Part 8 (1/2)
”A thousand pardons, Senorita, there is five parties going tonight. You will look and see which one you are invited to. I need not go up with you--you will hear these parties long before you see them. Have a very good time, Senorita.”
”Come back here, you s.l.u.t--do you hear me--come back here with my leg,”
came a voice, as Evelyn and Pearl neared the second floor.
”You can just go to h.e.l.l, you cheap, lousy b.a.s.t.a.r.d, having the nerve to promise me two dollars, and then when I'm ready to go, you saying you wasn't going to give me a dime--G.o.ddam you, you just try and get this leg back,” said Mickey Finn, as she came to the head of the stairs, with an artificial leg under her arm, with the shoe and sock still on it.
”What's the trouble, Mickey?” asked Evelyn, as she and Pearl came up.
”Why, can you believe a guy would have the nerve to pull a trick like that on me--promising me my money, and then not giving it to me? I'm taking this leg and hock it--to h.e.l.l with him--the thing that makes me sore is anyone trying to pull a lousy trick like that on me--can you believe it?” fumed Mickey.
”Come back here with my leg, you b.i.t.c.h. If I get my hands on you, I'll wring your d.a.m.n neck.”
”Go to h.e.l.l,” screamed Mickey, ”You'll pay me more than two dollars to get this leg back.”
”Pipe down, Mickey,” shushed Evelyn, ”If Guts hears you, he'll raise h.e.l.l right.”
”A thousand pardons, Senoritas, but what is this trouble--and you--what are you doing with the Senor's leg?” came the voice of Guts from behind the trio.
”You seen me come in here with this guy, didn't you, Guts? He paid for the room, didn't he? Well, after he had his fun he refused to pay me my two dollars, and I'm d.a.m.ned if I ain't taking his false leg for the bill--and come to think of it, what have you got to say about it? Are you for me, or are you against me? You remember, I know of a couple of dirty deals I could tell the Custom and Federal authorities about--and by G.o.d, you know me, Guts,” frothed Mickey.
”Ah, Senorita--I am so sorry. Why you did not call me before? You are my friend, and no one can say different,” answered Guts, as he pulled his enormous belly up, and with a scowl on his near-black face, started down the hall toward the half-opened door.
”Take that leg away from that s.l.u.t,” ordered the man, leaning against the dresser to support himself, as Guts and the three girls came into the room.
”Why have you refuse to pay the Senorita?” asked Guts.
”Refuse to pay her--why, the d.a.m.n liar--I have paid her.”
”You are just lying because there's some other people here. You ain't give me a red cent, and what's more, you are giving me ten dollars or I'm taking the leg. Ain't I right, Guts?”
”Si, Senorita, you are right.”
”Hand the leg over and I'll give you the ten dollars to get rid of you.”
”All right, I'll give it to you, but don't you try to pull nothing funny or I'll take that thing away from you again, and beat the h.e.l.l out of you with it,” said Mickey, as she handed him the leg.
”Thanks,” said the man, as he took the leg, and reached down the top of it and pulled out a roll of bills, ”Here's your ten,” as he dug it out of a roll of fifties and hundreds.
”I'll be d.a.m.ned!” said Mickey, as they all left the room, ”That's what I get for getting chicken-hearted, and giving it back to him. Every time I get sympathetic I lose money.”
”Cheer up, Mickey--let's find the drinks,” said Evelyn.
”Well, you ain't got far to look. They are right above us on the next floor,” answered Mickey, as she made for the stairs.
”Well, n.o.body can't say it ain't starting off well--if we all don't end in the Mex jail, it will be a miracle of fate.”
As they reached the third floor a sight greeted their eyes that would have made the old Roman gatherings look like child's play. There were couples everywhere in the hall, some fully dressed, some partially dressed, others practically nude, all oblivious of each other, while in the room there were less clothes but many more bodies, laying around on the floor, sprawled on chairs, on the bed, on the bathroom floor, while the bathtub was piled high with ice and bottles of every description; the connecting room to the bathroom had been opened, and an old phonograph was scratching the Mexican National Anthem, while a couple scantily clad, both male and female, in ladies' step-ins, insisted on doing their idea of the rhumba, which consisted mostly of the male part of the team goosing the female with the third finger of the hand, while she leaped, and screamed, with elephantine grace, much to the joy of the spectators, who were beginning to undress and join the dance, midst shouts and screams of gaiety.