Monkey on My Back Page #4

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l was being shipped home,

l was going stateside,

The worst of the malaria was over,,,

but l was taking home something else,

a craving that had to be satisfied,,,

a craving for morphine,

Tell me something.

How much morphine are you getting?

Hardly any, Doc, hardly any.

Just, like, when the pain's too tough.

You don't have to tell me about that.

l know what malaria can do to a man.

lt's doubly bad for you.

You see, any illness seems

twice as severe to a man like you...

who's always had perfect health.

Doc.

l know, you've taken terrific punishment

in your time. But that's different.

You always had the roar of the crowd

to kill the pain.

That's quite a narcotic, too, Barney.

Lifts you out of all your troubles.

Morphine's a bad substitute.

You think it can give you a lift?

All it can do is lift you right into hell.

Doc, l'm not looking for any lift.

l just gotta get away from the pain.

Let me ask you something, Barney.

How many men do you think

have been wounded in this war?

l don't know. Plenty. Thousands, l guess.

Tens of thousands. Hundreds of thousands.

And a large proportion of them

have been given opiates to kill their pain.

But that's only an emergency measure.

Your emergency is over, Ross.

-No more narcotics.

-Yes, sir.

for days, l tried to fight the craving,

l tried to remember what the medic said,,,

but l was hooked,

Now l realized it, l was hooked,

l needed the stuff

more than l'd ever needed anything,

lt didn't make no difference

what l had to do to get it,

Daddy, will you help me with my homework?

l have a composition to write for English.

-Right up my alley. You got a good angle?

-Pretty good.

Now, there's this Marine

and he's on an island...

and there are just thousands of Japs.

Daddy, are all Japs so little?

Are all Japs so little?

Well, sweetheart, to me they looked

about 16-feet tall, with teeth like this.

-And you know something?

-What?

-l loved every one of them.

-You did?

-l loved them for getting me back home.

-Oh, Daddy!

Tea is ready. l have to go home soon.

Come on, Cathy.

l'll fix it for Daddy.

Man, ain't this the life?

Three beautiful native women

waiting on me hand and foot.

-And here's a tip for the waitress.

-Oh, Daddy!

-You put it in.

-All right. We'll fatten up his chops.

l'll get it.

-Sam. Come on in.

-Hi, everybody.

This is Mr. McAvoy.

-McAvoy? Spike's old man!

-How are you, Barney?

Cathy, you've heard me talk about Spike.

This is my wife, this is my mother.

Mr. McAvoy, give me your hat.

Please sit down.

-Maybe you would like a nice cup of tea?

-Mama, tea?

How about something a little stronger?

l'd like some bourbon and water

if it's no trouble.

No trouble at all. It's a pleasure.

Had a bit of a job tracking you down...

until l thought of your former manager,

Mr. Pian here.

Glad to see you.

Have you heard from Spike?

He's getting along fine.

Just got these pictures from him yesterday,

from Australia.

He says that the steaks there

are magnificent. The girls, too.

He looks great.

He's a very handsome boy, Mr. McAvoy.

-He takes after his mother.

-No.

-You're going to have a lovely place here.

-Thank you.

-We're lucky we found it so fast.

-How you gonna pay for it?

What do you mean,

how am l gonna pay for it?

How does anybody pay for anything?

Get a job.

You got one. Mr. McAvoy.

Mr. McAvoy, Spike and l are friends

and all that, but you don't owe me nothing.

l owe you the world, Barney.

But, as it happens, this isn't my gratitude.

l can use you.

My business is public relations.

-Hotels, nightclubs, entertainers.

-That's right.

Our job's getting their names in the papers.

When it comes to the press...

there's no man in Chicago

who has more friends than you.

lt's a good business,

and you're a natural for it.

-Drinks on the house. It's a celebration.

-Thank you.

Jeez.

What a wonderful, cock-eyed world.

Ten weeks ago, l'm up to my neck in mud,

and today l'm a big businessman.

To the big businessman.

l was able to do without the stuff

for a little while, and then it hit,

-What a wonderful day.

-Yeah.

What a wonderful night.

Mr. McAvoy, that dinner and everything.

He can't do enough for you.

Honey, sometimes l think

l must be dreaming.

Our own home, you with a wonderful job.

Barney, do you know that

this is the first time we've all been together?

-Honey, are you catching cold?

-No, it's nothing.

Barney, do you realize what this job means?

We'll be able to save about $50 a week.

Honey, you are catching cold.

-Cathy, baby.

-Barney, what is it?

Cathy, l don't know how to....

l love you.

Barney, what's the matter?

ls it the headaches? Is the malaria back?

Hold me. Don't let me go.

Don't ever let me go.

Barney?

Walk, walk,

Walk it off, walk it off,

Walk, walk,

Barney?

Hey, sonny boy. Say--

Don't touch me.

Anything for you, neighbor?

Don't be afraid, neighbor.

l know what it is

to have a head full of snakes.

-lf you buy me a fix, l'll get you one.

-Go away.

You're all the way up the pole, neighbor.

You better shinny down.

We belong to the same club.

You're wearing your badge tonight.

Go away!

All right. You're having the party.

Hey, mister.

Wait.

Where's Daddy?

l wanted to kiss him goodbye.

He had to leave early this morning.

Who broke the mirror in the bathroom?

lt was just an accident.

You run along, honey.

-Okay. Bye, Mom.

-Goodbye.

-Bye.

-Goodbye.

Police Department.

Missing Persons.

Hello, this is Mrs. Ross again.

Is there any news?

Thank you.

Where have you been? l was so worried.

l was just walking, Cathy, that's all.

Just walking.

-l was frantic. l called the police.

-No, you must never do that.

You must never call the police.

lt's just the malaria.

You got no idea what it's like.

lt's like thunder and lightning going off

inside your head, and you gotta get out.

You gotta get out and walk it off.

Barney, don't do it again, please,

not without me. Let me go with you.

Never again, Cathy.

l'll never do it again.

What do you mean,

the opening of a new hotel ain't news?

You're my pal, ain't you?

Forget the paper shortage.

Next week, l'll chop you some trees.

Yeah, l'll do that, too.

Well, that's settled.

Barney, you've really racked up a score.

Our clients have got more newspaper space

in the last four months...

than they have any right to expect in a year.

-Don't you think l'm not grateful.

-lt's nothing.

Thank my friends.

l wrote Spike if you keep up the way

you're going, l'll have to make you a partner.

-Yeah?

-There's a Mr, Rico to see you,

-Have him wait.

-Yes, sir,

l have an office full of people, Barney.

-Have him come in.

-Send Mr. Rico in.

Yes, Mr, Ross,

Hi, Champ. Very nice.

-Really, you're set up very nice here.

-What are you doing here? Get out.

Take it easy, Champ.

This is just a friendly call.

-Get out.

-No.

You don't seem to understand

that in this business...

the customer is never right.

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