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The Marlon Towers. Room 19b. 7:39 PM. I opened the door to my three room apt. that swung on rusty hinges. I parked my car in the neighboring parking lot that was once a playground. Broken swing sets and old slides were pushed off to the side. My apt. had one bathroom off to my left, and a small kitchen to the right. The living room and bedroom were the same room except the bed sat in the far corner and the beat up brown couch sat against the wall separating the living room from the kitchen. There was a long wooden table in front and a small end table on the right side. I tossed my coat and hat on to the couch and went through the swinging door entrance of the kitchen. I opened the frig and pulled out a bottle of whiskey, a bottle of beer, and an ice tray from the freezer. I pulled out two shot glass’ from the dish rack and crushed the ice up in a bowl. I took the bowl of ice and the rest and put them on the long table. I flipped the radio on and sat back. Took a moment. Staring at the cracks in the ceiling. Counted them twice. Listened to the neighbors next door having their fight of the night. They did this every night.
“You lousy bum! “ She said in a shrilly voice. ”Why do we have to live in this god forsaken dive fer. I’m tired of livin’ here Harry. Why can’t we live on the Upper West side like my sista does? She and her husband have a beautiful apt. fulla nice things. Why can’t we have nice things? Why can’t you be more like my sista’s husband. He gets her nice things like furs and jewelry and dining out. Why can’t we be like that Harry?”
Harry always said the same thing in the same baritone voice that didn’t pay her any mind:
“If youse wanted all that, then why didn’t go and marry ‘im insteada given me a headache wit’ all ya yappin’. I coulda been happy without cha. Sometimes I don’t remember why I locked myself down to youse anyhow. Ball an’ chain aroun’ my neck. Tha’s what you been, now shut up and get me ’nother beer. I wanna lis’en to the fight on the radio.”
It was the same every night and every night I listened to it. Show’s how much I’ve got to do with my life. The clock on the wall chimed 8’oclock. Billie Holiday sang softly,“In my solitude, you haunt me. With reveries of days gone by. In my solitude, you taunt me, with memories that never die. I sit in my chair. I'm filled with despair. There’s no one who could be so sad. With gloom everywhere, I sit and I stare. I know that I’ll soon go mad.”
The song hit me deeply. I filled the shot glass with whiskey and ice. Took the top off the beer, and drank slowly, loosing myself in the memories of yesterday.
The clocked chimed again. 10’oclock. The whiskey was half empty and the beer was gone. The ice had melted and my thoughts were sluggish. I took off my clothing down to my under shirt and boxers and crawled into bed. The lights were out except for the flashing neon next door that blinked into my window. The radio was low. I fell fast asleep.
*
A knock came to my
door. It felt like the hammering was on the inside of my skull. I threw my legs
off the edge of my bed and let my feet hang. I whispered a loud whisper. The
fuzzy clouds were still in my head.
“Who the hell is it?” I said. At that
moment the clock chimed.
1:00 AM. Who the hell could be coming here this late. No answer. The soft knocking
continued.
“All right. All right. I’m comin’ damn.
keep yor shirt on.”
I dragged my feet across the mile and a half to the door. Unlocked the bottom
lock and left the chain on the top. I opened the door slightly and looked through
the crack. She stood there. Her black hair sat over her shoulders. It was soft.
It always looked soft. She wore a dark tan mole hair coat that sat low over
the hips. She wore white gloves and carried a small white purse that she always
held in front of her when she was nervous. Her light brown skin seemed to glow
under the hallway light. She spoke through soft full lips.
“H-hi. Michael. May I come in?” She
said, fidgeting with the clasp on her purse. She was so beautiful when she was
nervous. I sat there.
Looking at her. I couldn’t get the words out. I couldn’t move.
We stared at each
other.
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