chapter 29:

room 800

chapter 30:

the park 1

Jack wandered aimlessly on the street behind the Courthouse, near the rear entrance to the Park, looking hard at all the little restaurants and shops that catered to the Courthouse people during the week.  Finally, he saw what he’d been searching for.  A small sign in the window said “HEROS” and another sign says “SUBS”, and a bigger sign above them both said “THE FILLING STATION”.  Thinking of Cat, Jack went to the front door and peeked in, but could see only a counter and a few small tables and chairs.  As he came away from the door, Jack noticed a man standing in the print shop doorway next to the sub shop.  Instantly alert, Jack looked at the man as he passed, and saw an old policeman, backed up against the shop door, perhaps asleep, and absolutely motionless in the half darkness of the recessed entrance.  Quietly, Jack continued to walk past the policeman headed for the Park.

“Are you hungry?” said an old voice, as Jack had almost passed.

“No, Sir.” said Jack.

“Are you lost?” said the voice.

“Not really.”

“Are you heavy-laden?”

Jack smiled.  “No, Sir.”

The old policeman stepped forward out of the recessed area, blinking a little at the light.  “I’m Mister Charles.” he said, taking off one glove and extending his hand.  “Sergeant Charles.  This is my beat.  I take care of all the folks around here.”

Jack shook hands with the old policeman.  “Nice to meet you, sir.”

“Now, how can I help you, young man?” said Charles.  “You’re not hungry, you’re not lost, and you’re not heavy-laden.  What are you?”

“I’m Jack, Sir.  PFC Kennedy.  I’m done with all my training.  I’ll be going overseas soon.  I’m going to the church tomorrow morning.” said Jack, trying to include everything he thought the cop would want to know.

“Going overseas?  Going to the church?  Are you afraid?” asked Officer Charles.

“No, sir, not really.  I’ve had good training.  I guess I just want to know what it’s really going to be like.”

“You’re infantry.” said Charles, patting the soldier’s shoulder patch.  “It won’t be fun.”

“I’ve had good training, sir.” repeated the soldier.

“Are you saved?”

“Do you mean “am I baptized”?

“That’s one way to say it.”

“My mother says I was baptized, but I don’t remember it.  It would have been here in the City though, before we moved away.”

“Where did you live?  What was your mother’s name?”

Jack wished he could walk away, but was held in place by the old policeman’s steady gaze.  “I don’t remember where we lived.  But I know it was near the River.  My mother wouldn’t let me go down there by myself.  I’ve been looking for the house all day long.  All I remember is there was a big tree in the back yard.  It had a tree fort in it, and I played there.  – My mother’s name was Mary, Sir.  Mary Kennedy.”

Officer Charles smiled.  “I remember your mother.  Nice girl, Mary.  Had a little trouble.  But she got through it.” he said.  “But you won’t find the house.  It’s gone.  They tore it down when they built the Park.  The tree’s still there though.  Over by the playground.  Biggest tree in the Park.  Probably the oldest one, too.  Right in the middle by the playground.  I had to fight with the Courthouse to save that tree.”

“What kind of trouble did my mother have, sir?”

“Just normal woman-kind-of-trouble.  Nothing serious.  Did she ever talk to you about your father?”

“No sir, I never met my father.  Mom said he was dead.”

“Yes, I think he may be.” said Charles, clearly thinking otherwise.  “It was good she left him when she did.  No future with him.”

“I don’t remember the house.” said Jack.

“Little yellow house.” said Charles.  “That big tree was the best thing about it though.  It’s still there.  Right there in the middle of the Park.  Near the playground.”

“I’ll look for it, sir.  Thank you.”

“I was in the infantry, too.” said Charles, clearly not intending to let the conversation end.  “Always carried a New Testament Bible in my left breast pocket over my heart.  Just superstition probably.  Lots of infantry guys did it though.  We thought it would stop a bullet.”

Jack laughed.  “I don’t think it can stop a bullet these days, sir.”

The old policeman smiled and reached into his jacket, pulling out a New Testament Bible from his left breast pocket.  “It could maybe slow it down some though.  You should carry one.”

Jack nodded.  “Maybe I should.”

“Here.  Take this one.” said Charles, opening Jack’s coat and tucking the little book into place.  “You need it more than I do.  – Tell your mother I gave it to you.”

Jack nodded again.  “I will, sir.”

