“Hold your horses!” Bobby yelled.
Ted grabbed himself between the legs. “I just got the one, but he’s a big old boy!”
“I only got two hands, Ted.”
“Well, pull one of ‘em out of your ass and bring me and Miriam another round!”
“Stick your dick in a sock, Ted.”
“Stick yours up your ass, Bobby!”
“Hell, Ted, least mine’s long enough to reach.”
The other men laughed.
Ted reached down and hoisted me up onto the bar.
“Hungry,” I said.
“Jesus, Mutt, you ain’t done nothing but eat since you hit the door. Skinny little runt-rat. All you do is eat and shit? Hey, Bobby! Bring us a couple of eggs for my ol’ Mutt! And some of them little weenies!”
“Jesus Christ!” Bobby said. “Don’t you people feed that kid?”
“I seen Muttie-boy’s little weenie,” Miriam laughed. “He didn’t know I was peeking.”
“Did not,” I said.
“No more’n a itty-bitty button,” she said.
“Did not!”
“Leave the kid alone,” Ted said.
“Teenie little weenie.”
“Shut up, Miriam!” Ted said.
“Shut up, Miriam!” I said.
Miriam reached in front of Ted and slapped at my mouth. Ted caught her wrist. “Don’t you ever, Miriam.”
“You going to let that little shit talk to me like that?”
Ted twisted her wrist.
“You ever lay a hand on that kid, I’ll kick your ass ‘till it bleeds.”
“Let go, you bastard!”
Bobby walked up with a tray. “Take it easy, you two.”
Ted twisted Miriam’s wrist again, and she whimpered.
“Mind your own business, Bobby,” Ted said.
“This bullshit’s getting old,” Bobby said. “People don’t come in here and want to see this kind of bullshit.”
“Mind your own business, Bobby,” Miriam said.
Ted let her go, and Bobby set out the beer, whiskey, eggs, and weenies.
“I don’t give a gnat’s ass about your business. Just take it outside. People come here to get away from this kind of crap. They want this kind of crap, they’d stay at home, Ted.” He shook his head and walked away.
“Why the hell people want to stick their nose into your business?” Ted threw back his shot and drank his beer half down.
“Coke,” I said, trying to swallow the dry hardboiled egg.
“Ain’t no Coke,” Ted said, pushing his beer in front of me. “Down the hatch, kid. Bobby’s too damn busy for Cokes. Too damn busy with everybody’s business.”
“Bastard,” Miriam said.
I sucked away the foam and took three long drinks.
The next day was a working day, so the tavern began to empty well before midnight. The weather had worsened, and there would be little business from the swing shift. Bobby decided to close early.
There were two men left sitting at the bar, and, except for Miriam and Phyllis, all the women had gone. The jukebox had been turned low, the lights turned up, and Bobby and Phyllis were busy clearing tables and washing up.
Bobby had pounded the bar and shouted “Last call!” a number of times.
Ted had removed my shoes, and I lay stretched upon my side on the bar, playing cars with Bobby’s dice and cup. I was the first one to see Lorraine and Trudy walk in through the front door. I bolted upright and stared over Ted’s shoulder.
“Holy Jesus,” Ted said, watching them in the mirror as they beat the snow from their coats. He stood, making an effort to pull himself together, but was unsteady on his feet. He tucked his shirt in his pants and slicked back his hair.
“Miriam!” he hissed between clenched teeth. “Get the hell out of here. Right now. No bullshit. Go warm up the truck.” He fumbled his keys out of his pocket and dropped them on the bar next to her purse.
Miriam turned on her stool and smiled.
“If it ain’t little Miss Goody Two Shoes and her pet dyke,” she simpered. “I ain’t running from that sow.” She rested both elbows behind her on the bar and crossed her legs, her meaty thighs bulging over the sides of the stool.
“Let’em come,” she said.
When Lorraine saw me perched on the bar, she shouted, “Get that kid down from there! Right now!”
Trudy grabbed Lorraine’s arm and whispered urgently in her ear, but Lorraine shook free and waddled straight for Ted. She stopped a foot in front of him, hands on her hips, looking up into his face, her belly heaving as though it would burst the buttons of her coat. Trudy had stumped along in her wake, hands plunged deep in her pockets, her heavy boots throwing sawdust like a scratching rooster. She moved close to Lorraine, carefully angling her body between Lorraine and Miriam.
