Kid Galahad Page #3

- Forget it, Joie, go to your room...

before the trouble starts.

Now, like I asked you, who's Galahad?

Howie, didn't you ever go to school

or read a book?

I'm not asking for smart answers

to a simple question.

Besides, I'm paid up here two weeks

in advance.

Galahad was a knight in a tin suit.

A hero with a halo.

You understand that?

Very courteous to broads, as I remember.

Galahad was what they call

a Knight of the Round Table, Howie.

He was also something of a square.

I can't state this as a positive fact,

but he probably died very young.

- It's a real nice place.

- It's nice enough.

I used to work here, singing.

- You did?

- We won't go into that.

Hey, you got a dime?

Look. Go inside Lieberman's here,

there's a phone booth on the right.

The number is Cream Valley 1732.

You get Lew on the phone and

ask him if it's all right if we come back now.

Is that you, Dolly?

- Did you have to sneak up on me?

- You know me, Dolly...

- always minding the store.

- Yeah.

- We missed you, Dolly.

- Thank you, Max.

The same nice families

keep coming up and they all ask:

- "How's Dolly?"

- That's very nice.

Anytime you want to leave

that hooligan down the road...

your old job's waiting for you right here.

I think you know better than that, Max.

It's love, huh?

Well, if that's the right word for it, yes.

I met him right here.

Right here, three summers ago.

It's no different now?

Why kid myself?

It's still just like a ride on a rocket,

whenever he's nice to me.

That young soldier,

they expect to make a fighter out of him?

I imagine they will.

Over somebody's dead body.

Very likely his own.

What's he expect to find in there?

John L. Sullivan?

It's kind of a surprise.

Something I saw earlier.

- Saw what?

- You'll see.

Oh, you mean that thing?

I'll show you. Come on.

Grab a hold of the other one.

- Get out of here.

- Why not?

For two bucks, right down the road...

you can hire a horse, that's why not.

We don't need no horse, Lew.

Come on, let's pull it down.

I want to show you something.

All right, Galahad. Boy, I'm telling you...

Wait a minute.

I'm telling you,

you're not gonna get that thing out of there.

Go down the road, get the horse.

I'll tell you what: Let's try one more time.

If it don't go, we'll get the horse. Okay?

All right, pull.

Horses, huh?

- Hello, Willy.

- Rose.

What goes on? I don't get it.

I took an early train

and then a taxi from the station.

But why? You know I don't want you

hanging around here.

It's not the same as when Pop was alive.

You're not a kid anymore.

Willy, please.

I came up because of what you asked me

on the phone the other day.

- The $200.

- Oh, yeah.

I've been kind of expecting it,

but I figured maybe the mail was slow.

I didn't mail it, Willy.

The more I thought about it,

the more I realized...

that it wasn't the money going down

a rathole, like the Republicans say.

- It was the principle.

- What are you talking about?

I had a talk with Mr. Provardis.

He's in cost accounting at the store.

- Mr. Provardis said for what...

- Mr. Provardis said...

Mr. Provardis said for what you're charging

up here a week, just room and board...

- it's impossible not to make money.

- I don't care what...

Actually, talking with Mr. Provardis,

I decided what we need up here...

- is a complete reorganization...

- Now, wait a minute...

- Don't shout.

- Reorganization. Rose, honey...

Be patient. The fact is...

you couldn't reorganize the part in your hair

unless I drew you a map.

Now the thing for you to do...

while I'm in a nice mood about it,

is to pick up the phone...

and call another cab. That way you

won't miss your afternoon train back.

I'm not going back, Willy.

I took a leave of absence from the store.

- But you can't stay up here.

- I'm sorry.

- I feel I have an obligation.

- You have a what?

Obligation. I own 50% of this place.

- So what?

- Besides, I'm your sister.

So it won't do any good for you

to shout at me.

Look, Rose, baby, let me explain it to you.

How do you like it?

I don't know. What are you gonna do

with that, besides wear it for Halloween?

- It could be beautiful, Lew.

- Beautiful?

Come on, kid,

you haven't taken that many punches.

You just don't know

character when you see it.

This thing has got more character than

anything I've ever seen.

Oh, now it's got character.

I'll be doggoned, a flower vase.

Look at that, Lew.

You think people were different

in those days, huh?

I doubt it.

We were the same kind of stinkers then,

just like now.

What do you expect to come up with now,

a homemade cake?

Don't bother taking it off.

As I was trying to say about the $200, Willy.

It's not as if I was trying to hold out

on my own brother.

I told you it was an emergency, didn't I?

Now look, this...

Dolly, this is my kid sister, Rose.

Rose, this is Miss...

Miss Fletcher.

- How do you do, Miss Fletcher?

- Hello.

Dolly, that is, Miss Fletcher...

sort of helps out sometimes.

She just happened to drop by this morning.

Well, I'm very glad to have met you,

Miss Grogan.

Very nice meeting you.

- What's the matter?

- Nothing. It's love in bloom.

Goodbye. I've watched it bloom before.

Look, Dolly,

this may seem funny to you, but...

the kid doesn't know about us.

I gathered that much. I can even quote you.

"Rose, this is Miss, what's her name.

"She just happened to drop

by this morning."

Were you so scared

you couldn't remember my name?

- Dolly...

- What is there to know about us, anyway?

Am I a lady barber or something?

They've got sex in the Bronx, too,

so what's the mystery?

I'm trying to tell you.

She's only a baby. A protected baby.

Oh, come off it. Babies aren't built like that.

And besides...

if you're such a blue-nosed Puritan

about your sister...

then just forget it.

I didn't know she was coming up here,

understand?

- I just wasn't prepared.

- I know.

You're not prepared for a lot of things.

I'm beginning to get the idea.

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, ma'am.

It's all right. I don't scare easily.

- I was looking for Mr. Grogan.

- He's in the kitchen.

Do you work here?

Well, kind of. I more or less get dirtied up

around the place.

- Are you a fighter?

- Not really.

A lot of people have different ideas

about it, though.

I see.

Do you belong up here?

I mean, I've never seen you around before.

I'm Willy's sister.

You are?

What's funny?

Nothing. Nothing at all.

Galahad! Hey, Galahad.

- Who's Galahad?

- That's me.

Excuse me.

- Nice to have met you.

- Thank you.

He knows about cars?

Are you kidding?

Like Edison knew about light sockets.

For instance, he could put a carburetor right

up your nose without making you sneeze.

- All right, knock it off.

- Yeah?

Zimmerman says this heap conked

out on him. And he's not out of gasoline.

Okay.

- Rose!

- I'm out here.

- So what's there to see?

- Just the country.

- Things you don't see in the Bronx anymore.

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