Marty Page #25

MARTY:

Hi, Virginia.

He goes out into the yard to Virginia. He is as gay as a

bird. He takes the baby from Virginia's arms, holds it high

up above him.

MARTY:

(to baby)

Hey, little boy, you sure getting

fat. You weigh more than a side-a

beef now.

(beams at the baby)

Hey, Thomas, so I was telling you

yesterday you was over my house --

Mr. Gazzara, my boss, so he wantsa

sell his shop, go out to California

because his kids are all married,

and he...

Thomas hasn't been listening to Marty and crosses quickly to

Virginia.

THOMAS:

Wadda you so sore about?

VIRGINIA:

Oh shaddup, will you do me a favor?

Marty comes up to them, holding the baby.

MARTY:

So Thomas, he does about twelve,

thirteen hundred gross. Rent's a

hundred and two. The problem, of

course, is the supermarkets. That's

what I wanna ask you. If I get

together with a coupla other

merchants, make our own supermarket...

Thomas has been trying to listen to Marty, but his thoughts

are all with his own problem. He whirls on Virginia.

THOMAS:

What about the time she wanted to

make an old-fashioned Italian dinner

for my brother, but you wouldn't let

her!?

VIRGINIA:

(with her own temper)

Waddaya talking about?!!

THOMAS:

Once a month you couldn't let her

use the kitchen!

VIRGINIA:

I told her she could use the kitchen

any time she wanted...

THOMAS:

...You hadda be the boss inna kitchen

alla time!

VIRGINIA:

She don't wanna use my pots and pans!

MARTY:

So Tommy...

VIRGINIA:

Waddaya want me to do, go out and

buy a whole new setta pots and pans?!

The baby in Marty's arms has started to cry a little.

MARTY:

Tommy, gimme a coupla minutes, because

I promised Mr. Gazzara I'd let him

know tomorrow. See, what I wanna

know, Tom, if a buncha individual

retail merchants get together, how

does it operate? On individual mark-

ups? You know what I mean? Say I'm

the butcher and Aldo Capelli, he's

the dairyman and grocer, so suppose

I mark up thirty-five percent, but

he works on forty, so...

THOMAS:

Waddaya talking about, do you know

what you're talking about?

MARTY:

No, I don't know. That's why I'm

asking you.

The baby starts to cry again. Thomas turns to his wife.

THOMAS:

Take the baby, will you?!

Virginia hurries over and takes the crying baby from Marty's

arms, walks around comforting the child. Thomas turns back

to Marty.

THOMAS:

Wadda you wanna buy a shop for, will

you tell me? You gotta good job, you

got no wife, you got no

responsibilities. Boy, I wish I was

you, boy. Waddaya wanna tie yourself

down with a shop? What's he want?

Five thousand down? You're gonna

have to carry a mortgage sixty,

seventy bucks a month. A mortgage

anna note from the bank. For Pete's

sake, you're a single man with no

responsibilities. Stay that way,

boy. Take my advice.

MARTY:

Well, you see, Thomas I figure the

big problem is the supermarkets. But

Patsy's shop, that's a specialized

trade. The supermarkets don't carry

Italian meat.

THOMAS:

Who buys Italian meat anymore? You

think my wife buys Italian meat?

(throws a baleful

glance at his wife)

She goes to the A&P, picks up some

lamb chops wrapped in cellophane,

opens up a canna peas, and that's

dinner, boy.

VIRGINIA:

Sure, all you wanna eat is that greasy

stuff your mother makes.

Marty is a little taken aback by Thomas's frontal assault.

MARTY:

Well, I understand the problem about

the supermarkets, but I was talking

to this girl last night, and she

made the point that a likeable

personality is a valuable business

asset.

THOMAS:

Marty, see that my mother is nice

and comfortable, eh?

MARTY:

Sure. This girl said...

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