Officer Charles patted Jack’s chest over the book.  “What was so interesting in the sub shop next door?” he said.

“Nothing.  I met a girl tonight who works there.  She asked me to come see her again during the week.  Said we could eat there for free.  I thought it’d be good to know where it was.”

“Catherine.  Cat, I guess, is what you know her by.” said Charles.  “Yes, I know her, too.  I got her that sub job.  She’s a good girl.  Had a little trouble a while ago, but I think that’s over now.  She just doesn’t know how to take a day off.  Needs a boyfriend to fill up her…”

Charles stopped and laughed to himself, then continued.  “Leisure time.” he said softly.

 Jack smiled.  “She is a nice girl.” he said.  “What kind of trouble?”

“Just that normal woman-kind-of-trouble we were talking about.”

“Oh.” said Jack.  “Like my mother.”

“A little like your Mother, yes.  But not exactly.  There lots of different kinds of that normal woman-kind-of-trouble.” said Charles.

“Oh.” says Jack.  “I didn’t know that.”

“Well, you’re a little young to know that yet.”

“Yes, sir.  I found out a lot about how little I know tonight.”

Officer Charles smiled.  “That’s good.  Met another young person tonight who has some learning to do, or she’s going to end up like Cat.”

“Where was that?” asked Jack.

“Doesn’t matter.” said Charles, listening intently to his radio. “Code 88.” it crackled.  “On the Block.” 

“What does that mean?” asked Jack.

“Oh, nothing.  Just somebody having a little trouble over there.” said Charles, pointing behind them.  “I better go check on it anyway.”

“Okay.” said Jack.  “Is it all right if I take a little nap in the Park?”

“Sure.” said Charles.  “Just be careful out there now.  Lots of strange folks wandering around the Park on a night like tonight.  But I think they’re mostly harmless as long as you don’t show any fear.”

“I’ll be careful.” said Jack.  “And I won’t show any fear.”

The old policeman began to move away slowly back to the Block.  “Good luck to you, son.  Especially overseas.  And read that little Bible sometimes, okay?”

“I will.” said Jack, crossing slowly to the rear entrance of the Park.

Jack headed directly to the center of the Park.  As he neared the playground, looking hard at the huge tree very close by, three dark figures rose up off the playground equipment, one large man, another small man, and a medium-sized man dressed all in black.  The medium man began to move toward him, flanked by the other two.  Jack was a little afraid, but remembering Officer Charles, he walked straight toward the men.  “Hello.” he said.  “I used to live here.”

“Where?” said the medium man.

“Right there in front of that big tree.” said Jack.

“When?” asks the medium man.

“Long time ago.” said Jack, passing between them and walking over to the tree.  “See.  You can still see the nails where the ladder was.”

“You lived up in the tree?” asked the short man.

“No.” said Jack.  “We had a little yellow house.  It sat right there by the sliding board.”

“Do you have any wine?” said the big man.  “Or any money?  To buy wine?”

“No.” said Jack.  “I spent all my money over on the Block.”

“We sure could use some money to buy wine.” said the man in black.  “Did you see anybody with any money to buy wine?”

“No.” said Jack.  “Just a cop.  He said he was coming through the Park in a couple minutes.  ‘Making his rounds’ he called it.  He may be able to help you.”

The three men were instantly afraid.  “Young cop or old?” asked the medium man.

“Young.” lied Jack, not knowing why, but thinking young was scarier than old.  “He’ll be here in a couple of minutes.  He was right behind me, but he stopped to talk on his radio.  Something about suspicious characters in the Park near the playground, I think.”

The three men huddled together, talking in whispers.  “Don’t tell him you saw us.” said the man in black.  “Last time he caught us in here, he whacked us all with his night stick.  For no good reason.  We was just playing, and he hit us every one to make us stop.  I know he cost us a bottle of wine that night.  He’s a bad guy.  The old one ain’t so bad, but the young one likes to hit people with his night stick.”

“I won’t tell.” said Jack, smiling to himself.  “You boys just be careful out there now.”

“We’ll go over to the River.” said the medium man.  “Don’t tell him we went that way, please.  And don’t let him hit you with his stick.”

“I won’t.” said Jack, going to the slide and sitting down.