Ted leaned away from Lorraine, his back against the bar, and I peered out at her from the safety of his shoulder. I could smell the sweat on the back of Ted’s neck. Feel the tremble of his biceps as I lay my hand upon his arm.
I had expected Lorraine to be furious, to set upon us all with a flurry of fists, screaming at the top of her lungs. I rested lightly upon my haunches, prepared to run the length of the bar and out the back door the moment she reached to strike me.
But Lorraine seemed calm. She looked first at me, then Miriam, then Ted. Her face was swollen, her eyes red from weeping, but her voice was strong and steady. Now, her eyes never left Ted’s face.
“Where’s his shoes?”
Ted slid from his stool. He had tied my shoelaces together, draping them over the bottom rung. He kicked my shoes with his toe and set them swinging back and forth. He cleared his throat.
“I’m taking him back to Mom’s.”
Miriam snickered.
“Shut up, Miriam,” Ted said, not taking his eyes from Lorraine.
Bobby walked up, wringing his hands on his apron. His eyes were set deep with fatigue; sweat beaded on top of his head. He spread his arms wide, resting his palms on the bar.
“I won’t have a ruckus.”
“There ain’t going to be no ruckus,” Ted said. “Miriam’s on her way out to my truck. Lorraine was just about to head over to my mom’s.”
Bobby ruffled my hair. “How ‘bout a Coke for old Mutt? I’ll take him down the other end. Show him how to work the spigot. Hell, he’s big enough he can draw his own Coke.”
“Mutt’s fine where he is,” Ted said. “Go mind your business.”
Trudy pulled her baseball cap from her head, inspected the band, and scratched behind one ear. She cocked her head like a curious bird. “Not a damn bit of trouble,” she smiled. She worked her tongue through the gap in her front teeth and winked. “Upon my word, Bobby. Not one damn bit.”
Bobby sighed and tickled my ear.
“Good seeing you, Mutt. You’re a real gentle-man.” He looked at Ted and Miriam, Lorraine and Trudy. “I don’t know what the hell’s the matter with you people.” Everyone stood very still. “You work it out quiet. Real quiet.”
Bobby turned on his heel and walked to the far end of the bar.
“Get your shoes on, Teddie,” Lorraine said.
Ted stooped and picked up my shoes. He untied the laces and threw them into my lap.
“Put ‘em on, Mutt.” He looked at Lorraine. “I’m taking him back to Mom’s.”
“Like hell,” Lorraine said.
“You and her go out the front,” Ted said, inclining his head toward Trudy. “Us and Teddie’ll go out the back. I’m taking him straight to Mom’s. You meet us over. Then we’ll say what’s to say.”
“He’s coming home with his mother,” Lorraine answered.
“Boys’ night out. I’m taking him back to Mom’s, then we’ll say.”
“Boys and whores, you mean.” Lorraine watched as I slid into one of my shoes. “Teddie’s coming home with his mother. He ain’t riding in the same car as no whore.”
Miriam shrieked and leapt from her st
ool. Lorraine was ready for her. She pushed around Trudy and, extending both hands, reached for Miriam’s eyes. But Trudy was quicker, and she stepped between the two, lowering a shoulder and heaving it into Miriam’s chest. Miriam grunted, the force of the blow flinging her backward against the bar.
Lorraine snarled and again reached for Miriam, but Ted caught Lorraine by the wrist and dragged her away. Trudy pounced on Miriam and wrenched her face upward into the light, Miriam cursing and slapping in vain at Trudy’s face. Trudy drew back her fist and punched Miriam so hard that her head snapped back and cracked against the bar. A spurt of blood rushed from her nose, soaking the front of her blouse. Miriam’s eyes widened, and as she waved her hands in a gesture of surrender, Trudy drew back and punched her again. She slumped to the floor in a mewling heap, legs askew, her skirt pulled up around her waist. She wore no underwear, and, at the top of her white, jiggling thighs, pieces of sawdust caught and hung in her bushy black pubic hair.
Trudy bent down, preparing to pick Miriam up so she could hit her again.
Meanwhile, Ted held Lorraine at arm’s length, controlling her by bending back her wrist.
“Baby!” he crooned. “Come on, baby! We don’t need this. Call off your goddamn dyke.”
