfriend."

  Buddy's heart dropped into his gut. "Oh yeah?" he said weakly.

  "Well ... we broke up."

  Resurrection.

  "Yeah, he was seein' another girl on the side."

  "I would never do that," he said righteously.

  "He begged me to go back with him but I got my pride, you know what I mean?"

  Buddy nodded solemnly. "I had a girl friend who was two-timin' me. I dropped her like a hot potato. I got pride too."

  "Pride's important."

  "Yeah ... you gotta hold your head up high."

  "Yeah."

  "I saw this movie once where this guy is bein' tortured by the Japs, but he won't give 'em any information. Everytime they tortured him he just started singin' 'The Star-Spangled Banner.'"

  "Wow! What happened?"

  "They killed him."

  "That's pride."

  "I would never give out information to the Commies if they was torturin' me," said Buddy.

  "My father was a marine," said Despie.

  "Mine was in the navy," said Buddy.

  "Do you like the Four Seasons?"

  "Yeah ... my brother knows Frankie Valli."

  "A friend of mine met Dion."

  "I got Smokey Robinson's autograph."

  "I once went up in an elevator with Murry the K."

  "Jackie the K's a real piece. No offense."

  They walked outside and up Allerton toward Despie's house. Buddy put Despie to a test. She carried a pocketbook in her left hand, so he walked on her left. If she moved the pocketbook to her right hand she was leaving her left free for handholding. At first she didn't, so he casually brushed his knuckles against the back of her hand. The third time he did this, she hoisted the pocketbook strap over her right shoulder. A block later they were holding hands. When they passed White Castle they bumped into the Wanderers.

  "Hey!"

  "Hey!" He greeted them like long-lost friends.

  "Mah man Buddy!" They devoured Despie with their eyes, taking special note of the fact that Buddy was holding her hand.

  "Hey, this is Despie ... this is the guys."

  She stared at Richie. "Are you Denise Rizzo's boyfriend?"

  "Yeah."

  "I know you ... me an' Denise are in the same homeroom at Evander. I saw you one day after school."

  "No kiddin'. Hey, maybe we could double sometime," suggested Richie.

  Buddy flinched. He hadn't asked her for a date yet, and Richie could blow the whole thing.

  "Sure!" she said.

  "Yeah, we could go bowlin' or somethin'."

  "Hey, ah ... lissen. I'll see you guys later, O.K.?"

  "Later."

  "Later."

  After Buddy and Despie walked a quarter of a block, Buddy looked back at the Wanderers, made crazy-eyes, and let his tongue hang out. They thought that was cool and cracked up.

  "I live on the next block."

  "Nice street."

  "It's O.K."

  They stopped at her door.

  "Ah, lissen ... whyncha gimme your phone number, maybe we could double with Richie and C."

  She took a soiled piece of loose-leaf paper and a funny-looking oversized pen out of her pocketbook. "Here."

  "Hmm." He studied the number, stalling for time. "Despie Carabella. TU-six, four-two-three-one."

  "That's right."

  He studied the note a little longer, then stuffed it into his pocket. "Well..." He shuffled his feet.

  "G'night."

  He put an arm across her shoulder and brought his mouth to hers. She resisted for a second, then closed her eyes and put her arm around the back of his neck. She tongued like a pro and stood right up against his body. They mingled tongues for a full five minutes, until both their chins were dripping with spit.

  "I like you, Despie."

  "I like you too."

  "Maybe we could go out Saturday."

  "Sure."

  She turned to go inside. Buddy walked away, wiping his chin on his jacket sleeve. After he crossed the street he shouted to her loud enough to turn on some lights.

  "I'll call you tomorrow!"

  She waved, and he took off like a jack rabbit for White Castie.