Slowly the three men shuffled away from the playground, looking all around them, and back over their shoulders at Jack.  As they passed behind some trees, Jack lay back on the slide, his hands in the pockets of his overcoat, and closed his eyes.  In a few seconds, he was asleep.

chapter 31:

the party (i)

Jesús kicked at the door of Room 800 with his heavy boot and, in only a moment, Rusty turned off the light, unlocked the door, opened it a crack and peeped out into the hallway.  Jesús stumbled into the darkened room, bottle clinking against bottle in the two cumbersome bags, inside the big box that he carried.  Rusty closed the door and flicked the light switch.  Inside the room, Joey sat in an overstuffed chair in front of the window wall, and Junior stood in the doorway of a bedroom, barefoot, dressed in jeans and tee shirt.  The blind Cowboy sat comfortably on a soft chair in front of the television, which droned softly, although he seemed to ignore it completely.

“Red Rover, Red Rover, let Joey come over.” sang Jesús, as he stepped into the living room and set the box down on the floor.

No one moved, although everyone looked at him.

“I said ‘Red Rover, Red Rover, let Joey come over’.” repeated Jesús, slurring his words.

Junior smiled.

“Over where?” asked Joey.

“Over here, dammit.” said Jesús.  “You’re supposed to come over here and try to knock me down.  That’s how you get to be King on the Mountain.”

‘Don’t wants to be no king on no mountain.” said Joey.  “What mountain anyway?  Where it is?  What is you talking about?”

“It’s in these bags.” said Jesús, pointing to the box.

“What’s in them bags?” said Rusty, licking his lips excitedly.  “It’s not a mountain, I bet.”

“It’s an ocean then.” said Jesús.  “Or maybe a river.”

Jesús leaned down into one of the bags, and began to pull out bottles, quietly, almost religiously, intoning the name of its contents.  “Wine.  This is the stuff you guys drink, isn’t it?”

“Amen, brother.” said Joey, rising from his chair and walking toward Jesús, taking the bottle of wine from his hand.  “It makes the dead for to walk again.”

“I got a whole bag of that shit for you two.” said Jesús, pulling out another bottle.  “Just like you told me to.  And no breads and cheeses.  And especially no fishes.”

“Praise the Lord!  Thanks be to God!” said Joey.

Rusty reached for the wine bottle, but Jesús quickly puts it in the hands of the blind cowboy, who continued to sit very still, holding the bottle tightly in both of his hands.

Jesús reached in the other bag again quickly and withdrew another bottle.  “Brandy.” he said.  “100 proof.  Rusty, this one’s got your name on it, I think.”

“HALLELUJAH.” said Rusty, grabbing the bottle, twisting the cap off hurriedly, and pouring pale brown liquid into his mouth.  The fire in his throat became a fire in his stomach, and he turned away from the others, running through the bedroom into the bathroom and throwing up violently into the commode, the force of his vomit tearing away the paper strip “FOR YOUR PROTECTION”.

Jesús followed Rusty to the bathroom.  “You okay?”

Rusty just nodded his head.

“Go a little slower.” said Jesús.  “Your guts ain’t used to this kind of stuff.  Slow down a little, now, all right.”

Jesús returned to the living room and opened the bottle of wine for the blind cowboy.  He put the bottle under Cowboy’s nose and forced it up to his mouth.  At first the Cowboy drank reluctantly, but then seized the bottle from Jesús’s hand, and tilted it up over his mouth, drinking eagerly.  He drank deep for a long moment, then lowered the bottle, struggling for breath.  Quickly he gulped air, then went back under the bottle.  It was a long time before he surfaced again, struggling to speak.  “Was in the war.” he croaked in a raspy, crusty, little-used voice.

Jesús and Joey looked at each other in surprise.  Jesús passed Rusty’s bottle of brandy to Junior, and dug through the wine bag to get a bottle of wine for Rusty, then searched the other bag for a bottle of rum for himself.  “What was in the war?” asked Jesús, finding his rum, uncapping it, and taking a deep drink.

The blind cowboy did not answer.  Rusty came out of the bedroom, wiping his mouth on a towel, looking from Joey to Jesús to the blind cowboy in amazement.  “He talks?” asked Rusty, taking the bottle of wine from Jesús.

Junior began to sip at the brandy, afraid of throwing up like Rusty but proud to be given something the older man couldn’t handle.  They all waited for the blind man to speak again.

