“Sir,” a fat Mexican nurse walked up, “I’ll have to ask you to leave now.”
“But I’m the father.”
“We know. But your wife must rest.” I squeezed Fay’s hand, kissed her on the forehead. She closed her eyes and seemed to sleep then. She was not a young woman. Maybe she hadn’t saved the world but she had made a major improvement. Ring one up for Fay.
14
Marina Louise, Fay named the child. So there it was, Marina Louise Chinaski. In the crib by the window. Looking up at the tree leafs and bright designs whirling on the ceiling. Then she’d cry. Walk the baby, talk to the baby. The girl wanted mama’s breasts but mama wasn’t always ready and I didn’t have mama’s breasts. And the job was still there. And now riots. One tenth of the city was on fire…
15
On the elevator up, I was the only white man there. It seemed strange. They talked about the riots, not looking at me.
“Jesus,” said a coal black guy, “it’s really something. These guys walking around the streets drunk with 5ths of whiskey in their hands. Cops driving by but the cops don’t get out of their cars, they don’t bother the drunks. It’s daylight. People walking around with t.v. sets, vacuum cleaners, all that. It’s really something…”
“Yeah, man.”
“The black-owned places put up signs, ‘BLOOD BROTHERS.’ And the white-owned places too. But they can’t fool the people. They know which places belong to Whitey…”
“Yeah, brother.”
Then the elevator stopped at the 4th floor and we all got off together. I felt that it was best for me not to make any comment at that time.
Not much later the postmaster of the city came on over the intercoms:
“Attention! The southeast area has been barricaded. Only those with proper identification will be allowed through. There is a 7 p.m. curfew. After 7 p.m. nobody will be allowed to pass. The barricade extends from Indiana Street to Hoover Street, and from Washington Boulevard to 135th Place. Anybody living in this area is excused from work now.”
I got up and reached for my timecard.
“Hey! Where you going?” the supervisor asked me.
“You heard the announcement?”
“Yeah, but you’re not—”
I slipped my left hand into my pocket.
“I’m not WHAT? I’m not WHAT?”
He looked at me.
“What do
I took my timecard, walked over and punched out.
16
The riots ended, the baby calmed down, and I found ways to avoid Janko. But the dizzy spells persisted. The doctor wrote me a standing order for the green-white librium capsules and they helped a bit.
One night I got up to get a drink of water. Then I came back, worked 30 minutes and took my ten minute break. When I sat down again, Chambers the supervisor, a high yellow came running up: “Chinaski! You’ve finally hung yourself! You’ve been gone 40 minutes!”
Chambers had fallen on the floor in a fit one night, frothing and twitching. They had carried him out on a stretcher. The next night he had come back, necktie, new shirt, as if nothing had happened. Now he was pulling the old water fountain game on me.
“Look, Chambers, try to be sensible. I got a drink of water, sat down, worked 30 minutes, then took my break. I was gone ten minutes.”
“You’ve hung yourself, Chinaski! You’ve been gone 40 minutes! I have 7 witnesses!”
“7 witnesses?”
“YES, 7!”
“I tell you, it was ten minutes.”
“No, we’ve got you, Chinaski! We’ve really got you this time!”
Then, I was tired of it. I didn’t want to look at him anymore:
“All right, then. I’ve been gone 40 minutes. Have your way. Write it up.”
Chambers ran off.
I stuck a few more letters, then the general foreman walked up. A thin white man with little tufts of grey hair hanging over each ear. I looked at him and then turned and stuck some more letters.
“Mr. Chinaski, I’m sure that you understand the rules and regulations of the post office. Each clerk is allowed 2 ten minute breaks, one before lunch, the other after lunch. The break privilege is granted by management: ten minutes. Ten minutes is—”
“GOD DAMN IT!” I threw my letters down. “Now I admitted to a 40 minute break just to satisfy you guys and get you off my ass. But you keep coming around! Now I take it back! I only took 10 minutes! I want to see your 7 witnesses! Trot them out!”
Two days later I was at the racetrack. I looked up and saw all these teeth, this big smile and the eyes shining, friendly. What was it—with all those teeth? I looked closer. It was Chambers looking at me, smiling and standing in a coffee line. I had a beer in my hand. I walked over to a trashcan, and still looking at him, I spit. Then I walked off. Chambers never bothered me again.
17
The baby was crawling, discovering the world. Marina slept in bed with us at night. There was Marina, Fay, the cat and myself. The cat slept on the bed too. Look here, I thought, I have 3 mouths depending on me. How very strange. I sat there and watched them sleeping.
Then two nights in a row when I came home in the mornings, the early mornings, Fay was sitting up reading the classified sections.
“All these rooms are so damned expensive,” she said.
“Sure,” I said.
The next night I asked her as she read the paper:
“Are you moving out?”
“Yes.”
“All right. I’ll help you find a place tomorrow. I’ll drive you around.” I agreed to pay her a sum each month. She said, “All right.” Fay got the girl. I got the cat.
We found a place 8 or 10 blocks away. I helped her move in, said goodbye to the girl and drove on back.
I went over to see Marina 2 or 3 or 4 times a week. I knew as long as I could see the girl I would be all
