A Night at the Ariston Baths

by Michael Murphy

  “How?”

  “I just do, sir. I’m not sure how to explain it. I can look at numbers and it’s almost as if they talk to me. They’re just second nature to me.”

  “So you’d like to work here?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “You’d be doing things like this all day. You can do that?”

  “Of course, sir. Easily.”

  Martin gave him a quick kick in the leg. “Sorry, yes, sir. I can do the job.”

  “As Mr. Fuller just told you, Mr. McCall, you never tell the boss that you can do an impossible job quickly and easily, even if it’s true.”

  “Why—”

  “Fuller, explain it to him later. We need to talk details. When can you start?”

  Theodore looked at Martin, who shrugged and said, “Today? He just arrived in the city last night and hasn’t had a chance to see anything yet, but knowing Teddy, he would rather have me show him around than go off on his own.”

  “That’s true, sir. I can start immediately and would actually prefer that. I do not like wasting time and being bored. I much prefer being busy.”

  “Okay, let’s get you set up at a desk. Help me haul these things out there,” he ordered, indicating the piles of ledgers and papers on his desk. He led them to a desk that was empty and started to sort out the various papers and ledgers. Picking up the loose papers, he explained, “The totals on these orders need to be verified first. When they’ve been verified, they need to be sorted into date order from further back to most recent. Then they are entered into this ledger,” he explained, shoving a particular ledger toward Theodore, “just like the other entries you see here. At the end of each page we need a subtotal, and then at the end of each day, we need a grand total for the day, a running total for the month, and a running total for the year. Do you understand?”

  “Of course, sir.”

  “If you screw up my ledgers, I will not be happy, and Fuller can tell you how I act when I’m not happy, can’t you, Fuller?” Martin nodded but smiled while he did so. “That’s how you handle the orders on green paper. Now, over there,” he said, pointing to another massive pile of chaotic papers, “are a completely different set of documents. Those are invoices for goods shipped. Just like with the orders, verify that the math is correct on each form and then sort them into numerical order using that red number on the upper right of the form.”

  And he went on with his explanation for close to twenty minutes. Theodore listened attentively and tried to take it all in. When Sullivan finished, he asked, “You got all that?”

  “Yes, sir. One question, sir, if I may.”

  “Of course.”

  “This looks like a great deal of work, even for someone quick with numbers. Is this the typical work flow in a day that I should expect to see?”

  Martin laughed before his boss could answer. “You, get to work,” he called out to Martin, but at least he did it with a smile. “No, the position that is supposed to handle all of this has been vacant for several weeks, so we have a bit of a backlog. This is not typical. Once the backlog is cleared, I think you’ll find the volume of work to be manageable. I’ve been trying to do this job along with my own, and I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t like it, so I keep trying to put it off to do anything else.”

  “I see, sir.”

  “Good. Get to work, and please come to me with any questions. I cannot have these ledgers messed up. Any questions now?”

  “Yes, sir. Martin told me over Christmas that this position pays five hundred dollars per year. Is that correct, sir?”

  “That is correct.”

  “Then I am ready to begin work, sir.”

  Once their boss had returned to his office, Theodore asked, “Did I handle that well? The salary issue.”

  “Yes, you did very well. And you’ll even be earning more than me, you stinker,” Martin complained with a smile, “but trust me, you’ll earn it. There is a lot of work in your job, and no one stays in it very long. It drives everyone mad, and they leave.”

  “Why?” Theodore asked.

  “Ask me that question again in a week after you’ve done the work for a while,” Martin told him.

  Theodore took off his jacket, rolled up his shirtsleeves, and started with his work. Several times that morning Martin interrupted to introduce him to one or another of their coworkers. At noon he interrupted again and dragged Theodore off to lunch, insisting that he had to eat when he tried to beg off.

  Even with a bank of four elevators serving the building, somehow they managed to get the same elevator operator they’d had earlier. In the time since they’d seen him, he’d grown bolder. With no one else in the elevator with them, he said, “How was your morning, Mr. McCall?”

  “Theodore, please.”

  “You have to earn the right to call him Teddy,” Martin explained with a smile.

  “I can do that,” he said. “Can I apply for the job, Theodore?”

  “You want to apply for my job? But I just started work today?”

  “That’s not the job he’s talking about, Teddy,” Martin said. Theodore stood with his mouth hanging open, until Martin said, “He would be delighted to accept applications.”

  When they walked through the lobby to the door, Theodore turned to Martin and said, “Why did you tell him that? Does that mean he now expects me to… to… to what?”

  “Take him to your bed and shag him until you can’t take it anymore. He can take all you have to give him and then some. He’s insatiable.”

  Theodore’s eyes darted about quickly, looking to see if anyone was listening to them and their conversation. But there were so many people going in so many directions with so much noise that there was no way anyone could have heard the details of what they had been discussing.

  Chapter Eleven—Gainful Employment

  THEODORE’S FIRST week at work was precisely one day in length, which was an advantage of starting a new job on a Friday. That night when they got back to Martin’s rooming house, they immediately spoke with the landlady and secured Theodore his own room across the hall from Martin. Theodore liked being with Martin, but he couldn’t argue that Martin’s room was not large enough for two grown men.

