A Hatful of Rain Page #2

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Take it any way you want.

Polo, you're a bum.

You always were,

and you always will be.

I'm a bum?

Now, listen, Pop.

Now, you stop calling me names.

I'll call you

all the names I can!

Pop, Pop, come on.

Let's forget about it.

I might as well be

talking to a mule.

Let me get out of here and get

a drink before I get sick.

I thought I did a good job bringing up

you kids without a mother.

I certainly missed

on that brother of yours.

Pop, I'm not going to stand

around here while you knock Polo.

I'll wait for you out front.

Don't knock my brother to me.

Come on, Polo, let's go home, huh?

Celia's waiting for us.

Get him out of here, Johnny.

Get him out of here.

If I didn't love him, I'd kill him.

Get him out of here.

- Polo, I'm sorry.

- Yeah.

Wait for me, son.

Hey, you got yourself

a good cook, Johnny.

Oh, how would you know?

You didn't eat anything.

I lost my appetite when I

saw your brother-in-law.

Anyway, I'm fat enough.

Oh, this coffee

is awful strong.

What is it, Turkish?

It is not Turkish.

It's plain ordinary coffee.

Oh, I don't understand.

Last night, I put

nine tablespoons in that pot,

and it tasted like tea.

Which pot?

You know you got five,

and they're all different sizes.

Well, I didn't ask

for all those pots.

She had a shower

when we got married,

and they gave her

four coffeepots.

And you went out, and you bought

one, too, so never mind.

How was I supposed to know

your girlfriends were coffeepot happy?

Six girls come to the party,

and four of them

show up with coffeepots.

It's a curse. As long

as I can remember,

I could never make coffee.

What are you going to call him?

Her, not him. Her.

Uh-uh.

No, I've been counting on a grandson.

Right, Johnny?

You'll just have to settle

for a granddaughter.

We'll see about that.

What's so interesting

out the window?

Nothing.

You don't have any pains

anymore, do you?

Mm-mm. No more.

Sometimes things

like that act up.

You know, guys with rheumatism,

their teeth start

to ache when it rains.

At this club

where I was working,

and they got a grand class

of people there, too--

lawyers, senators,

a couple of judges thrown in.

I used to tell them how you

laid in that cave in Korea

for 13 days without

any food or water,

how you kept your mouth shut

no matter what they did to you.

I showed them that picture

of you in the hospital

when you were down to 90 pounds.

Oh, I was-- I was

proud of you, Johnny.

Pop, let's forget

about that, huh?

You'd think there was

something to be ashamed of.

Honey, it's ancient history.

Well, I couldn't have held out,

and there ain't many who could.

And I am proud of you, kid.

Okay, Pop, you're proud of me.

Do you know he tore up all those

newspaper clippings and photographs?

There just wasn't

one of me smiling.

Well, I'd like to have my

picture taken with a general.

Honey, let's forget

about that, huh?

Uh, I'll get that.

- Well, hiya.

- Hi.

Who is it?

Just a couple

of friends of mine.

Well, don't have them

standing out in the hall.

Ask them to come in.

- Come on in, will you?

- Our feet are wet, Johnny.

We just want to see you

for a minute.

Uh, this is my wife,

and this here's my father.

- Well--

- Oh, stay where you are.

It's all right.

I'm sorry. I didn't

get the names.

I got your floor all dirty.

Maybe I'd better wait

out in the hall, huh?

Yeah, wait outside in the hall.

Could you step out

for a few minutes, Johnny?

- Yeah, sure.

- Nice meting you.

Yes, nice--

Who are they?

Just a couple of guys

I play poker with.

Probably want

to borrow a few bucks.

Well, I don't care anything

about the floor, Johnny.

Ask them to come in.

They're embarrassed. I'll only

be a couple of minutes.

Button up your coat.

It's cold out there.

You got the money?

Look, Mother,

everything went wrong.

I've been trying

to call you all day long.

I looked for you every place.

Every junkie in this city's been

looking for us, right, Mother?

The lid is all over

the city, Johnny.

They picked up Albie

this afternoon.

Yeah, we've been walking

in the shadows all day long.

We can't stay in one place

more than ten minutes.

I'm thin, Mother.

- You got any part of it?

- No.

Then what were you

looking for me for?

Look, my old man

came into town today.

Just give me enough

to hold me over

until tomorrow night

when he gets on his plane.

You'll get it by tomorrow

morning, Johnny,

every penny of it.

Mother, you must be crazy.

Where am I going

to get 500 bucks

by tomorrow morning?

Your wife must have

something put aside

for a rainy day, huh?

She never lost a day's work.

What do you expect me to do,

go in and tell my wife--

- Chuch!

- Listen to me, junkie.

I don't care how many

jokes you told me

or how long I'd know you.

I'd never press you

if they didn't press me.

You don't get anything

from me, nothing.

Your eyes can rattle

right out of your head.

Now, just good faith.

300 tomorrow morning,

and I'll carry you for the rest.

Let him go, Chuch.

What am I going to do

until my old man goes?

I'm no doctor.

I'm a businessman.

You got it for free in

the hospital, Johnny,

but Mother's no charity

ward, right, Mother?

You know what you got here?

One lousy spoonful,

and my life goes on the block

every time I put it

in my pocket.

How many times

did I bring it to you?

Hey, Mister.

Walk my brother

down the stairs, please.

Yeah, sure.

Come on, champ.

There you go.

There.

There you go.

Off and running.

Thank you, Mister.

Thank you, Mister.

Thanks, Mother.

I'll pay you tomorrow.

How are you going to pay, $2.00

a week for the next five years?

Yeah, it's more expensive now.

In a week, the city's

going to be clean.

That costs you 20 bucks now.

You need it twice a day.

I don't care how you make it.

Push the stuff, steal.

Here, Johnny.

What, are you crazy?

Put that away. I don't want that.

- Keep it.

- No.

Leave it there.

He'll pick it up.

Give back the deck, Johnny.

Oh, no. Look, Mother, I need it.

I walked around all day long--

Ahh. Shh. My old man's here.

His old man's here, Mother.

His old man is here.

Give him a break, will you?

Can't you see he's going to curdle?

His old man is here,

and mine is dead.

All right, let's move it.

Come on, Chuch.

I'm coming.

He's not kidding, Johnny.

It's a shame what they did to

Willie de Carlo this afternoon.

He didn't even owe

as much as you do.

He's no good, Mother.

He'd do everything but kill you.

Be a good guy.

Pick it up.

Chuch, you got anything at all?

- No.

- Even half?

I haven't got enough for myself.

Remembered the time

when you tried to kick it?

You couldn't stand it,

so you called me,

and I gave you my last drop.

All right, come by

my place later.

Don't make any noise.

My old lady's sick.

All I'm saying is that I'd

certainly never notice it.

You take Johnny's mother.

When she had Johnny,

she blew up like a balloon.

This thing makes me really look

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