A Letter to Three Wives Page #9

"Ive been watching your work,

Miss Finney,

"and I think you're ready for advancement.

"Let's have dinner

and talk it over."

There's a brand-new act for you.

Its got a beard a mile long.

I didn't ask you out. You asked me.

And why me? The woods are full of girls.

- Not like you.

- You can say it again, not like me.

- And they don't want what I want.

- All right, what do you want?

Not a $4.00-a-week raise.

I don't want a new car, a fur coat,

or a trip to Hawaii on a solid-gold yacht.

You don't carry what I want in any

of your seven big stores, Mr. Hollingsway.

Name it.

I want to be in a sliver frame on a piano.

My own piano in my own house.

- You mean you want to get married.

- Does that make me a freak?

Ive been married once, you know that,

and once is enough for a man like me.

Maybe Im just not the type.

Maybe you just haven't found the right girl.

Living with somebody all the time.

Im not easy to get along with.

Im set in my ways, I want to do

what I want when I want.

Why, if it was just a question

of the right girl,

wouldn't any man in the world

want to marry you?

Not if he thought

he could marry Addie Ross.

Maybe I don't know all the answers,

but I know some of them.

- Its late. Id better be getting home.

- Okay if I call you a cab?

Beats walking in the snow.

This is Porter Hollingsway. How long

before you can get a cab over to my house?

Okay, hustle it along. And, say,

put the charge on my account. Yeah.

Itll be just a minute.

Sounds like you keep the cabs

pretty busy with this kind of thing.

The reason I keep an account

is because I do a lot of business

with them, store business.

- Well, don't get mad.

- You just keep needling me.

Id insist upon paying for that cab myself,

but Im in no spot to be proud.

- From tomorrow on, I count the pennies.

- What's tomorrow?

- The day I start looking for a new job.

- Im not gonna fire you.

- Im gonna quit.

- What do you wanna do that for?

That's a silly question coming

from a man who knows all the answers.

None of the others quit.

Why should I, is that it?

Don't let it worry you, Porter. Maybe it's

just a new twist in the same old act.

There's the cab.

- Ill take you to the door.

- You stay where you are.

This time it's good-bye and no kidding.

Maybe you're right, Porter.

Maybe Im a fool.

But maybe you're

the biggest fool in the world.

Lora Mae.

- Happy New Year!

- Happy New Year.

- Will you stand still?

- Oh, this dress ain't my type at all.

For one thing, it's too high in the front.

If my best dress ain't good enough for you,

you can get out of it right now.

Just don't give me that

big sacrifice routine.

You'd wear it yourself

if you had someplace to go.

Okay, that does it.

Take it off.

It was Ma's idea for me to wear it,

not yours.

Its still my dress

and you got 30 seconds to get out of it.

Just because it's New Year's Eve

and you haven't even got a date...

Auld Lang Syne...

You're gonna look silly running round

this kitchen stark naked.

- Ma!

- Ten seconds to go.

Just because you got

Porter Hollingsway mad at you...

Five seconds!

- Ma!

- Lora Mae!

Can't we have some peace in this house

even on New Year's Eve?

You got it mixed up with Christmas.

New Year's Eve is when people

go back to killing each other.

Which reminds me, I gotta go to work.

That's a fine way to see the new year in,

serving up champagne

for Mrs. Addie Ross and friends.

It beats sitting alone

with a glass of stale beer.

Forget it, Sadie.

I didn't mean it the way it sounded.

I know. Tell you what, comes midnight,

Ill slip Porter Hollingsway a mickey.

- Don't bother.

- Its a pleasure. Night, kids.

- Happy New Year, Sadie.

- Is he goin' to be at the Addie Ross party?

That's what the invite says.

She's expecting the pleasure

of his company.

How do you know?

Listen, when they hire Sadie Dugan

for a waitress, they submit a guest list.

- And Lora Mae could have been there too.

- Stop pickin' on her!

- Who's pickin' on her?

- You and Babe.

You stop it and make Babe stop it too.

Of all the time to quit a job, just before

Christmas with all the bills due

and five months due on the icebox.

You got to make up your mind

whether you want your kids happy

or your icebox paid up.

- Oh, not for all the iceboxes in the world...

- Oh, relax.

Have a good time tonight

at the bingo party.

Gee, I wish you were gonna be there.

- Happy New Year, Ruby.

- Happy New Year, Sadie.

You sure you don't want

to come play bingo with me?

Thanks, Ma.

Ill be home before midnight.

Oh, you don't have to on my account.

Im going to bed early.

Well, I better go get dressed.

- Hi, Lora Mae.

- Hi, Nick.

Babe ready yet?

Unless she's beat her brains out

with a powder puff.

- Sit down. Give me a cigarette, huh?

- Sure.

Hey, how come you ain't dressed up

for New Year's Eve?

I am. Im going to a fancy dress ball.

Yeah? As what?

- A queen.

- A queen?

A queen in a silver frame.

I don't get it.

Ill go see what's keeping Babe.

- Who are you?

- l...

Where's Miss Finney?

Well, she'll be out in a minute,

Mr. Hollingsway.

We met somewheres?

Not exactly, Mr. Hollingsway.

I work in your shipping room.

- You waitin' for Miss Finney?

- Yes, sir.

- What's your name?

- Nick. Nicholas Butler.

We're just good friends, kinda,

Miss Finney and me.

Mm.

But I worked in your shipping room

three years, Mr. Hollingsway.

Baboon Face...

- This is my sister, Babe.

- My real name's Georgiana.

Oh, what do you say, Babe.

Happy New Year, Mr. Hollingsway.

I thought Baboon Face

was waiting for you.

He used to. I gave him to Babe.

He goes with the dress.

- Have you got another dress?

- Why?

- I want to take you to a party.

- Addie Ross's party?

- Yeah.

- Maybe she wouldn't like that.

She said she'd be delighted.

She must need another waitress.

I told her we had a date and not

to expect me if you'd made other plans.

We haven't got a date and I haven't made

any plans, so why don't you just run along.

We could go someplace else.

- No.

- Why not?

You know why not.

- These are for you.

- Thanks.

- Put 'em on.

- Im not goin' anywhere.

You wouldn't want to let 'em die.

Ill put 'em in the icebox.

The orchids ain't paid for either.

- I can't take it anymore.

- I thought we decided to leave it alone.

Its worse not seeing you,

knowing you're here.

Maybe I ought to leave town.

Wonderin' about you, who you're with,

who you're lookin' at, who you're kissin'...

- Easy now.

- I can't sleep nights thinkin' about you.

So what? What do I do about it,

start the same thing all over again

and wind up the same way?

And what about the way I feel? My sleep?

But then Im not even human, am I?

Im just a great big act.

- You know what you're doin' to me.

- And you know all the answers.

I can't take it anymore.

Oh, what's the use, Porter?

Tell Addie Ross it's the cook's night out

and I had to stay home with the icebox.

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