Sleepers Page #2

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All right...see you.

Michael was the most sexually experienced of our group,

which meant that he kissed a girl on more than one occasion.

But his real love was Carol Martinez, Hell's Kitchen's half-breed.

Half Puerto Rican, half Irish, she was raised by her father,

her mother having died at childbirth.

Carol stayed pretty much to herself but was always comfortable in our company.

We could always count on Carol...

...to stand sentry on the first night of the Ice Capades.

While crowds of families lined the front of the Garden...

...waiting to see the skaters perform...

...we each had one eye in a hole...

...watching two dozen beautiful and nearly naked women...

...get into their skaters' outfits.

This is what heaven must be about.

Carol, you want to take a look?

Like it's something I haven't seen?

You're so lucky!

She's so beautiful. My God, I could die now and I wouldn't be sad.

When my friends and I were young,

...Hell's Kitchen was run by a man named King Benny.

When he was young, King Benny was a hit man for Lucky Luciano.

Lucky Luciano did a lot of good for this country during World War ll.

But you ain't gonna read about that in any f***ing history book!

There was talk King Benny was the shooter of "Mad Dog Coll"...

...that prick on West rd Street. He ran bootleg with "Dutch" Schultz.

And he opened up a couple of clubs with "Tough Tony" Anastasia.

I was when I first heard about him. The story goes:

As a kid, he wasn't much of anything.

He was always getting the sh*t kicked out of him in street fights.

And then one day, and who the f*** knows why, some Irish guy...

...about years old, he takes King Benny...

...and he flings him down a flight of stairs.

King Benny breaks all his teeth in the front.

You know what King Benny does?

He waits. He waits years...

...to get even with that prick.

He walks into a public bath house.

The guy's soaking in the tub.

King Benny takes out his front teeth. He lays them down on the sink.

Then he looks over at the guy and says,

"When I look in the mirror, I see your face."

Then he pulls out a gun...

...and he shoots the guy twice in each leg.

Then he says to the guy:

"Now, when you take a bath, you see mine."

No one ever f***ed with King Benny after that.

Revenge!

Revenge!

Can I talk to you for a minute?

I'd like to work for you. Help you out, whatever you need.

You're the butcher's kid...am I right?

What kind of a job are you looking for?

Whatever, it doesn't matter.

It doesn't matter?

Everybody says this is the place to come for jobs.

Who is everybody?

People from the neighborhood.

Let me ask you, what the f*** do they know?

They know you got jobs.

Sorry I wasted your time.

Hold on a sec!

Come back tomorrow if you want to work.

-What time tomorrow? -Any time.

You'll be here?

I'm always here.

My first job for King Benny paid $ a week and...

...ate up only minutes of my time.

In the dark club room, one of the guys would hand me a crumpled paper bag...

...and direct me to one of the two local police precincts for delivery.

It was a perfect way to handle payouts.

Come on, let's go! Right here.

Let's see what kind of cash you've got in that bag.

You gotta be nuts! Do you know who you're taking off?

Yeah, we know, and we're scared shitless.

Give me the bag. Give me the f***ing bag!

Hey, what you do there? Answer me! What you do there?

This time they took my money!

You took the money from the boy?

The money they took is in the bag.

Let me have the bag.

F*** you!

How about now?

All right, take it easy.

You're not smart anymore. This make you stupid.

Let me have the bag.

Now, go!

What about them?

You care?

Then go! Go! Run!

I need somebody with me. What if the old guy hadn't showed?

What you need?

My friends.

Your friends? What do you think, this is camp?

These kids, you can trust. I've known them half my life!

Okay, get your friends.

Father Bobby knew we worked for King Benny, and he wasn't pleased.

He wasn't worried about the pocket money, but the next step...

...when they ask you to pick up a gun.

He didn't want that to happen to us.

You think running for King Benny is a good idea?

It pays.

A lot of things pay.

Not like this.

Most priests liked to preach from the pulpit.

Father Bobby liked to talk during the bump and shove of a pick-up game.

Good shot!

I found an art class for you to take.

You know I can't afford to take any art classes.

You don't have to pay anything. The teacher's a friend of mine.

It could be nothing but a waste of time, Father.

Maybe, or it could be the first step.

First step to what?

Doing something with your life.

You never know, it may help you get out of here.

You all can get out of here.

Guys, are we gonna talk or play basketball?

Listen, I got a story I want to tell you.

It ain't the one about the lepers, is it? Cause that one gave me nightmares.

No lepers. Michelangelo. He was born poor, just like you guys.

He was a painter, he was a sculptor.

He takes this job from the Pope. Good money, good work.

Okay, Father, but why'd the Pope call him?

Because the Pope was looking for the best guy he could find...

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