Chapter 7

The following morning, back in his apartment, Bernie met the big man for the first time.

"This is my daddy," Sarah said, beaming proudly, clinging to the man's right arm. Bernie nodded a greeting. He tried to smile, but found it impossible. He wished Madge were here. Why hadn't be stayed with Madge? Her couch was "cool and the sun was warm. He had awakened and stared at her sleeping form and then he had leaned forward, carefully, and had kissed her mouth half-open in sleep. Why hadn't he just stayed there until it was all over?

"This is Sarah's daddy," Rose said and she turned to the man beside her. "Cy, this is Bernie."

"Howdy do," Cy said, and he grinned. He stepped toward Bernie and Sarah moved with him. "Leggo mah arm, honey, so Ah can shake the man's hand."

Sarah obeyed.

"Ah heard plenty about you," Cy said. "You're Mike's-uncle?"

"How do you do," Bernie said, taking the hand that was extended. It was cold, and gripped his longer and harder than he wanted, while the man's eyes looked at him openly. They chilled Bernie. Immediately Bernie felt the weight of this man. He felt it too and his grin broadened when he felt Bernie's arm pulling away, trying to be free.

"Sit down," Bernie said, aware that he was nervous. He rebuked himself and tried to get rid of it. He had promised himself all morning that he wouldn't be nervous, that he would be casual, warm, at least, indifferent. He had told himself that none of this was his concern, that it had nothing to do with him. He wished now he had taken a few more swallows from his secret bottle before stashing it back in the cupboard.

"Well," Cy said, at last when they were all seated, "Ah'm wondering now where that boy might be that I been hearing so much about." He looked about the room like it was a game. "Where could he be? Ah come a long way to meet that boy."

Sarah laughed at the game.

"You don't suppose he flew the coop before he could meet Sarah's daddy now," he said and he squeezed Sarah's arm playfully. "You don't suppose that's what he did?"

"Mike will be right back," Bernie said. "I sent him to the store for some stuff."

"You shouldn't've bothered," Rose said.

"He should be back any minute," Bernie said, trying to sound casual. His mind raced for something to say. Something about Georgia, he thought. He wondered how the weather was in Georgia. He wondered if they grew anything in Georgia besides peaches and peanuts and little colored boys.

"Ah'm lookin' forward to meeting that boy," Cy said to Bernie.

"He's a very nice boy," Rose said.

"Well now, Ah'm sure that's a fact," Cy said almost in a rebuke and Rose's smile faded. Bernie felt a wave of sympathy for this woman, this stranger who sat on his couch, crammed into a sweater to accent a bosom that was mostly fat, pouting under a mane of hair that was black and dull, too dull to be natural, insignificant now, trying to maintain her place, her stature-plump and funny, like a cartoon drawing.

"Isn't this a nice place?" Rose said to Cy.

"Looks real nice." Cy scanned the room. "Looks like the place Ah'm stayin' at-the BelPlaines Motel. Course, there ain't no rug on the floor and it ain't as fancy, but they make all these places a-like out here. They make everything outta cement blocks and they paint 'em up and they all look a-like."

Bernie agreed, feeling slightly sick from his bourbon. He glanced toward the door, wishing to hell Mike would get back.

"Course, they're old-fashioned folks back home," Cy said. "You know, plain ordinary folks. Nothin' like this." He gestured widely to include the whole town. "Hell, we got a garage out back made outta the identical same cement blocks. Ah believe that's a fact, ain't it, Rose? Ah believe some day we could paint it up and make it into a playroom just like this." He laughed loudly.

"And you should see the nice dressing room, Daddy," Sarah said. "It's got a big mirror and a bureau with different colored drawers."

"A dressin' room!" Cy said while Bernie reddened, cursing under his breath. "Well, that is fancy! Ah see you got a bar too. Now, that's handy."

"It's a counter," Bernie said hotly.

"Ah see," Cy said. He met Bernie's look and held it until Bernie finally looked down at his hands. "You're from Chicago," Cy went on, "Is that right?"

Bernie nodded, not looking up.

"Ah was in Chicago once. Passin' through on a train, heading for Keokuk, Iowa. Me and another fella." Cy slid forward on the couch into a more comfortable position. "We were lookin' for a third fella. Country boy-robbed the Macon Building and Loan of fourteen hundred dollars on his way through town."

"Oh?" Bernie tried to appear interested.

"How about that?" Cy laughed. "Took the Macon Building and Loan for fourteen hundred dollars. And with a water pistol too!"

He laughed heartily until Bernie finally smiled.

"A water pistol," Cy said. "Ah guess he didn't know we don't like folks messin' around with what belongs to us, 'cause you wanna see a boy's eyeballs pop right outta his head when he's settin' there big as life, shuckin' corn in the feedshed, and he looks up and sees ole Cy standin' there right in the middle of Keokuk, Iowa.

