Edge of the City Page #5

Two, you're coming back

to work on my gang.

No, I'm not.

That whistle goes in five minutes.

You report to me, huh?

Hey.

- Hey, what did he want?

- Nothing.

Don't tell me "nothing,"

now, what did he want?

Tee, what's it matter?

It's all up now, it's all over.

Hey, where are you going?

I gotta get out of here.

Either that or I gotta go work for him.

- You're not gonna do either.

- Don't.

- Listen, listen to me.

- Now, let me go.

You're not gonna get out of here, you're

not gonna work for him. Enough of this.

All right? Now, what's the matter?

- Maybe it's none of your business.

- Well, I'm making it my business.

Now, listen to me.

Look, man, if you can't tell me,

what good is the whole thing?

You can't be scared of Charlie.

You can't run away from...

- Boy, if you are scared, you're dead.

- Just get out of my way.

You have to lay me out first.

- All right.

- Go ahead.

Go ahead and hit. Go on.

Make-believe I'm Charlie, huh?

Make-believe I'm your father.

What's the matter with you?

Just get away from me.

Wait, stop.

Man, don't you know

that you gotta have faith?

Just a little faith.

Charlie, he's nothing.

I mean, he can't hurt you.

He can't hurt you.

Like, in my life,

Charlie ain't that much.

Well, that's the difference

between us, Tee.

Because in my life, it's all Charlie.

Look, Tee, I'm in trouble.

I can go to jail for 20 years.

Now, let your faith

buy me out of that.

- Oh, hi, Axel.

- Hi, Tommy home?

- Sure, come on in.

- No, thanks.

- I think I'll wait here for a while.

- Okay. Tommy?

Yeah?

- Tommy, Axel's here.

Hi.

Tommy, you wanna go for a walk?

Sure. I'll get my coat.

The thing is, Tee, about a year ago...

About a year ago,

I went into the Army.

I enlisted, you know.

I wanted to do something good.

I figured, in the Army, well...

I figured, in the Army,

I could do something.

If I made sergeant, I could go home.

The thing is, Tee...

...a guy has gotta do something

before somebody can love him.

Where did you get

a crazy idea like that?

I'm telling you, that's the way it is.

My old man, boy, he was a cop, boy.

And he was rough.

And if I learned nothing else,

I learned that.

A guy has gotta prove himself first.

You're wrong, you're so wrong.

I'm not wrong, Tee. Now, look,

why else would I be this way?

Why else would I be chasing around

looking for something?

I don't know. Now, why are you?

In the Army,

it was like everything else.

There was a guy.

He was my sergeant.

He was always pushing me.

He's like Charlie, you know?

Always riding me.

I couldn't take it any longer, Tee.

So I...

Tee, I busted out.

Do you hear me?

Don't you understand

what I'm saying?

Sure, I do.

That you deserted from the Army.

Look, I can go to jail.

The police are after me,

the Army's after me.

So, what's the difference

if I work for Charlie or not?

You're in trouble, but you got

a couple of things mixed up.

Yeah.

First of all, it's important to me

what happens to you.

Don't you understand that?

Man, I'm your friend.

Axel.

- Look, I know this is a crazy time.

- Well, come in.

- I hate to bust in on you like this...

- Oh, come on in.

- May I take your coat?

- No, no.

- First, I wanna tell you something.

- Let me take your coat.

First I wanna tell you something.

My name isn't really North,

it's Nordmann.

Axel Nordmann.

And six months ago,

I deserted from the Army.

I just wanted you to know that.

Now may I take your coat?

Hey, Charlie. Charlie, look,

I wanna tell you something.

Yeah, you do.

No, Charlie, see, I just want to tell you

I don't care anymore, that's all.

Well, I don't care

whether you care anymore.

- You just get that load out, huh?

- Okay, what's next?

Frank Brill and Company. Ten pieces.

Hey, then get

the Village Five and Dime.

- Seven pieces.

- Yeah, okay.

Hey, North.

That's it, keep smiling.

I like to see my workers happy.

- Hey, Brother.

Yeah?

- Here's a truck for you.

- That's my truck.

- Take a walk.

- Yeah, get another truck, North.

I said that's my truck,

get out of my way.

Wait a minute, Charlie, wait.

- I've had about enough out of you.

- Well, come on, Charlie, come on.

- Yeah, come on. Come on.

- Come on.

Yeah, come on.

Come on.

Cut it out, he'll kill you with that thing.

Hey.

Isn't this crazy?

On a nice day like this,

you want to fight?

Charlie, I thought I dug you,

but I guess I was wrong, huh?

You don't want to get blood

all over this nice, clean shed, huh?

And you simmer down now.

You don't wanna hurt Charlie.

Tyler.

Tyler, you're the blackest ape

I ever saw.

- It's me you really want, isn't it?

- Yeah, black.

Now, Charlie,

I don't want to fight you.

- You're black.

- Tommy.

Blackie.

Tommy. Tommy.

Charlie. Charlie...

...this doesn't make sense.

Tommy.

Tommy. Tommy.

- Tommy?

- I'm all right, I'm all right.

Tommy.

You keep your mouth shut, Nordmann.

You just keep your mouth shut.

- Why didn't you let me...?

- No, it was my fight.

No, it was my fight.

- It was my fight.

- No, it was my fight.

What are you scared of, Pop?

You didn't see anything?

Okay, go on.

What are we gonna do

with these guys?

What could I say? It was a fair fight.

Got a light?

- Yeah.

- So you say you didn't see anything?

- How can I see anything?

You work 20 feet away

from where it happened.

- How could you miss it?

- I don't know.

I must have been off sneaking a smoke,

washing my hands or something.

- You wash your hands often?

- Yeah, about 10 to 15 times a day.

- I'm very clean.

- So you don't know anything?

I told you,

he must have tripped and fell.

- That's what I figure.

Sure.

Okay, beat it. But we're not

through with you, understand?

Look, officer, I'm a law-abiding citizen.

- I like to see justice done too, you know.

- Sure, sure you do.

All right, next.

- All right, what's your name?

- Stern, Harry Stern.

- Did you see the fight?

- No, I didn't see nothing.

I suppose you were

washing your hands too.

No, I think I was sneaking a smoke.

I really don't know nothing, officer.

- Get out of here.

- Yes, sir.

How about you?

Like the guy said,

he must have tripped and fell.

So you don't know

anything either, huh?

Get out of here.

All of you, get out.

Don't you guys understand

that by keeping your mouths shut...

...looking at me like I'm an enemy...

...you can only fall down

like that guy did this morning and die?

Don't you know that?

Okay, we'll find out other ways.

Let's get out of here.

Like Pop said, it was a fair fight.

Long-distance.

- Long-distance?

I want to call person-to-person

to Gary, Indiana.

I want to speak to

Mrs. George Nordmann.

Hello?

Mrs. George Nordmann?

- Yes.

One moment, please.

New York is calling.

New York?

Go ahead, sir.

Hello? Who's there?

Mom?

Axel. Axel, it's you.

Mom, are you all right?

Of course I'm all right.

Axel, why did you call all those

other times and not say anything?

Mom...

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