Part 18 (1/2)
Nick and Nora say: ”Yes,” trying not to look proud of themselves.
Face wiggles a finger in front of the baby's nose, saying: ”Googoo, googoo!”
The baby looks at him blankly.
Nick and Nora try to stir the baby into some semblance of liveliness, but with no success. After watching their antics for a moment, the baby says, ”Drunk,” and turns to Face again.
Face, a little abashed by the baby's patient stare, asks: ”A boy?”
Nora says: ”Certainly!”
Face: ”That's great. How old is he?”
Nora says: ”Be a year next Tuesday.”
Face: ”Tuesday? Swell. Say, we'll give him a party . . . Tuesday afternoon! I'll get my brother to let me bring his kids over. He's got two of the cutest little monkeys-leave it all to me. Tuesday afternoon-that's a date.”
Nora says confusedly: ”Well, I don't-”
Face pats her on the back: ”You leave it all to Facie, Mrs. Charles. I'll give you a baby party you never seen the like of.”
He goes out, picking up Nora's address book from beside the telephone as he pa.s.ses without their seeing him.
Nora looks at Nick in consternation.
Nick says: ”We can stay down at MacFay's until Tuesday night.”
Nick, Nora, the nurse, Nick Jr., and Asta go down to the street, where the nervous chauffeur is standing beside a car into which a bellboy and the doorman have just finished putting their bags.
The chauffeur, looking at the two women and the baby, asks Nick in a somewhat surprised tone: ”Are you going to take them?”
Nick says: ”I don't know how to get rid of them. Maybe we can ditch them somewhere on the road.”
The chauffeur says: ”I'm sorry, Mr. Charles, I didn't mean to-” and breaks off to look at his watch and then at the sky. It is now early twilight, although the streetlights have not yet been turned on.
They get into the car. The nurse sits in front with the chauffeur; Nick, Nora, the child, and dog sit in the rear.
Nora, looking at the chauffeur, asks: ”What's the matter with him?”
Nick replies: ”We had a couple of girls lined up.”
DISSOLVE THROUGH THE NEW YORK STREETS, OVER THE TRIBOROUGH BRIDGE, ALONG LONG ISLAND ROADS.
As darkness closes down, the chauffeur drives faster and faster until, by the time they have turned off the highway into a dark, tree-lined side road, Nick, Nora, the baby, and Asta are bouncing around on the backseat. The baby bounces peacefully without opening its eyes.
Nick calls to the chauffeur: ”You're working too hard. If we don't get there in three minutes, it'll still be all right.”
The chauffeur pays no attention to him. Nick leans forward, touches the chauffeur's shoulder. The chauffeur jumps, jerks his head around, and almost sends the car off the road. His face and the back of his neck are covered with sweat.
Nick says: ”Not so fast, son, the baby has a hangover.”
The chauffeur mumbles: ”Yes, sir-I'm sorry,” then almost immediately begins to step up the speed again.
Suddenly he emits an ear-piercing scream of terror and sends the car hurtling ahead. Through a window, Nick catches a glimpse of a Negro man lying on his back on the side of the road. The man's body is arched so that its weight rests on heels and head. The five-inch handle of a knife sticks up from the left side of his breast.
Nick yells to the chauffeur to stop. The chauffeur pays no attention, and, when Nick touches him on the shoulder, he screams again but does not slow up.
Nick, standing up in the lurching car, puts his forearm around the chauffeur's throat, his other hand on the wheel, finally chokes the chauffeur into submission, and stops the car. Nick Jr. opens his eyes once to look at this and then goes back to sleep.
Nick says to the nurse: ”Come back here.”
She jumps out and gets in the rear of the car. Nick pushes the chauffeur over into the nurse's seat and climbs in behind the wheel. The chauffeur jumps out of the car and runs off into the woods.
Nora asks: ”What happened?”
Nick says: ”You wouldn't believe me if I told you,” turns the car around, and drives back to where he saw the Negro.
There is no body there, and, with the help of the car's lights, he can find no signs that one has been there.
Nora asks: ”What are you hunting for?”
Nick says: ”I thought I knew, but now I'll take anything I can find. Listen, I'm willing to call the whole thing off and drive right back to New York.”
The nurse says: ”Oh yes, sir, that would be fine.”
Nora says: ”We can't do that, Nick. Colonel MacFay expects us. What was the matter with the chauffeur, Nick?”
Nick answers: ”He was scared and now I am. Let's go somewhere and get a drink and think this over.”
Nora says: ”The nearest drink would be at the MacFays', but I wish you would tell me what is going on-what we came back here for.”
Nick says: ”You're a stubborn woman, Mom.”
He turns the car around again and drives on. Presently they come to a high grilled gate that blocks the road. When Nick has honked the horn, a gangling youth appears on the other side of the gate holding a double-barreled shotgun partly out of sight behind the gatepost. His manner is half-frightened, half-sullen.
He asks: ”What do you want?”
Nick says: ”We're bringing back Colonel MacFay's car.”
The youth says: ”I can see that all right, but how do I know what you want?”
Nick says: ”This is the Charles family. We have come down to spend the weekend.”
The youth says: ”Anybody can say that, but wait-I'll see,” and vanishes into a cottage set beside the gate. His voice can be heard talking over the telephone. ”He says their name is Charles-I don't know-He looks like a pool parlor dude and he's got a couple of ladies and a baby and a dog. Oh, all right.”
He comes back without his shotgun and swings the gate open. They drive on to a large house set in the middle of extensive grounds.
The front door is opened by a neat, elderly woman with a placid face. This is Mrs. Bellam, the MacFay housekeeper.
Nick says to her: ”I'm sorry, but we lost your chauffeur somewhere along the road.”