Lorraine bared her teeth and redoubled her efforts to escape. She twisted suddenly, spinning, and nearly broke free, but the unexpected move caused Ted to slip and fall. He failed to release Lorraine’s wrist when he went down, and, as he hit the floor, he pulled her after him, levering her wrist back upon itself. There was a sharp snap, and Lorraine screamed.
Trudy dropped Miriam like a sack of bones and ran to Lorraine.
Ted attempted to pick himself up, but his legs were rubbery and he stumbled into a tangle of stools. I jumped from the edge of the bar and leapt onto his back, locking my arms about his neck, digging my knees between his shoulders. I hauled back on his throat with all my strength, strangling and twisting.
“Jesus Christ, Teddie!” Ted choked. He coughed and pawed at my arms.
I bit him on the head, and he cursed.
I bit him again.
Ted tore my arms away, and I slid from his back and hit the floor with a thump. Trudy was on him like a cat, coming from behind, wrestling one arm behind his back, jerking it up between his shoulder blades.
“Goddammit!” Bobby shouted, from the far end of the bar. “Goddammit to hell!”
“Christ, Bobby!” Ted yelled. “Get the bitch off me!”
Bobby came running, holding high the length of pipe he kept hidden beneath the cash register.
Trudy saw him and dragged Ted around in front of her, holding him between her and the onrushing Bobby. Trudy’s face was flushed, and, although she was breathing hard from the exertion, her face shone with excitement.
“Don’t mess with me,” she said, as Bobby slid to a halt before her. “God as my witness, I’ll tear his arm off and beat you to death with it.”
Bobby danced back and forth, looking for an opening, but Trudy countered his every move, using Ted as a shield. Finally, Bobby saw an opening and raised the pipe higher, preparing to deliver a blow. He stopped short when the front door banged open and a voice rumbled from the doorway.
“Bob McKenna! Bobby!”
We all turned at the sound of that voice and watched as Leo walked toward us through the smoky blue light. He strode easily, the stub of a cigar stuck at the corner of his mouth, his hands curled into blocky fists. His wool shirt was only half buttoned, and his beer belly stuck out underneath, swaying rhythmically as he came. His coveralls were unzipped down to the top of his shorts; the laces of his boots were untied and flapped against the wide-rolled cuffs. His black, horn-rimmed glasses were fogged with steam.
Bobby lowered the pipe.
Leo stopped in front of Lorraine, who was squatting on the floor, holding her wrist, weeping softly.
“Lorraine,” Leo said. “For Christ’s sake, Lorraine.” He reached down and touched her hair.
Lorraine did not look up. She shook her head and scooted away.
“You okay, Lorraine?” Trudy asked. She continued to hold Ted firmly, one arm snugged around his throat, the other still pinning his arm behind his back.
“Come on, now, Lorraine,” Trudy said. “S’matter?”
“My damn arm,” Lorraine said, wiping her nose on her shoulder.
Miriam had begun to moan and was making an effort to get to her feet. As she struggled to sit upright, Trudy pushed her back down and held her there by resting the sole of her boot on her chest.
I got up from the floor, brushed the sawdust from my pants, and walked to Lorraine’s side. I cradled her head in my arms. She began to weep again, holding her wrist away from me, sobbing with her face buried in my chest.
“Hi, Grandpa.”
“Little late for you, ain’t it, Teddie?” He took the cigar from his mouth and, after inspecting it under the light of an overhanging lantern, blew on it until the white ash flew away and the end glowed red.
“How’s it going, Bobby?” He returned the cigar to the corner of his mouth and held out his hand. “Long time no see.”
Bobby shook Leo’s hand. “Gettin’ too old for this bullshit, Leo.” He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the end of the bar towel at his belt.
Leo removed his glasses, pulled out the end of his T-shirt, and rubbed away the condensation on the lenses. He held them up to the lantern light, then snugged the heavy frames back onto his nose.
“You ought to come back to the mill,” he said. “You was a good worker, Bobby. Always a place for you back at the mill.”
“Thanks, Leo. I’m doing okay.”
“Well, maybe you ought to get you a bouncer, then. You know Elroy Sharpe? Got a brother-in-law. Big, nasty son of a gun. I could send him around.”
“Got a bruiser comes weekends.”
