A little hand timidly took his arm.
“Honey, you ain’t mad at you sweetness, is you?”
“No. … I’m jest sick and tiah’d a everything.”
“I nevah know you knowed one anether, honey. Oh, I was so scared. … But how could I know?”
“No, you couldn’t. I ain’t blaming nothing on you. I nevah would guess it was him mahself. I ain’t blaming nobody at all.”
Felice cuddled closer to Jake and fondled his face. “It was a good thing you had you’ gun, though, honey, or—O Lawd! what mighta happened!”
“Oh, I woulda been a dead nigger this time or a helpless one,” Jake laughed and hugged her closer to him. “It was Billy gived me that gun and I didn’t even wanta take it.”
“Didn’t you? Billy is a good friend, eh?”
“You bet he is. Nevah gets mixed up with—in scraps like that.”
“Honest, honey, I nevah liked Zeddy, but—”
“Oh, you don’t have to explain me nothing. I know it’s jest connexidence. It coulda been anybody else. That don’t worry mah skin.”
“I really didn’t like him, though, honey. Lemme tell you. I was kinder sorry for him. It was jest when I got back from Palm Beach I seen him one night at a buffet flat. And he was that nice to me. He paid drinks for the whole houseful a people and all because a me. I couldn’t act mean, so I had to be nice mahself. And the next day he ups and buys me two pair a shoes and silk stockings and a box a chocolate candy. So I jest stayed on and gived him a li’l loving, honey, but I nevah did tuk him to mah haht.”
“It’s awright, sweetness. What do I care so long as wese got one another again?”
She drew down his head and sought his mouth. …
“But what is we gwineta do, daddy? Sence they say that youse a slacker or deserter, I don’t know which is which—”
“He done lied about that, though,” Jake said, angrily. “I didn’t run away because I was scared a them Germans. But I beat it away from Brest because they wouldn’t give us a chance at them, but kept us in that rainy, sloppy, Gawd-forsaken burg working like wops. They didn’t seem to want us niggers foh no soldiers. We was jest a bunch a despised hod-carriers, and Zeddy know that.”
Now it was Felice’s turn. “You ain’t telling me a thing, daddy. I’ll be slack with you and desert with you. What right have niggers got to shoot down a whole lot a Germans for? Is they worse than Americans or any other nation a white people? You done do the right thing, honey, and Ise with you and I love you the more for that. … But all the same, we can’t stay in Harlem no longer, for the bulls will sure get you.”
“I been thinking a gitting away from the stinking mess and go on off to sea again.”
“Ah no, daddy,” Felice tightened her hold on his arm. “And what’ll become a me? I kain’t go ’board a ship with you and I needs you.”
Jake said nothing.
“What you wanta go knocking around them foreign countries again for like swallow come and swallow go from year to year and nevah settling down no place? This heah is you’ country, daddy. What you gwine away from it for?”
“And what kain I do?”
“Do? Jest le’s beat it away from Harlem, daddy. This heah country is good and big enough for us to git lost in. You know Chicago?”
“Haven’t made that theah burg yet.”
“Why, le’s go to Chicago, then. I hear it’s a mahvelous place foh niggers. Chicago, honey.”
“When?”
“This heah very night. Ise ready. Ain’t nothing in Harlem holding me, honey. Come on. Le’s pack.”
Zeddy rose like an apparition out of the shadow. Automatically Jake’s hand went to his pocket.
“Don’t shoot!” Zeddy threw up his hands. “I ain’t here foh no trouble. I jest wanta ast you’ pahdon, Jake. Excuse me, boh. I was crazy-mad and didn’t know what I was saying. Ahm bloody well ashamed a mahself. But you know how it is when a gal done make a fool outa you. I done think it ovah and said to mah inner man: Why, you fool fellah, whasmat with you? Ef Zeddy slit his buddy’s thwoat for a gal, that won’t give back the gal to Zeddy. … So I jest had to come and tell it to you and ast you pahdon. You kain stay in Harlem as long as you wanta. Zeddy ain’ta gwineta open his mouf against you. You was always a good man-to-man buddy and nevah did wears you face bahind you. Don’t pay no mind to what I done said in that theah cabaret Them niggers hanging around was all drunk and wouldn’t shoot their mouf off about you nohow. You ain’t no moh slacker than me. What you done was all right, Jakey, and I woulda did it mahself ef I’d a had the guts to.”
“It’s all right, Zeddy,” said Jake. “It was jest a crazy mix-up we all got into. I don’t bear you no grudge.”
“Will you take the paw on it?”
“Sure!” Jake gripped Zeddy’s hand.
“So long, buddy, and fohgit it.”
“So long, Zeddy, ole top.” And Zeddy bear-walked off, without a word or a look at Felice, out of Jake’s life forever. Felice was pleased, yet, naturally, just a little piqued. He might have said goodbye to me, too, she thought. I would even have kissed him for the last time. She took hold of Jake’s hands and swung them meditatively: “It’s all right daddy, but—”
“But what?”
“I think we had better let Harlem miss us foh a little while.”
“Scared?”
“Yes, daddy, but for you only. Zeddy won’t go back on you. I guess not. But news is
