Part 23 (1/2)
”Please, Rosa, how otta ask you not to tell anybody that anymore, okay?”
”I'm so so sorry It's just that I-” sorry It's just that I-”
”For God's sake, those were pulps, pulps, I got paid by the I got paid by the yard yard Why do you think they invented the Why do you think they invented the pseudonyht I just think you ought to ot tooa novel,” Joe said, peeling a Chiquita He seees between his girlfriend and his best friend His only contribution to the decor of the apartment had been the stack of wooden crates in which he kept his burgeoning collection of co white mouthful of banana ”A real real one” one”
”Yeah, well,” Sa, we'll all be sitting around in the old-age ho it”
”I'll read it,” Rosa said ”Saood”
”It isn't But thank you You mean it?”
”Of course”
”Maybe,” he said, for the first but by no et chapter one into shape”
When Sammy arrived at the E-tufted sky, daffodils swinging like a big band on every patch of green, love in the air, et cetera-he took the oft-revised first (and sole) chapter of American Disillusionment American Disillusionment out of his bottom desk drawer, rolled a fresh sheet of paper into his typewriter, and tried to work, but the conversation with Rosa had left him uneasy Why didn't he want to, at least, say, have a drink with a dish froe? How did he even out of his bottom desk drawer, rolled a fresh sheet of paper into his typewriter, and tried to work, but the conversation with Rosa had left him uneasy Why didn't he want to, at least, say, have a drink with a dish froe? How did he even kno that he didn't like dating college girls? It was like saying he didn't care for golf He had a fairly good idea that it was not the game for hiolf course was the peeling plaster windmills of the old Tom Thumb course at Coney island Why, for that irl, soft and powdery-s While it was true that he found her remarkably easy to talk to, tease with, confide in, and let down his guard around, easier than he had ever found any other girl, he felt only the faintest itch for her At ti, so marked and plain to both of the around the apart tails of one of Joe's shi+rts, troubled Saine kissing her, stroking her thick dark curls, lifting those shi+rttails to reveal the pale belly beneath But such chiht of day The real question asn't he irls? It was like saying he didn't care for golf He had a fairly good idea that it was not the game for hiolf course was the peeling plaster windmills of the old Tom Thumb course at Coney island Why, for that irl, soft and powdery-s While it was true that he found her remarkably easy to talk to, tease with, confide in, and let down his guard around, easier than he had ever found any other girl, he felt only the faintest itch for her At ti, so marked and plain to both of the around the apart tails of one of Joe's shi+rts, troubled Saine kissing her, stroking her thick dark curls, lifting those shi+rttails to reveal the pale belly beneath But such chiht of day The real question asn't he more jealous of Rosa! Rosa!
He was just happy to see his friend happy, he typed It was an autobiographical novel, after all he typed It was an autobiographical novel, after all There was a hole in the man's life that no one person ever would have been able to fill There was a hole in the man's life that no one person ever would have been able to fill
The phone rang It was his ht off,” she said ”Why don't you bring hiirlfriend of his, too”
”She's kind of picky about food,” Saht, so don't come”
”I'll be there”
”I don't want you”
”I'll be there Ma?”
”What?”
”Ma?”
”What?”
”Ma?”
”What?”
”I love you”
”Big joker” She hung up
He put American Disillusionment American Disillusionment back in the drawer and started to work on the script for back in the drawer and started to work on the script for Kid Vixen, Kid Vixen, the cri female boxer feature, with art by Marty Gold, that he had put in as a backup for the cri female boxer feature, with art by Marty Gold, that he had put in as a backup for All Doll, All Doll, along with the Glovsky brothers' along with the Glovsky brothers' Venus McFury, Venus McFury, about a hard-boiled girl detective as the reincarnation of one of the classical Erinyes, and Frank Pantaleone's about a hard-boiled girl detective as the reincarnation of one of the classical Erinyes, and Frank Pantaleone's Greta Gatling, Greta Gatling, a cowgirl strip The first issue of a cowgirl strip The first issue of All Doll Comics All Doll Comics had sold out its entire run of half a million copies; 6 was in production now, and orders were extre Sammy had half of an idea for the latest had sold out its entire run of half a million copies; 6 was in production now, and orders were extre Sammy had half of an idea for the latest Vixen Vixen story, involving a catfight between the Kid and a cha Battling Brunhilde, but he could not see was that, as hard as he had fought with Sheldon Anapol for the the funny-book as getting tougher all the tih futility was not an eun to be plagued by the same sense of inefficacy, of endless make-believe, that had troubled Joe fro Sahts at ball gaht between the Kid and a cha Battling Brunhilde, but he could not see was that, as hard as he had fought with Sheldon Anapol for the the funny-book as getting tougher all the tih futility was not an eun to be plagued by the same sense of inefficacy, of endless make-believe, that had troubled Joe fro Sahts at ball ga over three tih a straw to keep down the pang of dread that had begun to gnaw at his belly Much as Sammy did love his mother, and craved her approval, five minutes of conversation with her was all it took to induce a ave over to her, though she was gratifyingly astonished by theed, in her curt way, to thank hiet paid vast su one's life, in her view, only added to the cos of all to Sammy was the way that, in the face of the sudden influx of e any element of her life, except to shop for better cuts ofknives, and spend a relatively lavish amount on new underwear for Bubbie and herself