“Was in the war.” repeated the cowboy, finally, with difficulty, pausing to take another drink.  “Was on a submarine.  Didn’t have no weapons but torpedoes.  And a fifty-caliber machine gun if we was on the surface.  – We’d all sneak down to the torpedo room when the Captain went to sleep and drain a little juice…a little fuel out of each one of the torpedoes.  – And we’d strain it through three slices of day-old white bread.  And then we’d drink it.  – Three slices of day-old white bread.  Not two.  Too strong.  The stuff’s poison anyway.  – Not four.  Too weak.  Like drinking water.  But three slices of day-old white bread.  Just right.  Just like this stuff here, I tell you.”

Jesús and Joey and Rusty looked at each other laughing.

“But didn’t the captain ever wake up and catch you?” asked Junior.

“We needed them torpedoes, too.” said the Cowboy.  “Got in trouble one time.  Needed to sink a ship that knew where we was and was chasing us, trying to kill us.  Fired off torpedo after torpedo, but none of them ever got to that ship.  They all ran out of fuel.  – And then the ship came over us and dropped bombs on us, and that’s how we all got killed.  —- Except me.  I was up forward in the torpedo storage area trying to see if there was any more fuel around, but all the torpedoes up there was empty.  I needed a drink real bad—poison or not.  The sub broke apart, and the front of it must have been the lightest part because it just stood there for a minute while the rest of the boat sank to the bottom.  And that’s when I got away.  But when I came up out of the water, there was oil or something there and it was on fire.  And there was that ship there that had killed us all, and they saw me and got me out of the water.  But my eyes got burned real bad.  And I can’t hear because my ear drums got ruptured from the pressure.”

The blind cowboy stopped talking and took a long drink.

Junior looked at the old man, fighting the tears in his eyes, imagining surfacing through water, gasping for air, and instead of air breathing in lungfuls of fire.  The others in the room were silent, until Jesús gets up from the floor where he has knelt down, and walked to the boy’s side.  “That stuff too much for you?” he asked.

“No, I’m all right.” said Junior, wiping his eyes.

“You ever had real booze before?”

Junior shook his head.  “Just beer.”

Jesús laughed loudly.  “An alcohol virgin.” he said, motioning to the other men.  “Got to baptize him, men, wash him free from his sins.  I’m going to need all the help I can get.”

Jesús grasped Junior by the arm and pulled him to the center of the room.  Joey and Rusty joined them there.

“Kneel down, my son.” said Jesús, mock-serious.

Junior knelt.  Jesús stood in front of the boy, with Joey and Rusty on either side.

“Anoint the child with the holy spirits.” said Jesús.

Joey and Rusty shook small amounts of wine from their bottles onto Junior’s head.

“What’s your name?” asked Jesús softly.

“Junior.”

“No, your real name.”

“Jude, but nobody calls me that.” said the boy, trying to rise.  “I don’t like that name.  I prefer Junior…”

Jesús pushed the boy back down on his knees and returned to his mock-serious tone.  “Then I baptize you Junior…” he said.

“JUNIOR.” repeated Joey.

“In the name of the Father…” said Jesús softly.

“IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER.” said Joey and Rusty.

“In the name of the Son…”

“IN THE NAME OF THE SON.”

“In the name of the Holy Ghost.”

“IN THE NAME OF THE HOLY GHOST.”

“Hallelujah.” said Jesús.  “Another sinner baptized for the glory of the Lord.”

Jesús led the others in a chorus of laughter, but suddenly he held up his hand.  “That reminds me.” he said.  “Did I ever tell you about the time Rusty went to the Courthouse and had to testify as an expert witness.”

“No.” said Joey, looking at Rusty with admiration.

“I don’t remember doing that.” said Rusty.

“Really?” said Junior, getting up from the floor, and flopping down on the couch, taking a long drink from his bottle of brandy.

“Yes.” said Jesús.  “It was one of those—what do you call them? — That’s right.  Paternity cases.  Trying to figure out who the father of this certain baby was.  – You see, this young girl—she was about your age, Junior—she gave birth to a baby and wasn’t married, and her parents were trying to find out who the father of the baby was.  Well, first off, she said she didn’t know.  But they kept after her until finally she told them she would tell them the truth.  She said that one night when she was alone in her room, sleeping with the window open, that a ghost came in through the open window and had sex with her and that was how she happened to get pregnant and have this baby.”

Jesús paused for a drink of rum.

“Well, the judge said he’d never heard of such a thing, and he kind of just threw up his hands like judges do sometimes, and said right out in open court that if there was anybody in the court who had ever heard of or knew anybody who had ever heard of anybody who had ever had sex with a ghost, for them to come forward and testify.”

