Pete Kelly's Blues Page #4

If I can make you say, "I do,"

is it all right to get married?

It's a game.

For instance, what color

is the American flag?

Red, white and blue.

Who was the first president?

George Washington.

What's the largest...?

- Oh, you don't wanna play.

- Sure.

- You don't even understand the game.

- Of course I do.

There, you said it. "I do."

I used to play it all the time.

Only I never cared how it came out.

Why don't we get married, Pete?

I don't know.

We'd look a little silly, that's all.

Tramp musician, I don't know

where my next meal is coming from.

You skating around

to Spain and France.

Don't know where your next

country is coming from.

We just look silly together.

I don't think we look any more

silly together than by ourselves.

Ask anybody,

ask them what they think.

Us sitting in a rocker

with a lot of gray hair.

- But that's 40 years away.

- Suppose it is.

Well, I don't know.

Except we could have fun.

And I'd love you the whole time.

I don't think we'd look so silly.

Hey.

Don't flood out the joint,

we still got another set to play.

I won't.

Except it's true.

And after 40 years,

if you don't like the idea...

you can have your cigar band back.

- Can I keep the ring, Pete?

- Sure.

But don't expect a fur coat too.

What did you get, a bleacher seat?

Wanna ask you a couple of questions.

If it's about Joey, ask Bettenhouser.

They had the beef.

- I can't find him.

- That's too bad.

- Yeah, it is, I can't find anybody.

- What do you mean?

- You know a guy named Cootie Jacobs?

- Yeah.

You sent him on an errand the

night Firestone was killed?

- That's right.

- He never got back.

I thought you might tell me why.

Come on in. I'm celebrating.

Celebrating what?

You and Ivy. That's wonderful.

Get married and have kids.

That's what anybody ought to do.

- Care to celebrate?

- No, thanks.

Grab a chance when you get it.

That's what I should have done.

Grab it and have a little girl.

Why didn't you?

That's what I always wanted.

What do they called it,

"the patter of little feet"?

Well, there will never be no

patter of little feet in my house.

Unless I was to rent some mice.

Here's to you and Ivy.

Go easy, we're only

gonna get married once.

But there's two of you doing it.

Do you ever hear McCarg

mention Cootie Jacobs?

- Why?

- I just wondered.

Don't worry about

anything with McCarg.

Leave him alone. He's too mean.

- I'm not worried.

- You don't know him, Pete.

He'd do anything in

the world that's mean.

He'd shoot crap on the Tomb

of the Unknown Soldier.

Just the same, I'd like

to know about Cootie.

Stay away from him.

It's a real favor I'm telling you.

I'll mark it down that way.

But if you gotta know about

this Cootie, I'll poke around.

Thanks, Rose.

I owe you a kiss, maybe a couple.

You couldn't make it an even dozen?

We better go.

Do you wanna skip tonight?

It's a tough house anyway.

No. No, I'll be fine. I'll be fine.

Be right along, as soon

as I have a nightcap.

Aren't you getting a

little ahead of yourself?

I always start around noon,

in case it gets dark early.

I knew it was a mistake the

minute Rose got out there.

She'd had bad crowds before

but never like this.

They wouldn't pay attention

to a naked girl yelling, "Fire."

Rose tried but she

couldn't handle it.

I guess she was feeling

that soup a little too.

McCarg quieted down a couple of people

but there was no way to cover the room.

Besides, the way he was acting,

you'd think it was Rose's fault.

"Somebody Loves Me," all right?

Happy birthday, folks.

They don't wanna hear it.

They do if you sing right.

Act sober and sing.

Everybody here, quiet down.

I said, everybody.

Out in the kitchen too.

She's gonna sing,

you're gonna listen.

All right. Go ahead.

All right, keep it going. One, two.

- Where's Rose?

- Up to her dressing room.

- Why don't you order them out of here?

- I don't know them good enough.

I'm sorry, Kelly.

- It wasn't your fault.

- It's not hers either.

She didn't even try.

I wanted to give her a start.

She didn't even try.

[DOOR OPENS

Rose. Rose.

Later that week, we got a

job playing a stag party.

I went outside to

find some clean air.

Somebody beat me to it.

- Hello, Pete.

- Al, Al.

You look skinny.

Don't they feed you there?

Yeah, but it's thin spaghetti.

I heard about you in Goldkette.

What's it like?

It's big. Hit that bandstand is like

walking into some out-of-work local.

We got a good section.

I get a solo now and then.

- No fooling?

- We did a record.

- I bet you robbed big Ed.

- I know the right bank.

- We're having a pour.

- Yeah, they said downtown.

What are you doing here?

- Wichita, I laid over for the night.

- You can stagger. Come in.

- Great bunch.

- Anybody I know?

Not too many but

what's the difference?

Anybody you know?

I guess that's true, a thing like this,

a bunch of freeloaders and drifters.

Who'd you expect, Joey Firestone?

I guess you didn't hear.

Right after you left, that night,

Joey Firestone...

I heard about it.

- Then why the nudge?

- You were talking tough at first.

Said McCarg couldn't

lay a glove on you.

When he laid one on Joe,

you quit your band, ducked out.

You came all that way

just to tell me this?

No, I came for my mouthpiece.

Mouthpiece?

A long time ago when you were first

getting started I gave you a mouthpiece.

It belonged to the

bugler in my outfit.

When he ran out of legs

one night, I gave it you.

I liked him. I don't want you blowing

on it anymore, so give it back.

Al, I don't see why it has to

finish like this with you and me.

Maybe I was a little off base, but how

can that ruin all the old times...

when we did anything to keep going?

Like the night Bedido

broke his bow...

and you told him to beat the base

the way you saw him do in Algiers.

The time we stole that crate of oranges,

only it was marked wrong.

We had to eat turnips all the way

from Memphis clear up past Davenport.

All the good times.

I don't see how you can forget them

because you don't like one thing.

I want the mouthpiece.

If that's how you feel,

see if I care.

Dust off. Get the night

boat to Phoenix, go on.

- Go on. I'm ready to wave goodbye.

- You can't wave goodbye to anybody.

- Huh?

- You're too busy shaking hands with McCarg.

Get in.

It won't fit a clarinet.

Al was back. I made up my mind.

I went to see George Tenell.

We tried to figure up a plan.

Each time it came out Bettenhouser.

He ducked out of town.

There was only one person who'd know

where to find him, Rose Hopkins.

Your friend Rose is

down at Cedardale.

- Where is that?

- State home for the insane.

- What'd you find out?

- I checked with the doctors.

Some kind of a mix-up.

She's wandering around with

the brain of a 5-year-old...

and she'll never get

past there again.

That's awful.

I don't know.

Maybe she made a good trade.

Cream and sugar?

On the house.

- Ls this yours?

- There's 70 bucks in there.

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