The rest she socked away She viewed each fat paycheck as the last, certain that eventually, as she put it, ”the bubble gets popped” Each month that the comic book bubble not only continued to float but expanded exponentially just confir madder, so that when the pin finally went in, the pop would be all thein on old Ethel, to share in the revelry and good ti and sup on the delicious fruits of her kitchen Bubbie would have baked one of her bitter, brittle Bubbie babkas that they all had to h each tasted as if she had baked it in 1877 and then ht prospect for the day was that he and Joe had also been invited to co Adventures of the Escapist, The Ahs for the debut next Monday afternoon Hitherto, Burns, Baggot DeWinter, the advertising agency, had not involved Samh Sam adapted directly from the comic books Once, Sa out of Sardi's They knew hi that had run in the in run-throughs for the debut next Monday afternoon Hitherto, Burns, Baggot DeWinter, the advertising agency, had not involved Samh Sam adapted directly from the comic books Once, Sa out of Sardi's They knew hi that had run in the Saturday Evening Post, Saturday Evening Post, and stopped hientle luster of their scorn upon hie-boy types, with pipes and bow ties Only one would ad read a comic book, and probably all of them considered the form beneath contempt One had written previously for and stopped hientle luster of their scorn upon hie-boy types, with pipes and bow ties Only one would ad read a comic book, and probably all of them considered the form beneath contempt One had written previously for Mr Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons, Mr Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons, another for another for Mrs Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch Mrs Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch
But there was to be a party on Monday after the first broadcast, to which Sammy and Joe were invited; and on this balet a look, if that was the right way to put it, at the vocal embodiments of their characters
”Shabbes dinner,” Joe said, as they passed the Tiway co out of it, and Sammy looked for the writer as they went by
”I saw him, I tell you”
”Sure you did Yes, Shabbes dinner At my mother's Bad food House like an oven You don't want to miss that”
”I have a date with Rosa,” Joe said ”I think we're supposed to eat with her father at the house”
”You do that alo ht,” Joe said
”As usual, but this tiirl”
It was cool and dark in the lobby of the RCA Building The soft knocking of shoe heels on stone floors and the sowyn nized as tranquility for the first ti for theer He introduced hie Chandler, and showed then in and pin passes to their jackets
”Mr Chandler's really glad you could make it over,” Sneed said over his shoulder
”It was nice of him to invite us”
”Well, he's become quite a fan of your work”
”He reads it?”
”Oh, he studies it like the Bible”
They got out of the elevator, went down a stairwell and across a hall into another stairwell, this one gray cinder-block and iron stairs, then into a dingy white corridor, past the closed door of a studio with the on air light illuminated, left, and into another studio It was cool and s yellow roo scripts, were loitering around a trio of microphones In thePages of script lay everywhere, scattered on the ground and blown into drifts in the corners There was a gunshot Sammy was the only one in the room who jumped He looked wildly around Three men stood off to the left in the midst of an assortment of kitchen utensils, luun They were all sweating profusely in spite of the air-conditioning
”Ooh, got me!” cried Larry Sneed He clutched his silk-fronted pot-belly and spun around ”Ha ha ha” He pretended to laugh The actor as delivering his line stopped talking, and everyone turned to look They seeht, except for the director, who scowled ”Hi, folks, I'm sorry to interrupt you Mr Chandler, here's a couple of bright young fellows like me ant to meet our marvelous cast Mr Sam Clay and Mr Joe Kavalier”
”hello, boys,” said one of the twofroe as Sammy's father would have been, but tall and refined, with a trilasses that ht, like a man of science He shook their hands ”This is Mr Cobb, our director” Cobb nodded Like Chandler, he earing a suit and tie ”And this ragged bunch is our cast Forgive their appearance, but they've been rehearsing all week” Chandler pointed to the actors around theeach one froave the name and role ”That's Miss Verna Kaye, our Plu Al; and Howard Fine as the evil Kommandant X Over there may I present Miss Helen Portola, our Poison Rose; Ewell Conrad as Omar; Eddie Fontaine as Pedro; and our announcer, Mr Bill Parris”
”But Poison Rose is dead,” said Joe
”We haven't killed her on the radio yet,” said Chandler ”And that big, handsome fellow over there is our Escapist, Mr Tracy Bacon”