Chapter 5
During the next week, Charlie did a lot of acting himself. Only it was not for the benefit of movie cameras. It was for Donna. He had to convince her he couldn't find work. Night after night, he'd come back to their third story Greenwich Village apartment with a hard-luck story. And finally after one week, he looked at her, and said, "Honey, I made one big mistake."
"No, you didn't," she insisted, "You did what I wanted you to do. And as long as we're together we'll find a way."
"Yeah," he said grimly, "Love will always triumph and all that other bullshit."
"It's not a lot of b. s.," she said quietly, "We will stick together-at least I want to-no matter what."
Now, Charlie had her where he wanted her. He smiled, "Baby, let me tell you something," he said as if embarrassed. "I did find a way for us to make some money, but I don't like to even mention it to you."
"Don't feel that way," she said sincerely, "I'm always willing to do anything I can to help."
"Are you?"
"Of course, I am," Donna said, patting Dandy on the head, who'd just come over to sit beside her.
"Well, this is something a lot of people would-"
"As long as it's not robbing a bank or something," she laughed.
"Well, it's acting in movies-"
"Acting?" she smiled, "I'd love to act-I was in our high school play and they said I was the best performer in the whole cast."
"Well, this is another chance, but it involves Dandy."
"You mean one of those 'Lassie' kind of movies?"
"No," Charlie shook his head, finding it more difficult to tell her precisely what the score was as time went by.
"Well, what kind?" she demanded.
"Love stories involving dogs," he finally blurted.
"Dog-fucking pictures," she shrieked, "My god, what won't you come up with next?"
"You could wear a mask the guy said-"
"What guy?"
"Horny Hairy," he calls himself, "but baby, I won't let you do it."
Now, Donna was doing a lot of thinking. She got up and paced the floor. "If nobody could tell it was me, I suppose it wouldn't be too terrible-that is if Dandy and I-"
Charlie let her do her own thinking. And then he said quietly, "Five hundred dollars."
Donna turned around quickly, "Five hundred dollars. That is an awful lot of money."
"It is," Charlie said, shaking his head, "but I couldn't let you get involved in an awful thing like that, honey."
"I'm going to do it," she said, "Just as long as nobody recognizes me. If we need that money so bad, and all that stands in my way is my own foolish pride, I'll throw it aside."
"No, no, you shouldn't do it," Charlie went on acting, seeing how effectively he'd managed to manipulate her up to this point, and privately congratulating himself.
"Think of what five hundred dollars could do for us," she exclaimed, and running over to Dandy, she hugged him. The dog licked her face, as if sharing the joy and happiness she felt, capable of discerning her emotion, but not her motivation.
"Alright," Charlie said, "If you really want to, but baby, it kills me to let them use you like this."
"I've seen those pictures showing men and women doing everything when my girl friend Carla showed me some stills her father had of a dog and a girl."
"Then, when we get our hands on that money," Charlie thought out loud, "We can do marvelous things."
"Can I get one of those imitation fur coats?"
"Sure, baby, sure," he smiled.
"And I wish we had a stereo record player and-"
"How far do you think five hundred will go?" he finally asked her bluntly.
"That's right," she said sadly, suddenly becoming aware of the fact five hundred dollars couldn't actually carry her too far.
"Do you want to check it out with Harry?" she asked him, "and find out when they could use Dandy and me."
"Alright," Charlie smiled faintly, "But, I hate to have to ask you to help me out like this."
"It's us, sweetheart," she smiled, snuggling up to him, and then Charlie did the right thing to seal the deal, kissed her passionately. Now, he knew this was one woman who was so turned-on with him, he could get her to do most anything he wanted. And this was the only kind of relationship he wanted.
"I'll go out, baby, and I'll be right back. I know the bar where Harry hangs out, and I'll tell him you'll do it."
"I'll be waiting," she smiled, as he walked out the door. A short time later, Harry did walk into the bar where Charlie had gone to tell him the news.
"Did it work?" Harry asked him eagerly.
"Sure did," he smiled, "And you can say goodbye to all those worn-out old whores you've been hiring because I've got a chick who is really something to look at."
"Good-when do we start?"
"You name it, we'll be there."
"Tomorrow morning around ten would be great for me. By that time I guess we'd have all the boys ready to shoot the movie-now what are we going to call it?"
"I'm not good at thinking up titles to dog flicks," Charlie grinned, "That's your department, Harry!"
"Yeah," he said, "I'll think of something-maybe 'I'm in love with Dandy-my dog!' How does that grab you?"
"I told you," Charlie chuckled, "I'm nowhere in the creative department. That's up to you!"
"Alright," Harry smiled, "We'll see you tomorrow."
Then, Charlie went back to his apartment to tell Donna about the deal. She was waiting on the bed, with Dandy, and patting him and sobbing.
"What in hell are you crying about?" he demanded.
"Oh, I feel so guilty," Donna wept, "I haven't told Mom one thing about where I am, and if she knew I was doing this."
"Doing what?" Charlie demanded.
"Acting in dirty movies," she said between sobs.
"Oh, hell, I thought you agreed to-I've gone and told Harry that we would go through with it. You sure are giving me problems-"
Instantly, Donna saw she had a choice-a terrible choice; go against everything she believed in, or go through with it so she could keep her affair going with Charlie. She felt he did like her, but she couldn't help but wonder how he could permit her to submit to such things and still have any real respect for her.
"I'll do it," she said, brushing her tears aside.
"No, if you really don't want to-don't!" Charlie snapped. And she could tell from his flash of anger what problems her change of mind could create, and she knew she didn't dare back out now.
