Part 36 (1/2)
”I can't even talk to you on the telephone without ood that will do you back in Chicago”
”I'o,” she said
”Where the hell are you?” he asked, knohat her ansould be almost before he asked the question
”Here,” she said ”I'm at the Ambassador Hotel on Wilshi+re Boulevard I have alow”
”You're crazy”
”No, I' to leave you alone for a hile your wife is in the hospital with all thataround”
”I've never seen any of it,” he said
”I' for dinner? I've got a great setup here-dining roo”
''I have a date”
''I don't believe you”
'True,” he said ”With George Browne, president of the LA out here”
”Then come over after dinner,” she said
”No I have to be at the hospital at seven in the ”
”I'll wake you up in tiht and I'll get crazy”
He laughed ”Think of me”
Her voice suddenly turned serious ”Daniel, your voice sounds different Are you all right?”
”I'm fine,” he said
”Then what is it? Are you worried about Tess?”
”Yes,” he said ”They're doing a caesarian to”
She was silent for a moment ”Oh But don't worry about it My older sister has had two babies that way She said it's a lot easier than having babies the regular way And she's just fine”
”I'll be okay when it's over,” he said
”I'm sure you will,” she said ”Will you call me then?”
”Yes”
”Good luck, Daniel” She hesitated for a moment ”You know I really mean that, don't you?”
”I know,” he said
”I love you, Daniel”
He was silent
”Daniel?”
”Yes?”
”Call me tomorrow”
”I will,” he said, and put down the telephone He crossed the roo area and took the bottle of bourbon from the sideboard He poured hi She was crazy, but there was one thing he could do with her that he never could do with any other woman He could talk to her
He rubbed his jaw reflectively The stubble scratched under his fingers He needed another shave Taking the whiskey with hian to undress In the bathroom, he stared at his face in the mirror
He was thirty-seven years old and about to becos Already he found hi, about what he was doing It wasn't going to be easy bringing up a kid on the kind of et Murray to give him a local of his own At least, he could build from there That was the way all of them did it Lewis, Murray, Green; even Browne out here had a platform from which he could move He had just been ood for a kid to groithout a father around Maybe Tess was right If Browne caht kind of deal, he should take it It had to be better than getting his brains beat out the way he was going
Or what Chris had said JuoodFinally he washed the rest of the soap from his face, used a little talc to hide the understubble that always showed blue on his cheeks He put on his shi+rt, still thinking, still undecided
As the headwaiter led him to the table near the back comer of the restaurant, Daniel wondered why it was that so many of the customers seated at the tables seemed to be familiar to him Then he understood why Most of them were film actors and actresses, and he had seen them on the screen so nize At one table, Joel McCrea; at another, Loretta Young; the others had names he could not reot to their feet The bigger e Browne Say hello to Willie Bioflf, my executive vice president”
After they shook hands and sat down, Browne looked at hi man Is that true?”
''I've never been known to turn one down,” Daniel said
”I'm a beer drinker myself,” Browne said ”Ulcers I can't take the hard stuff You go ahead and order”
”Thank you,” Daniel said He looked up at the headwaiter, as still hovering over thele or double, sir?”
”Neither,” Daniel said ”A bottle And bring a pitcher of water No ice”