I canfeeltheheatclosingin,feel themout there
makingtheirmoves,settinguptheirdevildoll stool
pigeons,crooningovermyspoonanddropperIthrow
awayatWashingtonSquareStation,vaultaturnstile
andtwoflightsdowntheironstairs,catchan uptown
Atrain...Young,goodlooking,crewcut,Ivy League,
advertisingexectype fruitholds thedoor backfor me.
Iamevidentlyhisideaofacharacter. Youknow the
typecomesonwithbartendersand cabdrivers, talking
aboutrighthooksandtheDodgers, callthe counterman
in Nedick's byhis firstname. Areal asshole.And right
ontime thisnarcotics dickin awhite trenchcoat (im-
aginetailingsomebodyina whitetrench coat-- trying
to pass as a fag I guess ) hit the platform. I canhear the
wayhewould sayit holdingmy outfitin hisleft hand,
righthandonhispiece:"Ithinkyoudroppedsome-
thing, fella"
But the subway is moving.
"So long flatfoot!" I yell, giving thefruit hisB produc-
tion. I look into the fruit's eyes, take in thewhite teeth,
theFloridatan,thetwohundred dollarsharkskin suit,
thebutton-downBrooksBrothersshirtandcarrying
The News as a prop. "Only thing I read is Little Abner."
Asquarewantstocomeonhip.... Talksabout "pod,"
andsmokeitnowandthen,andkeepssomearoundto
offer the fast Hollywood types.
"Thanks, kid," I say, "I cansee you'reone ofour own."
Hisfacelightsuplike apinball machine,with stupid,
pink effect.
"Grassedonmehedid,"Isaidmorosely.(Note:
GrassisEnglishthiefslang forinform.) Idrew closer
andlaidmy dirtyjunky fingerson hissharkskin sleeve.
"Andusbloodbrothersinthe samedirty needle,I can
tell youin confidencehe isdue fora hotshot." ( Note:
This isa capof poisonjunk soldto addictfor liquida-
tionpurposes.Oftengiven toinformers. Usuallythe hot
shot is strychnine since it tastes and looks like junk. )
"Everseeahotshothit,kid? Isaw theGimp catch
oneinPhilly.Weriggedhisroomwithaone-way
whorehousemirrorandchargedasawskitowatchit.
Henevergottheneedleoutof hisarm.
Theydon't if
the shot isright. That'sthe waythey findthem, dropper
fullofclottedbloodhangingoutofabluearm. The
look in his eyes when it hit -- Kid, it was tasty....
"RecollectwhenIamtravelingwiththeVigilante,
bestShakeManintheindustry.OutinChi...Weis
workingthe fagsin LincolnPark. Soone nightthe Vigi-
lanteturnsupforworkincowboybootsandablack
vest with a hunka tin on it and a lariat slung over his
shoulder.
"So I says: 'What's with you? You wig already?'
"He just looks at me and says: 'Fill your hand stran-
ger' and hauls out an old rusty six shooter and I take off
across Lincoln Park, bullets cutting all around me. And
he hangs three fags before the fuzz nail him. I mean
the Vigilante earned his moniker....
"Ever notice how many expressions carry over from
queers to con men? Like 'raise,' letting someone know
you are in the same line?
" 'Get her!'
" 'Get the Paregoric Kid giving that mark the build
up!'
" 'Eager Beaver wooing him much too fast.'
"The Shoe Store Kid (he got that moniker shaking
down fetishists in shoe stores) say: 'Give it to a mark
with K.Y. and he will come back moaning for more.'
And when the Kid spots a mark he begin to breathe
heavy. His face swells and his lips turn purple like an
Eskimo in heat. Then slow, slow he comes on the mark,
feeling for him, palpating him with fingers of rotten
ectoplasm.
"The Rubehas asincere littleboy look,burns through
himlikeblueneon. Thatone steppedright offa Sator-
dayEveningPostcoverwith astring ofbullheads, and
preservedhimselfin junk.His marksnever beefand the
Bunkopeopleare reallycarrying aneedle forthe Rube.
Oneday LittleBoy Bluestarts toslip, andwhat crawls
outwouldmakeanambulanceattendantpuke.The
Rube8flipsintheend,runningthroughemptyautomats
andsubwaystations,screaming:'Comeback,kid!!
Comeback!l'andfollowshisboyrightintotheEast
River,downthroughcondomsandorangepeels,mosaic
offloatingnewspapers,downintothesilentblackooze
withgangstersinconcrete,andpistolspoundedHatto
avoid the probing finger of prurient ballistic experts."
Andthefruitisthinking:"Whatacharacter!!Wait
till I tell the boys in Clark's about this one." He'sa char-
actercollector, wouldstand stillfor JoeGould's seagull
act.So Iput iton himfor asawski andmake ameet to
sell him some"pod" ashe callsit, thinking,"I'll catnip
thejerk.