"I love you, Charlie," she said, her eyes dry now, her voice firm, and Charlie listened. Nobody had ever said that to him, but his father and mother. And now, the girl he had used every way he knew how was telling him she loved him. A sense of shame and frustration enveloped him.
"Baby, you don't have to do a goddam thing with that dog, I-I think maybe I love you too."
"You found it awfully hard to say-"
"I did," he nodded, "Because I haven't felt that way about any woman before you. Oh, sure I liked to ball a cute piece of ass any time I got the chance. But, this is different-"
"We can survive if we really care about each other," Donna smiled. "I know we can!"
The quiet ferocity in her voice sent chills up and down Charlie's spine. He hardly knew how to handle love.
"Just this one time," he smiled nervously, "and then I know I'll find something-"
"Sure you will, and this five hundred Dandy and I earn will help us out in this pinch we're in."
"I want to take you out to dinner, tonight," Charlie said quietly. "I want to celebrate."
"Celebrate?"
"Yes," he said, "I want to celebrate the day I realized just how much you mean to me, Donna."
Donna walked over and kissed him gently.
"Well, honey, I waited a long time to hear you say that."
"You mean, you thought a lot of me all along."
"From the very first moment I laid eyes on you, I knew I loved you."
"I feel like a bum here in this dump," Charlie said angrily pounding his fist on the table.
"Don't!" she insisted, "This is our home, call it anything you want-this is our corner of the world, and I love it-because-"
"Because I'm sharing it with you?"
"That's right," she replied.
"Get dressed," he said eagerly, "We're going to O. Henry's Restaurant for dinner."
"O. Henry's Restaurant," she smiled, "I've heard of that place. They named it after the famous author, O. Henry."
"Yes," he smiled, "And they have candlelight dining and such fascinating atmosphere. I've only seen it from the outside, but I said when we could afford it we'd go there to myself when I'd go by it."
"Can we afford it, now?" Donna asked softly.
"We can't afford not to go there, tonight," he smiled. "We've got to mark tonight as something special."
"Alright," she smiled, "I'll dress up."
And then they both dressed up, and went to O. Henry's Restaurant. The menu was impressive and not too terribly expensive. After they'd finished eating, they went for a walk to Washington Square Arch.
"Isn't this beautiful?" Donna smiled, as she looked through the famous old arch and up the avenue.
"It sure is-and someday, we're going to live within view of Washington Square. We're going to see New York from one of those high rise apartments."
"Do you believe that?"
Charlie nodded confidently, "Sure, I believe it, and you know what? I'm not going to ask my parents for any help."
"Good for you," Donna smiled, now seeing the masculinity emerge in Charlie as he faced his own future with radiant hope and inspired confidence.
And then they walked back to where they lived. And as they saw the crumbling old buildings, Charlie let the truth out, his own frustrating fears surfaced. "I just hope to hell, we don't wind up in one of these dumps permanently. You'd be hustling, and I'd be pimping or pushing dope."
"That's not going to be our fate if we don't want it that way," Donna said forcefully.
"You know, honey, I've read stories about a lot of kids that come to the Village from all over the United States, and they come full of dreams, and hopes, and plans. And then, as they get beaten down by the competition in the big town, they become discards, and wind up on the rubbish heap."
"Why do you always talk so pessimistically," Donna demanded, "Don't you have any faith in yourself?"
Shaking his head sullenly, Charlie levelled, "Not much, honey!"
"But you had rich parents and everything a kid could ever want-I came from a poor home where my father had died."
"You might have been rich in another way," he smiled, "Money is one kind of wealth, there are other kinds."
"True," she smiled, "We're rich when we have each other."
"That's what I mean," Charlie nodded, "You see my old man played around so much, that he couldn't be much of a father to me or a husband to my Mother. He had the money, and with money he used to tell me you could get any woman to suck your ass out, lick your balls, eat your joint-the works. But, without money, you couldn't scare up a smile or a hello out of a lot of them."
"So, he bought his women with his money?"
"Something like that. He got me started with one chick he got turned on with. He shared her with me."
"What?" Donna gasped, just beginning to realize what a strange past Charlie really had.
"It was like this," he smiled, recalling the sordid details vividly, "Daddy was home with this topless chick he picked up after she finished throwing her tits around for the trade, and he didn't think I would be home. I was supposed to be on a camping trip and Mom was out of town visiting her sister."
"And so?"
"And so, when I came in and caught him red-handed fucking up a storm, he flipped out. He had to think of something to silence me, and he figured if he'd involve me that he'd keep my mouth shut. Oh, it worked. That little sexpot, pouted, 'You never told me about him', and then she reached out for me. I went over, and stripped, and she sucked my cock off while Daddy ate her."
"What a nice arrangement," Donna said evenly. "I can't say I have much respect for your father."
"I don't have much use for him either," he admitted, "He's a real character."
"Apparently," she said, tightening her lips.
And then, they walked to their hotel, and up into their room. Dandy was waiting for them.
"I didn't take the dog out for a walk," she remembered, "I should have done that."
"Alright," Charlie agreed, "Dandy deserves the best treatment because he is going to help us make our living. He doesn't know it, but we're not supporting him, honey, he's supporting us."
"He wouldn't care if he knew it," she smiled, "He's a dear old dog, and I love him."
They let Dandy sniff around a small park not far from their hotel, and then he found the exact scent required to motivate him to water the proper plant.
"Why do you think they keep sniffing and won't do it until they decide upon a particular bit of grass or shrub?"
"That is a big mystery," Charlie laughed, "Nobody has figured that out. We've put a man on the moon, but we don't know why a dog sniffs before he urinates."