  The room he got was about the same size. The only difference really was that Martin’s room faced the front of the building but Theodore’s room faced the back away from the street. As a result, Martin’s room got a lot of street noise, which he claimed to like. He tried to convince Theodore that he found it comforting. For his part, Theodore found the noise annoying.

  The details resolved and deposit paid, Theodore moved his belongings from Martin’s room into his own and put up a few reminders of home. They shared dinner downstairs in the dining room, one of the benefits of an outrageously high weekly rent. While breakfast had been spare, dinner was more elaborate. Dinner also gave him the chance to meet some of the other people who lived in the boarding house.

  Martin steered Theodore to sit beside a man who was off by himself.

  “May we join you, Stewart?” Martin asked.

  “Please do,” Stewart answered, looking up with a smile. His gaze landed on Theodore, and the intensity of his stare was impossible to miss. “And who do we have here? Oh, Martin, please tell me he’s joining us for dinner.”

  “Yes, don’t get your bloomers in a bunch. Stewart, this is my best friend, Theodore. Theodore, meet Stewart.”

  “Nice to make your acquaintance,” Theodore politely told him.

  “Likewise, I assure you, my handsome new friend.”

  Theodore blushed. “Oh, that is so adorable,” Stewart observed.

  “What?” Theodore asked fearfully.

  “You blush so sweetly when we talk about you being handsome.”

  “I’m not handsome,” Theodore protested.

  “Oh, my friend, you are so very wrong. You are intensely handsome and wholesome. I mean it.”

  Later, when they were back upstairs, Theodore asked Martin, “Wa
s that man at dinner—”

  “One of our kind? Yes.”

  “Why did you want us to dine with him?”

  “Teddy, it’s part of my job to introduce you to the city and some of its many pleasures. Consider tonight to be your first lesson.”

  FOR THE remainder of the month of January, Theodore worked diligently at his new job and had a few rendezvous with men Martin pushed him toward. Theodore was not comfortable with the idea of sex with strangers, as Martin appeared to be. He would have preferred sex with someone he knew and trusted, someone he considered a very good friend. He didn’t understand the appeal of sex with random strangers, but he quickly realized there were some areas in which he and Martin were just different.

  This had never been an issue back home. Theodore would forever be grateful for having Martin as a friend while growing up, but he was coming to see that the Martin he knew was being pushed aside by a new Martin, who he did not know nearly so well. And while he wouldn’t say it, Theodore didn’t really like this Martin as much.

  The early months of 1903 turned out to be brutal, with temperatures that were especially low. More often than not, the cold was accompanied by sharp winds blowing in off the ocean. The walk from their boarding house to their office became one that Theodore dreaded.

  “Wait until July, and then you’ll wish for these days,” Martin told him one morning as they were about to step out the door of their boarding house.

  “Why?”

  “It gets hot here in the summer.”

  “I’ve felt heat,” Theodore told him patiently.

  “You’ve felt country heat before. You’ve never felt city heat. The city in summer can be unbearable.”

  “Martin, every day I find new reasons to question the wisdom of living in this place. Bitter cold, baking heat, wind that blows dirt into everything, a room that never gets warm enough, mud when the snow melts, and so many, many people.”

  “Eh, it’s all part of life, Teddy. You worry too much. Embrace life—and a few men along the way—and live life to its fullest.”

  “Oh, shut up,” Theodore grumbled, which earned him a hearty chuckle as they headed off to work.

  Chapter Twelve—Bad Decisions

  ONE COLD day in early February, Theodore returned home from work to find a letter from his mother waiting for him under his door. He took the letter next door and sat with Martin while he read it.

  February 1, 1903

  Dear Son,

  We had a most unexpected visit this afternoon from Mr. Hoffman. He asked after you and was surprised to hear you had left town. When we told him you were in New York City, the poor man seemed to slump. Your papa and I were so concerned we asked him what was wrong.

  Now mind you, I had not set foot inside the store since he treated you so badly, so I hadn’t seen him in a good many weeks. The man appeared to have aged remarkably in such a short time. I got him some tea and he told us his tale.

  Apparently his nephew was practically his ruin. Since his nephew’s arrival, his business was off worse than he had ever believed possible. Your papa told me later I shouldn’t have said anything, but I couldn’t help but comment on what I’d heard in town about how rudely that young man treated everyone. Mr. Hoffman nodded and murmured agreement.

  I guess we weren’t the only people to stop shopping there after you left. A lot of people either stopped or were chased away by his rudeness. Mr. Hoffman told me he’d had no choice but to send his nephew packing back to Philadelphia. He said something like, “My sister wanted me to fix him, but I fear he was too badly broken to fix.” Neither your papa nor I asked him for details.

  He asked if you might be interested in your old job back. I told him it was doubtful but that I would write and pass on his message and invitation. From your letters, it sounds like you’re happy in New York City and are earning more than you ever had working at Hoffman’s Store, so I can’t imagine you returning.