  In homeroom the next day Despie slipped a note to Denise three aisles over:

  DO YOU KNOW A FRIEND OF YOUR BOYFRIEND'S NAMED BUDDY? I MET HIM LAST NIGHT AND WE ARE GOING OUT SATURDAY. DO YOU WANT TO EAT LUNCH TOGETHER AND TALK?—DESPIE

  Denise wrote back:

  YES, I KNOW BUDDY. I LIKE HIM AND I THINK HE IS CUTE. I WILL MEET YOU IN THE BACK OF THE LUNCHROOM NEAR THE WINDOWS—DENISE

  "So how'd you meet Buddy?" C asked, taking a bite out of a thin bologna sandwich.

  "Well, last night I had nothin' to do so I was walkin' down Allerton when I saw Buddy walkin' up the other side of the street. I thought he looked cute. He didn't see me or nothin'. Anyways, he bumps into this fat lady an' starts elbow tittin'. This lady knocks him down. It was really funny. She started yellin' at him an' then I see he's wit' these other guys."

  "Was Richie wit' them?"

  "That's your boyfriend?"

  "Yeah ... I'll kick his ass if he was elbow tittin'."

  "He was there but he was just hangin' aroun'. Anyways, I figure I'll play along, so I walked around the block and come down on the other side of the street, and Buddy starts walkin' toward me."

  "What happened?"

  "He bumped into me but he didn't do nothin' else."

  "So then what happened?"

  "He asked me if I wanted pizza. But first he gave me this bullshit story about gettin' jumped by two guys in a Cadillac."

  "That sounds like Buddy."

  "Then he walked me home an' asked me out for tomorrow night."

  "That's too much."

  "Yeah. What's he like?"

  "Well, he's cute, he's in the Wanderers, he lives in the projects."

  "Did he have a girl friend that he broke up with because she was seein' someone else?"

  "Well, he was goin' wit' this girl Margo that was seein' someone else, but she broke up with Buddy. Buddy didn't break
up wit' her."

  "He told me he broke up wit' her."

  "Sure."

  "Is he on any teams?"

  "Nah, but he's a good bowler, they all are," said C.

  "Do you wanna double tomorrow?"

  "Yeah, we're goin' to the Globe. You wanna come?"

  "Yeah. He's gonna call me tonight."

  "Howdja do on the Social?" C asked.

  "I passed. I copied offa that creep Barry Jacobi."

  Buddy was late coming down to the lunchroom. The Wanderers were already eating at their table.

  "Hey! The man of the hour!"

  Buddy sat down and took out a ham sandwich.

  "You goin' out wit' Despie tonight?" Richie asked.

  "Nah, I gotta call her."

  "Lissen, me an' C are goin' to the movies tomorrow night. You wanna come?"

  "O.K. As long as we can split up later, if you know what I mean."

  "Yeah, well, my parents won't be home tomorrow night. They got a Cousins' Club meetin'."

  "Dynamite!"

  "Yeah, you can have my room. Me an' C will take my parents' bedroom."

  "You got any bags?"

  "My old man does. Hey, wait. Whadya mean do I got any bags. You ain't gonna need 'em."

  "Don't be too sure."

  "Five dollars."

  "You ain't got five dollars."

  "That's O.K. You ain't gonna get laid."

  Buddy couldn't get his father's car, so they walked to the Allerton Globe to see two good horror pictures, which was fine with Buddy because Despie shrieked a lot and buried her head in his armpit. With his arm around Despie's shoulder, Buddy leaned his head over the back of the seat and caught Richie's eye. Richie did the same, wiggling his tongue obscenely. C excused herself, and she and Despie split for the john.

  "Hey, man!" Buddy jumped over two seats. They slapped palms loudly. "I got such a fuckin' hard-on I'm bustin' my drawers!" Buddy squeezed his crotch in mock pain. Two elderly people turned around to give him dirty looks.

  "Ja get tit?" Richie whispered.

  "I din't try yet."

  "She got nice ones."

  "Hey," Buddy said, "I got your bedroom, right?"

  "You get gizzem on my bed I'm gonna make you eat it with a spoon."

  "We'll do it on the floor."

  "You got class."

  "Yeah, I'm elegant," said Buddy.