Jesús paused for another drink.

“Well, that courtroom got so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.  So quiet, you could hear the heartbeat of the person sitting next to you.  And it stayed quiet for a long time.  But then, who would have believed it, but guess who stuck up his hand and come walking right up to the front of the courtroom?  — That’s right.  It was Rusty.”

“I did?” said Rusty.

The others laughed.

“Yes, you did.  You probably forgot about it though.  It was a long time ago.  – You went up to the front of the room and the judge said to swear in the witness and the other guy asked you ‘Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing else but the truth?”

“And Rusty said ‘Yes, your honor, I swear.”

“Well, the judge asked Rusty to tell what he knew about it or who he knew that knew somebody who’d had sex with a ghost.  And Rusty said ‘Well, to tell you the truth, your honor, it was me’.” 

“Well, the judge got right mad and said ‘Do you mean to sit there and tell me that you, too, have had sex with a GHOST?’.”

“All of a sudden Rusty gets real embarrassed and looks up at the judge and says, ‘No, your honor, I haven’t’.”

“Well, now the judge is about to have a fit.  ‘But you just said a minute ago…’ he starts to say to Rusty.”

“But Rusty breaks in ‘I’m sorry, your honor.  But I’m hard of hearing and I was on the back row, and I thought you said GOAT’.”

There was an eruption of laughter in the room.

Rusty took a long drink from the bottle in his hand.  “Then, what did I do next, Jesus?” he asked delightedly.

chapter 32: jim

“He said, ‘Just follow me.  Everything will be all right, I promise you.  I’ll stay out here in front of you and lead the way.’

That’s what the rat said.  Lying rat.

All my money gone.

No.  Back in the room.  Got more money.

‘Just fun money.  Don’t matter what happens to it.’

SUE—DOUGH.  The most intimate and exciting nightclub in town.  A revolutionary nightclub.  Many of our customers say they can’t tell Sue—Dough from the real thing.

Efficient Susan.

‘Type this for me, Susan.’

‘Susan, can you help me find this file?’

‘Of course, Mister Bailey, that’s right over here in this file cabinet.’

‘Susan, can you recommend a good motel?  I want to entertain a friend, you know, and I can’t take her home to the wife and kids.  She’s a friend from an out-of-town trip named Lisa.’

Bourbon.  Lover.  Salesman.  Money.  Hero.

‘Susan, Lisa couldn’t make it and I wonder if you could use the room.  I mean I don’t need it anymore.  – Stay right where I am.  Why?    — You’ll be right over.’

‘I got a little business on the side myself.  Getting dates for guys staying at the hotel who don’t know any girls here in town.’

‘Why didn’t you tell me that before?  Why, you could have made all my customers very happy.  And I could have sold all the Sue—Dough I could shovel.’

Preacher.  Preacher Shit.

I don’t want to go home.  I can’t go home.  I won’t go home.

I don’t.  – I can’t.  – I won’t.

But I got to go home.

NO.”

“Maybe next time.  Yeah, maybe next trip. 

Might have been all right. 

Should have invited her out.  Took a walk. 

Wouldn’t have done anything. 

Unless she came back to my room with me.

Maybe then.  – Then, maybe.

She had big tits—that blonde Lisa—big tits.

Would have liked to see those big tits.

Susan doesn’t have big tits yet.  Too young.  Never had kids.

Maybe hasn’t even had IT yet.  She’s not married.  Maybe not.

But she talks like she has though.  Acts like she’s been around a little bit.  Cute when she talks like that.

Should have had both of them here.  Took them back to the room.  Make them suck each other’s tits.  I’d like to watch that.

Then come over and drop the towel.  Yeah.  YES.

Monica?  She’d never do it.  Just laugh.  Too fat.  Too ugly fat.

Good soldier.  Protects his country.  Deserves couple drinks.

Should have invited him to the Block.  Bought him a girl.

He’d like that.  Took them back to the room.  Watched them do it.  Young guys these days don’t care if you watch.  Besides, it’s my money. 

He looked strong, too.  I bet he really grinds those bitches.

Should take him home.  Make Monica do it with him.

Tell him to really hurt her.  She’d probably love it.

Then I could go get Susan.  She’d love it, too.

SUE—DOUGH.  V. P. SALES.

I was in the navy, too.  I remember.  Wasn’t I?”