Idiots First Read Online Free Page B

called up a friend of mine from the Army, now a CPA, and told him I would appreciate an invitation for an evening. He knew why. His wife said yes right away. When Ornita came back we went there. The wife made a fine dinner. It wasn’t a bad time and they told us to come again. Ornita had a few drinks. She looked relaxed, wonderful. Later, because
of a twenty-four hour taxi strike I had to take her home on the subway. When we got to the 116th Street station she told me to stay on the train, and she would walk the couple of blocks to her house. I didn’t like a woman walking alone on the streets at that time of the night. She said she never had any trouble but I insisted nothing doing. I said I would walk to her stoop with her and when she went upstairs I would go back to the subway.
    On the way there, on 115th in the middle of the block before Lenox, we were stopped by three men—maybe they were boys. One had a black hat with a half-inch brim, one a green cloth hat, and the third wore a black leather cap. The green hat was wearing a short coat and the other two had long ones. It was under a street light but the leather cap snapped a six-inch switchblade open in the light.
    â€œWhat you doin’ with this white son of a bitch?” he said to Ornita.
    â€œI’m minding my own business,” she answered him, “and I wish you would too.”
    â€œBoys,” I said, “we’re all brothers. I’m a reliable merchant in the neighborhood. This young lady is my dear friend. We don’t want any trouble. Please let us pass.”
    â€œYou talk like a Jew landlord,” said the green hat. “Fifty a week for a single room.”
    â€œNo charge fo’ the rats,” said the half-inch brim.
    â€œBelieve me, I’m no landlord. My store is ‘Nathan’s Liquors’ between Hundred Tenth and Eleventh. I also have two colored clerks, Mason and Jimmy, and they will tell you I pay good wages as well as I give discounts to certain customers.”

    â€œShut your mouth, Jewboy,” said the leather cap, and he moved the knife back and forth in front of my coat button. “No more black pussy for you.”
    â€œSpeak with respect about this lady, please.”
    I got slapped on my mouth.
    â€œThat ain’t no lady,” said the long face in the half-inch brim, “that’s black pussy. She deserve to have ewy bit of her hair shave off. How you like to have evvy bit of your hair shave off, black pussy?”
    â€œPlease leave me and this gentleman alone or I’m gonna scream long and loud. That’s my house three doors down.”
    They slapped her. I never heard such a scream. Like her husband was falling fifteen stories.
    I hit the one that slapped her and the next I knew I was laying in the gutter with a pain in my head. I thought, goodbye, Nat, they’ll stab me for sure, but all they did was take my wallet and run in three different directions.
    Ornita walked back with me to the subway and she wouldn’t let me go home with her again.
    â€œJust get home safely.”
    She looked terrible. Her face was gray and I still remembered her scream. It was a terrible winter night, very cold February, and it took me an hour and ten minutes to get home. I felt bad for leaving her but what could I do?
    We had a date downtown the next night but she didn’t show up, the first time.
    In the morning I called her in her place of business.
    â€œFor God’s sake, Ornita, if we got married and moved away we wouldn’t have that kind of trouble that we had. We wouldn’t come in that neighborhood any more.
    â€œYes, we would. I have family there and don’t want to
move anyplace else. The truth of it is I can’t marry you, Nat. I got troubles enough of my own.”
    â€œI coulda sworn you love me.”
    â€œMaybe I do but I can’t marry you.”
    â€œFor God’s sake, why?”
    â€œI got enough trouble of my