Out of the Fog Page #5

boat for Cuba, and stay three weeks?

What do you say?

Don't they use money in Cuba anymore?

- You'll have the money.

From where?

- From me.

A gift to my daughter

who needs a vacation.

Enough for a State Room

without bath. I'll fix it.

Wait a minute, Pop.

This will cost about $200.

That's what I figured.

Where would you get that kind of money?

- I have $190 saved for a special reason.

You can have it .. what's the matter?

I've worked long enough to save

that kind of money, haven't I?

And you want to give it to me?

- Sure. Sure .. why not?

Well? Are you going?

It will be nice in the Gulf-Stream with

the water blue and warm like a bath.

The sun like butter.

Oh Pop, Pop.

What are you crying about?

A little travel information you get

from any booklet. And you cry.

Stella.

Oh Pop. Pop, I love you so much.

But not enough to listen to me.

Jonah .. Jon ..

Well, what's going on here?

What's being kept from me?

Why am I treated like a

stranger in my own house?

Pop, that's the Store-bell.

- Yes, I'll see.

Other daughters come to their mothers.

Not once since you've been grown

up have you ever come to me.

Jonah! Jonah, who came in?

Good evening partner .. this is

what I'd call a real cheerful dump.

Like a mummy exhibit

at the Brooklyn Museum.

Well, each to his own taste. That's what

makes the world go round. Where's Stella?

Who'd have thought out of a hole like

this you'd get a juicy girl like Stella?

Where you going Pop, fishing?

I'm going for a walk.

- Why? Because I'm here?

That's right .. listen Goff.

If you do anything to Stella ..

Ow. This couch is hard enough

to make a nice handball court.

I mean it, Goff .. five dollars a week

is one thing. My daughter is another.

Good evening Mr Goodwin.

Oh, hello kid. Welcome

to our little castle.

Stella upstairs?

- Yes George, go right ahead.

Just a minute. Sit down. Relax.

What's your hurry? Take it easy.

Excuse me.

- Do you like these?

Orchids. Three bucks a

piece for your girl, Stella.

Imagine, three bucks apiece

for flowers that don't smell.

Why not leave her alone?

She's free, white, 21 and

makes her own choice.

You're turning her head.

You make her think she's important.

You make her think you're important.

You don't think so, do you?

I asked you a question.

You seem to be awful worried

about my opinion, Mr Goff.

George!

Mr Goff .. I'm sorry.

Look what comes out of the

Brooklyn Telephone Company.

You're lucky she came down, kid.

I never hit anybody with ladies present.

Pop, didn't you tell George

I had a date tonight?

Stella baby, what's come over you?

I got something for you, Stella.

- Orchids!

Three orchids.

- I'm a fast man with a dollar.

Stella, I've got to talk to you.

- Tomorrow George. I've got to go now.

Goodnight Pop. Goodnight George.

Goodnight Pop. So long kid.

Practice up on your card tricks.

Table, Mr Goff?

- We'll sit at the bar.

Hiya Joe.

- What will you drink, Mr Goff?

Don't sit there. I've got two good

seats for you right over here.

Follow me.

- Let's go, baby.

Alright boys, on your way.

- Okay.

What will you have Mr Goff?

- Two Zombies. - Right.

Good evening Mr Goff. How about it?

- What have you got?

Anything you want. Take your choice.

- I'll take the Cuban doll tonight.

Thanks. Thanks very much.

- Oh, that's perfectly okay.

Here you are. Keep the change.

Thank you.

Say, Joe. Who is the dame?

She just started a couple

of days ago, Mr Goff.

A tasty dish right from Cuba.

If you look real close you can

still see the baggage tags on her.

Hiya beautiful.

Say, what's eating you, baby?

- Nothing.

Good looking girl, ain't she?

- Yeah, everyone to their own taste.

Sure, that's why I'm here

with you. Nice place, huh?

Uhuh. Very nice.

A funny thing, you taking me to

the Cuban room. - Why?

Well, as a matter of fact ..

- Yeah?

Just a few hours ago, I

was offered a trip to Cuba.

By who? Your boyfriend?

- No. - Who?

A man I know.

- I said "who"?

Would you like to know?

Listen, when I ask a question,

I want an answer. Who?

You're hurting my arm.

- Well?

You don't have to get sore.

It was my father.

Your father? So, your old man

offered you a trip to Cuba?

Say .. where would he

get that kind of dough?

Well he told me he had it saved up for

a long time. $190. That's all he's got.

Can you imagine? He wanted to give it to

me because he thought I needed a change.

Pretty wonderful.

- You bet. You going?

Of course not. You see, I couldn't take

money he worked so hard to save, could I?

So your old man's got $190

and he's going to give it to you?

Yeah, wasn't that swell of him?

- Very swell. He's a great guy alright.

Let's drink to your old man.

- There's a kick in those Zombies Mr Goff.

Better take it slow and easy.

I like the music. Shall we?

- Sure. You want to dance?

Like Joe says baby, slow and easy.

Goodnight .. I had a wonderful time.

Come on .. one last cigarette.

- It's almost daylight.

Turn around and wait for me on the

corner will you. - Yes, sir.

[ ship's horn. loud ]

Sounds like a big one. An ocean liner.

I wonder where it's going.

- You do, huh?

Why?

Nothing .. I just wondered.

You ever been away from Brooklyn?

Yeah, once. I went to Buffalo

to a funeral of an uncle.

Listen .. about that trip

you were talking about.

You want to go with me?

- How can I?

Mr Goff, what would I tell my mother?

You can tell her we'll be

married on that boat.

Married .. by the Captain?

- Yeah, with a brass band and flowers.

How about it?

- I don't know.

I don't even know if

I'm in love with you.

It's a five day trip to Cuba.

You'll have plenty of time to find out.

I've got to think this

thing over carefully.

Listen, if I did things carefully, I'd be

working a machine for 13 bucks a week.

You get chances, you grab them!

I turned from factory worker

to bootlegger in eight minutes.

But this will cost a lot of money.

- That's my department.

You know .. I heard that ..

That is .. they say you're a racketeer.

That you make your living

taking money from poor people.

That you beat them up.

- Who told you that? Your father?

What else did he say?

- That's all.

Well .. it's true.

I may as well tell you the rest

so we can start from scratch.

You know who one of my customers is?

Your father.

Goodbye, Mr Goff.

Goodbye, Miss Goodwin.

How can you be so hard?

What have you got inside of you?

- I've got education inside of me, baby.

The education I got on the breadlines,

pool-rooms, and bar-rooms of big cities.

I got rocks inside me, baby.

It would have been a nice trip. Well ..

Maybe another uncle of

yours will die in Jersey City.

George .. what are you doing here?

I've been outside .. waiting

for you to come home.

I don't want you spying on me.

- I have to talk to you.

There's nothing to talk about, George.

- There's our whole life to talk about.

Yours, not mine.

- Yours too.

Look George, it's five

o'clock in the morning.

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