Jack Palance all right. He remembered the look on Chubby's face last night when he was balling that girl. He looked like Yogi Berra in heat. That girl was a bit all right though.

***

"How come we gotta wear suits?" Stony protested.

"Just do it, awright?" Tommy said.

"Sheezus." Stony almost said shit as he took off his dungarees. "All we doin' is goin' a damn movie."

"We not goin' a damn movie," Tommy mimicked.

"Aw... we goin' visitin'?" Stony groaned.

"Just, just do what I say, hah?" Tommy turned from the door and whistled at his wife, who was wearing a hot pink pantsuit. She ignored him, still pissed off from this morning. As she walked by she laid down a cloud of perfume. Tommy loved heavy perfume. Her face was almost furry with rouge and powder.

"Hey, Marie." Tommy smiled like a little boy and stood before her with his arms extended palms up.

She exhaled heavily through her nostrils, glowered at him and shook her fist in front of his nose. The fight was over.

***

"Where the hell are you taking us?" Marie asked as Tommy turned the car onto the George Washington Bridge.

"Keep your draws on." Tommy smiled. Albert sat in back chewing on his fingernails and staring at some sailboats. Stony was playing basketball in his head, doing weaving, whirling lay-ups in slow motion against a whole team of six-foot-ten spades. Then he started running numbers in his head. Cheri. Under their new agreement they were both free to play. Last week after graduation the Mount rented out Club D'Artagnan for a shit-face and Cheri started coming on to Mott the Bear. Stony went berserk and Butler had to shove him into the john to stop a fight. If she wanted to play, she didn't have to be insulting about it. Mott the Bear, Christ. Tommy. His old man was starting to break his chops about the union. His only alternative was college. Stony wasn't in love with the idea of more school, and more school wasn't in love with the idea of Stony. The only place he could get into his counselor had to find with a magnifying glass. Purdy Free Normal, Purdy, Louisiana. Hot damn. He didn't have anything against construction work. It was healthy, good bread, but... but...