  In other news, your papa and I are moving out of the house this week so your brother and his family can move in. We’ve taken a smaller house on the edge of town. Your papa has worked too hard, so I’ll be glad to see him have less work to do, but at the same time this house has been our home for a good many years. I think I’ll miss it.

  Write when you can.

  Your Mama

  Theodore read the letter once and was so shocked by the news he read it a second time. He had just finished his second read through when Martin asked, “What in the world has your attention so fully?”

  “I’m sorry. Did you say something?” Theodore had been so engrossed in the letter he hadn’t heard the question, only that Martin had spoken.

  “I said, what’s got you so wrapped up?”

  “This?” he asked, lifting the letter.

  “Yes.”

  “A letter from my mother. Can I read it aloud to you?” Theodore asked.

  “Yes, please. I’m dying of curiosity.”

  So Theodore shared his mother’s words with Martin. He had barely finished reading it before Martin cheered and jumped with excitement.

  “Serves the old prick right, if you ask me,” Martin pronounced. “It would appear that the way he treated you is coming back to haunt him. Aren’t you happy?”

  “Yes and no.”

  “Okay, this I’ve got to hear,” Martin said, lying down on the bed so he was comfortable while he listened to Theodore’s explanation.

  “He treated me well for far more years than the short time he was….”

  “So nasty,” Martin supplied the missing word when Theodore hesitated.

  “Less than respectful of my contributions.”

  “You’re being too generous. He used you and then threw you away.”

  “What he did was wrong, but… had he not done what he did, I would most likely never have had the push I needed to get out of there and come here. And for that I am grateful, because life here is much better than what I had back there. So, you can see I’m of two minds because while I disapprove of the way he did it, I approve of the end result.”

  “Please tell me you’re not thinking of going back there to him,” Martin demanded.

  “Oh, heavens no. Why in the world would I even think about that?”

  “Just making sure. You have a big heart with lots of soft spots for the underdog. Personally, I don’t regard him as an underdog. He got exactly what you knew was coming—he was just too blind to see it at the time.”

  Theodore sighed deeply. “I still think it wasn’t a situation of his own choosing. I had the impression he was being saddled with Micah.”

  “The man was an adult,” Martin argued. “He owned his own business and was from all accounts a relatively good businessman. If what you say is true, then it was his own doing. He could have stopped it at any point.”

  Theodore felt bad about saying anything negative about Mr. Hoffman. The man had been good to him until his nephew arrived. They were both quiet for a moment before he wondered aloud, “I hope this doesn’t mean the end of his business.”

  “Not your problem,” Martin cautioned.

  “I know. I’m just concerned for him.”

  “That’s fine, but he’s got his life, and you’ve got yours,” Martin pronounced.

  A few minutes later, after Theodore had quietly read his mother’s letter yet a third time, Martin asked a question that distracted him.

  “What do you say to a trip to the baths tonight?” Martin rubbed his hands together and looked excitedly at Theodore.

  “Wait a minute. Are you talking about going to the bath to get clean,” Theodore asked before glancing around cautiously and whispering, “or to meet some of your men?”

  “Men, of course,” Martin responded.

  “You know how concerned I am about a place like that,” Theodore said softly.

  “Yes, Teddy, I know how you feel—you’ve told me often enough. I still don’t see what the problem is. The baths at the Ariston is a place that men of our ilk have carved
out, a refuge from the world, a place where men like us can go enjoy the company of one another in an intimate fashion.”

  “But I’ll ask you again, how intimate can it really be with others standing right there watching the two of you… doing… things.”

  “It’s called fucking, my nervous friend—men fucking. Men fucking other men.”

  “Shh!” Theodore told him, anxious that someone might overhear even a hint of such things.

  “Theodore, we’re alone with the door closed. Who’s going to hear our conversation?”

  “You never know who is listening. When discussing something that is illegal, a little caution is required.”

  “Oh, Teddy, you worry too much. You need to take your mind off your troubles, and the best way I know to do that is to have sex. Sex, sex, sex—glorious, intense sex. Sex to transport you to heights of passion, heights of ecstasy.”

  “You’re just horny.”

  “Yes, so?”

  “I could help you… relieve your tension.”

  “I thank you for the offer, my friend, but I’m in the mood for some variety tonight. So what’ll it be? Going or staying?”

  Theodore considered the invitation. As much as it scared him, he had to admit it was exhilarating as well. “Staying,” he finally decided. “Go. Have fun. And please be careful.”

  “Of course,” Martin responded.

  So while Martin went off to the baths for a rendezvous, Theodore retreated to his room, where he reread his mother’s letter for the fifth or sixth time. When he finally had the letter nearly committed to memory, he retrieved a piece of paper and drafted a reply to her, thanking her for the news. Since he wasn’t entirely sure where to go with the letter, he sat and stared at the mostly blank piece of paper for what felt like hours.

  When the paper seemed to be mocking him, he put it aside. After writing in his journal of his day’s activities, the news from his mother, and his concern for Martin, he lay on his bed to read. He’d picked up a new novel at the library earlier in the week and was anxious to get into it; that night seemed the perfect opportunity. Perhaps an hour or so later, he heard a disturbance in the hallway. He thought he recognized Martin’s voice but couldn’t be sure.