A Hatful of Rain Page #6

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and don't kid me about the coffee.

Don't you know it has

to boil? Hmm?

See that Johnny

gets these things

for dinner tonight, please.

And I'm expecting you

for dinner tonight.

I want you to make up

with your father.

If it's all the same to you,

I'll stop in at Walgreen's.

They're running

a special this week:

two skinless franks and all

the orange juice you can drink.

You'll come for dinner tonight.

- Who said so?

- I said so.

I'll come to dinner tonight.

What's so funny?

Nothing.

I'm just so tired, I'm silly.

You know, if you dropped dead

right now, I think I'd laugh.

That's sweet.

Hey, Celia, where's Johnny?

I don't know.

Well, where is he?

He's your husband, isn't he?

You're married to him.

He hasn't been home all night.

That happens two,

three times a week.

Honest, it's been like

living in a nut house.

All right, Polo, please.

Oh, I don't know.

I don't know.

I must be going out of my mind.

You know, last night, I could

have sworn you came to my door.

Would you ask Johnny

to pick up the laundry?

- I'll pick up the laundry.

- Just let Johnny do it.

All right, all right!

I'll let Johnny do it.

You don't have

to shout at me, Polo.

No, huh?

You don't think so?

You know, for six months,

I kept my piece.

You had your life to live,

and I let you live it.

I'm just so fed up watching

you being thrown away.

I'm so in love with you,

I don't know what to do.

Well, what will I do,

go to Alaska? Huh?

All right.

Boy, I don't know.

How do you stand it

day in and day out?

Celia, honey, you're

going to have a baby.

Don't you want to know

where it's going to live?

How do you live a life

turning your back

on what's been happening?

Now you tell me.

Because I don't love

Johnny anymore.

Celia, come on.

That--That's not true.

It is. I don't love him.

He hasn't so much as--

as held my hand

in all these months.

He comes home at night, and I

just pretend that I'm sleeping.

Do you think he'd touch my back?

Do you think he'd give

me a good-night kiss?

He wouldn't know the difference

if he found Santa Claus in bed.

Doesn't even mention the baby.

Doesn't say anything about it.

He used to be like you,

Polo, but he's not anymore.

Hey, come on, come on.

We're all nice people.

Come on, stop crying, Celia.

He's just a stranger.

I don't know who he is.

He was so full of love.

It just doesn't matter anymore.

Honey, maybe you just want

to get even with him.

Polo...

that was me at your door

last night.

Yeah.

But you couldn't come

in that door, Celia,

and I couldn't open it.

Celia?

Celia, do you think I could, uh,

just put my arms around you

just for a second?

Do you think

it'll be all right? Huh?

I think so.

Are you going to tell him?

Tonight.

- I got to go to work, Polo.

- Yeah.

Corn flakes.

Boy, this place used to be

empty in the morning,

and all of a sudden

everybody's eating here.

- You mind?

- Go ahead, mister.

You look like you're

ready to crumble, Johnny.

Boy, am I glad to see you.

Listen, if I don't get a fix

in a couple of hours,

I'm going to go crazy.

Don't talk, will you, Johnny?

And don't stand still

till you get 20 bucks.

- You got 20 bucks?

- I'll get it.

You sure you got

the stuff for me?

Yeah. Meet me

where the kids play.

I'll be there all morning.

Hey, your check!

Hello.

Hello. Johnny?

It's, uh, Polo.

Let me speak to Johnny.

Uh, he's, uh, he's down

at the grocery store.

When he comes back,

tell him to get over here

and have breakfast with me.

I'm waiting for him. Goodbye.

And thanks, Pop.

I'll tell him, Pop.

Goodbye, Pop, old Pop.

Hiya, Polo.

Welcome home.

Celia go to work?

It's 10:
00.

She starts at 9.

She's not here,

so figure it out.

I was out all night.

No kidding.

Your wife left a list of things

for you to get for supper.

Where are you going?

I'm going to get the car

and pick up the laundry.

The old man called.

He wants you to go over

and have breakfast with him.

Ohh, I can't!

I can't make it.

I'll see you later, Johnny.

Wait a minute, Polo.

Take me over there, will you?

You'd better get some sleep.

No, I-- I can't do that.

You know how he is.

I'd better go get cleaned up.

I'll go have breakfast with him,

but you better go to the

ballgame with him, huh?

Yeah, sure. Sure.

- Mrs. Pope. Mrs. Pope.

- Oh.

Mr. Wagner would

like to see you in his office

as soon as you're through

with that.

Thank you.

You've got your carbon

in backwards.

Mrs. Pope.

You've got your carbon

in backwards.

Where have you been all night?

All over.

- Where's all over?

- All over.

Harlem, Lower East Side,

Times Square.

You know what's happened?

Everybody's disappeared.

Yeah, I read the papers. It'll

all blow over in a few weeks.

No, no.

They dropped the net.

Every pusher's

in the city's disappeared.

Polo, listen, I was lucky.

I connected.

He's holding some for me.

I got to get to him

right away with the money.

I told you yesterday,

Johnny, the cupboard's bare.

- Yeah, I know, but listen--

- No, no. I'm out of the box,

and that's all there is to it.

If I inherited the Chrysler

Building right now,

I wouldn't give you

another dime.

Now try to understand that.

Don't start lecturing me now.

All I need is 20 bucks.

This guy don't give no credit.

Take the kitchen set down

and sell it

to the Salvation Army.

I never sold a thing out of the

house, and I never will.

Try to listen to me, Johnny.

Just try to hear me.

You know I felt great refusing

the old man that 2,500?

Because I knew the money

went to a good cause.

It's something he wanted

all his life.

I know, I know.

Johnny, do you know that you

are right in the middle

when he shouted

"Where? Where did it go?"

I know. I was

right in the middle.

I almost said,

"Here, here, it went here."

You went through that 2,500 like

grease through a tin horn.

- Are you happy, Mrs. Pope?

- Happy?

Yes, happy here at Union Metals.

Oh. Well, yes, I am, Mr. Wagner.

The invoices

you did this morning,

you left out the entire stock

on the Merrick account.

I'll do them over again.

I'm awfully sorry.

I hear you had

the carbon in backwards.

Yes, I know. I'm sorry.

Is there anything wrong?

I-- I mean, I wish you'd

keep your mind on your job.

Oh. No, there's nothing

wrong, Mr. Wagner.

I'm very happy.

That's all. Thank you.

- Polo.

- You're wasting your breath.

- Polo, please.

- No.

I-- I'm quitting tomorrow.

Tomorrow I'm quitting.

Oh, it's been tomorrow

for months, Johnny.

The calendar never

moves for you.

This is the last time

I'm going to ask you, Polo.

- I need 20 bucks.

- 20 bucks twice a day.

Where am I going to get it?

You get yourself a black felt

hat, cut holes in it for eyes,

and go down to the men's room

of the subway like Apples does

and clobber some poor

guy over the head.

I'm in to them for 500 bucks,

on top of your

2 and a half grand.

They want it today.

They'll be coming for me.

Five hundred?

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