Leo looked at Trudy and smiled. “Evening, Gertrude.”
“Evening, Leo,” Trudy said.
“You ain’t ruinating that shit-for-brains son of Marge’s, are you?”
“Some.”
“Well, don’t lay him up. Like pulling teeth to get a day’s work out of him as it is.” Leo cleared his throat and spit. He turned to Bobby, and put his hand to his wallet. “What’s the damage?”
Bobby patted the pipe against the palm of his hand. “Just my peace of mind. I’ve just about had it with this Ted of yours.”
Leo put his hand on Bobby’s shoulder. “I know. If I thought it’d do any good, I’d say come alongside his head with that persuader. Knock some sense into him. But, good works is lost on a man like Ted. I thought he needed his ass beat down to the meat when he was Teddie’s age, but, every time I said ‘boo’ to him, Marge’d scream bloody murder.”
“Over-damn-mothered,” Lorraine moaned.
“I’d ‘preciate it if you’d see to her,” Leo said. Bobby walked to Lorraine and spoke to her gently, loosening her fingers around her wrist.
“No doubt busted. Come on, sweetheart, let’s get some ice on that thing.” Bobby helped her up, and he and Lorraine walked toward the other end of the bar.
I started to follow.
“C’mere, Teddie,” Leo said. I stood for a moment and watched Lorraine and Bobby move away, Bobby cradling Lorraine’s elbow, Lorraine leaning hard against him, holding her wrist.
I looked back at Leo.
“Your mom’s okay. Old Bobby’ll take good care of her. Old Bobby knows about bones and such. Was a medical in the army.”
I walked over to Leo and stood by his side; he held his hand down to me, and I took it. He turned to the cluster of silent, watchful people at the other end of the bar. He took the cigar from his mouth and yelled.
“You, there, girl! Come on down here and help this Miriam!”
Phyllis did not move.
“Come on, now, goddammit!”
The men sitting next to Phyllis pushed her toward us.
She came carefully, making a wide arc around Leo and me, a
nother around Ted and Trudy. She stopped in front of Miriam, but made no move to help her.
Trudy winked and smiled.
“Kind of a mess, ain’t she.”
“Jesus, God,” Phyllis said. Miriam’s face and clothes were a ruin of blood and sawdust. The skin over the bridge of her nose was split wide, the cartilage showing white beneath. Phyllis bent over the fallen woman, hands on her knees, sucking her teeth. “First time I ever seen the girl with even her lipstick out of whack.”
“Don’t know about you, honey,” Trudy said, “but I’d say she’s the better for it. Hell, I could get used to seeing her like that. Makes me feel good, way down in my tickle place. Know what I mean? She comes all the way to, you tell her Trudy said she looks Jim Dandy all busted up.”
“Come on, girls,” Leo said. “Let’s get her goin’. Take her to the john, make her presentable. Feed her some coffee. Put some ice on that nose. And for Christ’s sake, keep her the hell away from Lorraine.”
“Loose as a goose,” Phyllis said, grunting, helping Miriam to her feet. “She ain’t never been no friend of mine, no-how.”
“You’re Phyllis, ain’t you?” Leo asked. “Petey Mason’s ex?”
Phyllis opened her mouth to speak, but Leo held up a hand and cut her short.
“I remember you, Phyllis. You used to do real good helping with the sack lunches down at the strike hall. Do me this favor, will you, Phyllis? Get old Miriam up and running. I’ll make it right by you.”
Phyllis sighed and pulled Miriam’s skirt down around her hips, brushed at the sawdust in her hair and on her blouse. Tears began to stream down Miriam’s cheeks as she put her fingers to her face, inspecting the damage. Phyllis grasped her by the shoulders and pointed her toward the restroom, pushing Miriam away when she tried to throw an arm around her waist for support.
“Watch it, Miriam. You get blood on my uniform, you’ll damn well buy me another.”
Leo led me to the bar and hoisted me up. He pressed close, wrapping me in his arm.
“How you been, Gertrude?” Leo asked, not looking at her, looking instead into the mirror behind the bar.
“Good, Leo. Real good.” Trudy had neither moved nor loosened her grip on Ted. She did not look at Leo, but looked past him, trying to glimpse Lorraine at the back of the bar. “Better by the minute.”
The Violent Child Page 9
