Part 24 (1/2)
”Is it”
”The people are little s there”
”Rosa can do a”
When this burst of soed, they were embarrassed Sammy rubbed at the back of his neck For some reason, he was a little afraid of Tracy Bacon He decided that Bacon was playing with hi, radiant, confident felloith string-bass voices always oofy little curlicue of ink sta to ask me?” Sammy said coldly
”Yes, I wanted-look here” He punched Saently, either Not always knowing his own strength was eventually to become, thanks to Tracy Bacon, one of the Escapist's characteristic traits ”Ordinarily I wouldn't do soot a look at you and saw you weren't any older than I aer-how old are you?”
”Safely in my twenties,” Sammy said
”I'm twenty-four,” said Bacon ”Last week”
”Happy birthday”
”Mr Clay-”
”Sarip was firm and dry, and he pumped Sammy's hand up and down half a dozen times
”Sammy, I don't know if you could tell it or not,” Bacon said, ”but I'ain, and the other actors started to file out Helen Portola sidled up to Bacon, took hold of his arazed up at him in the ardent manner Walter Winchell had alluded to She could see that he had soly to Saht he saaver of anxiety in her big green eyes
”Trace? We're all going over to Sardi's”
”Save ave her shoulder a squeeze ”Turns out Mr Clay and I have aup”
Sammy was amazed by the ease and naturalness of Bacon's lie Helen Portola looked Sa to calculate what possible human could be the link between him and Tracy Bacon Then she kissed Bacon on the cheek and, not without a show of reluctance, left Sammy must have looked puzzled
”Oh, I'm an awful liar,” Bacon said airily ”Now, come on, let me buy you a drink, and I'll explain”
”Jeez,” said Sammy, ”I'd like to, but-”
Bacon actually took hold of Sah- and put his ar him down to the end of the hall by a fire door He lowered his voice to a conspiratorial rasp
”Sa to you” He paused, as if to give Sa taken into his confidence Sammy was almost-almost-too taken aback to comply ”I'ineering in school Two hter All right, I have an ideal voice for radio” He coirlish h, and I know it You can't get by in this business on natural ability alone” He looked so pleased by the harsh line he had taken with himself that all trace of it vanished at once ”This is ood If you could give hts?”
”Exactly!” He sht hand ”That's it! I was hoping we could sit down, see, and I could buy you a drink, and you could just talk toany problems with Toood”
”Well, I am am Tom Mayflower, Mr Clay, and that's the explanation for that But the Escapist, jeez, I don't know He just he see so damn Tom Mayflower, Mr Clay, and that's the explanation for that But the Escapist, jeez, I don't know He just he see so damn seriously” seriously”
”Well, Mr Bacon, he has serious proble at his own pretension He felt he ought to be glad for this chance Bacon was offering hiain soram, but instead he found that he was more afraid of Tracy Bacon than before Saetic speakers, and he was used to being harangued, but he had never before felt himself so addressed, with such a direct appeal, made not merely to his ears but to his eyes No one who looked like Tracy Bacon had ever, to his olden halfback atop the football trophy, stiff-ar every obstacle in his path, was not a type stareat profusion by Brownsville, Flatbush, or the Manual Arts High School Saan-wearing, cultivated lunks with schoolboy haircuts during his brief dips into the world of Rosa Saks, but he had certainly never been addressed by one-or even acknowledged ”The world today has a lot of serious probleht just to shut up ”I really can't,” he said He looked at his watch It was nearly ten past five ”I'll be late for a dinner date”
”At five on a Friday night?” Bacon switched on his fifty-ain to iine,” said Sammy
2
Where is the actual flat bush?” Bacon said as they came up out of the subway He stopped and looked across the avenue at the entrance to Prospect Park ”Do they keep it in there?”
”Actually, they move it around,” said Sammy They'd had two drinks apiece, but for some reason, Sammy didn't feel in the least intoxicated He wondered if fear forestalled the effects of alcohol He wondered if he wereup for dinner at Ethel's late, reeking of gin, and with the world's largest piece of trayf in tow In the subway station, he had bought a roll of Sen-Sen and eaten four ”It's on wheels” He gave a pull on the sleeve of Bacon's blue blazer ”Come on, we're late”
”Are we?” Bacon arched an eyebrow ”You hadn't mentioned it”
”You don't even know me,” said Sammy ”How can you presume to razz me?”