"Ah says, 'Boy, we don't mind you robbin' our bank. We got insurance coverin' things like that. But when you use a water pistol, boy, you're makin' a fool out of us'!" Cy grinned at Bernie. "Do you get my meaning? Ah don't think there's anything we don't like less than that."

Bernie nodded automatically.

"Honey," Cy said, turning his attention back to Sarah, who was on the couch next to him, "You better leggo mah arm there. You're gonna cut off my circulation."

Sarah laughed, releasing him.

"That's a powerful grip you got there, girl." He turned to Bernie. "How about this little girl? She's really filling out in the right places, huh? Ah do believe she's as good-lookin' as her maw was when I first met her."

"Oh, she's prettier," Rose said, blushing slightly.

"What do you think, Bernie," Cy said. "Ain't that something real nice?"

"Daddy!" Sarah said, embarrassed.

"She's very pretty," Bernie said.

"Pretty?" Cy frowned. "Why, that's enough to make even a man my age get right down on the ground and move."

"Daddy, you're a fool!" Sarah laughed, grabbing his arm again.

"A man can't help it, honey," Cy said. "When you see something as pretty as you, it's only a natural re-action." He suddenly turned to Bernie again. "Ain't that the truth?"

"Yes."

"Honey, Ah'd say down in Macon a pretty thing like you would cause quite a stir." He laughed loudly at his joke. "Yes, sir, quite a stirrin' sensation."

Bernie felt Cy's eyes on him again. Damn! he thought. He felt as though the room were closing in on him. Suddenly music jarred him. He winced at the sound.

Sarah had picked up a record from the stack on the coffee table and had put it on the phonograph, a small portable Bernie had bought for Mike some months ago.

"Sarah honey," Rose said, "Maybe Bernie don't want the record player on."

Bernie shook his head. Senselessly, funnily, faster and faster, the room began to spin and he had to hold onto his chair to keep from being thrown off.

"Nice layout," Cy was saying. Bernie turned. Cy had gotten up and was roaming about the room, moving into the kitchenette. "Electric range, hot-and-cold running water. Just like a home. And all nice and clean too. Ah expect you do a lot of cookin', being in the cooking business."

"It's all right, Mama," Sarah said, "It's Mike's record player."

Bernie tried to keep things in order, trying to sift out what was being said.

"C'mon, Mama, let's show Daddy that new step I taught you."

"Why, Cy!" Rose said. "How did you know that?"

"That's my line of business," Cy said, leaning on the counter, grinning across it at Bernie. "Knowin' things."

"What did you say?" Bernie said, the music jarring his ears. It was a rock-and-roll tune, harsh and imposing, and it was driving him crazy!

"C'mon, Mama."

"Oh, honey!"

"Hay, we gonna have a floor show?" Cy laughed, moving from behind the counter until he stood beside Bernie's chair and Bernie trembled because he didn't like people close to him ... especially people who said things he didn't hear. Damn the noise! Damn the bourbon he had gulped down like a fool to calm his nerves. And damn that dead man he'd read about once in a book who breathed on him and made him afraid!

He wondered if they'd mind if he got up and left the room. He wondered if he could get past the big man who stood between him and his bathroom door. He wished Mike would come in. Maybe Mike could help him. Maybe together they could push over this big tub of a man and Bernie could kick his face while Mike held him down and if he kicked hard enough and fast enough the man would be dead before he could free himself and everything would be all right.

"Ah feel so silly," Rose said. She stood beside Sarah, her arm around Sarah's waist, laughing, watching Sarah's feet, imitating the step.

"Ah can't dance," Cy said to Bernie, "But Ah sure like to watch."

"It's hard to do on a rug," Rose said.

"C'mon, you gals, shake it up!" Cy was laughing, keeping time with the music, clapping his hands together. "C'mon, shake it there!"

The music seemed to swell, but it was drowned out now by Cy's thick breathing next to Bernie's ear.

"Look at that stuff go!" He nudged Bernie with an elbow while he continued to clap with the music. "Will you look at that stuff?"

Now he was whispering in Bernie's ear.

"Look at them two gals! Will you look at them two gals? It's a toss-up! Ah swear it's a toss-up."

Cy's eyes were glued to the dancers. They seemed hypnotized by the movement and suddenly the face that surrounded them went hard. The thick brows edged together. "Shake it, goddammit!" The words came out harsh, demanding, insistent.

Bernie stared at the man beside him. Cy was leaning forward now, his clapping hard, like cracks of a whip. Bernie turned to the dancers and he watched them as they jumped, twirled, side by side, then, crossing, exchanged positions, replacing one another.

My God! he thought, and suddenly he wasn't dizzy any more. The tremors were gone and he felt instead that he was going to be sick-but not from the bourbon.

He looked at the big man's eyes again, at the man's face. The mouth was trembling and tiny bubbles of moisture were escaping from it.

My God! Bernie thought, as he became aware it was Sarah the big man was looking at.

He got up suddenly and bolted past the big man and locked himself in his bathroom.