As he buzzed for 2-B-he had misplaced his key-he realized that he must be very, very drunk It was the only possible explanation for what he was about to do He wasn't sure exactly when the invitation had been extended, or at what point it became clear to Sais, under the jovial gaze of Parrish's King Cole, King Cole, their conversation had veered so quickly from Bacon's difficulties with the character of the Escapist that Sammy could not remember noisdom, if any, he had been able to offer on that score Almost at once, it seemed, Bacon had launched, unprompted, into a recitation (one that, while practiced, obviously still held great interest for hiant tale-he had lived in Texas, California, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and, eneral, his lishwoman; he had sailed on a merchant shi+p; he had broken horses on Oahu; he had attended a boarding school where he played hockey and lacrosse and boxed a little-which, paradoxically, he hi in so of sense or purpose All the while, Sa and education and his travels fro him to the unmistakable smell of bullshi+t, had been at ith his native weakness for roin in his mouth, at once envious and unable to shake the echo of Bacon's blithe avowal-”I'e, in spite of Bacon's good looks and his actor pals and his cool gin-and-tonic of a girlfriend, and regardless of the truth or falsehood of the clai, an unnized: Tracy Bacon was lonely He lived in a hotel and ate his meals in restaurants His actor pals took him and his tale at face value not because they were credulous, but because it was less effort to do so And noith an unerring instinct, he had sniffed out the loneliness in Sa for an answer from 2-B, was testimony to this It didn't occur to Sammy that Bacon was just drunk and twenty-one (not twenty-four) andtheir conversation had veered so quickly from Bacon's difficulties with the character of the Escapist that Sammy could not remember noisdom, if any, he had been able to offer on that score Almost at once, it seemed, Bacon had launched, unprompted, into a recitation (one that, while practiced, obviously still held great interest for hiant tale-he had lived in Texas, California, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and, eneral, his lishwoman; he had sailed on a merchant shi+p; he had broken horses on Oahu; he had attended a boarding school where he played hockey and lacrosse and boxed a little-which, paradoxically, he hi in so of sense or purpose All the while, Sa and education and his travels fro him to the unmistakable smell of bullshi+t, had been at ith his native weakness for roin in his mouth, at once envious and unable to shake the echo of Bacon's blithe avowal-”I'e, in spite of Bacon's good looks and his actor pals and his cool gin-and-tonic of a girlfriend, and regardless of the truth or falsehood of the clai, an unnized: Tracy Bacon was lonely He lived in a hotel and ate his meals in restaurants His actor pals took him and his tale at face value not because they were credulous, but because it was less effort to do so And noith an unerring instinct, he had sniffed out the loneliness in Sa for an answer from 2-B, was testimony to this It didn't occur to Sammy that Bacon was just drunk and twenty-one (not twenty-four) and
”That is thedoor buzz I've ever heard,” Bacon said when it finally came
Sammy held the lobby door for him ”That was actually the voice of my mother,” he said ”There's a little wax cylinder in there”
”You're just trying to scare me,” Bacon said
They clis for so many years now Sammy knocked ”Stand back,” he said
”Stop it now”
”Watch your fingers Ma!”
”Look who it is”
”Don't look so excited”
”Where's your cousin?”
”They already had plans Ma, I brought a friend This is Mr Tracy Bacon He's going to be playing the Escapist On the radio”
”Look out you don't bu Ethel said to Bacon Then ”My goodness” She smiled and held out her hand, and Sammy saw that she was impressed Tracy Bacon et a better look and stood there like one of the tourists Sah on his way in and out of work every day ”You're very good-looking” it just ht have been soes
”Thank you, Mrs Clay,” said Bacon
Sammy winced
”That isn't my name,” Ethel said, but not unkindly She looked at Sammy ”I never cared for that name Well, come in, sit down, I made too much, oh well Dinner was ready once already, and you missed the candles, I'-shot coed that rule,” said Sammy