The Last Detail by Ponicsán Darryl

Author:Ponicsán, Darryl [Ponicsán, Darryl]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780751571813
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
Published: 2017-09-27T23:00:00+00:00

Six

IN THE BOSTON STATION LARRY grabs Billy’s arm and pulls him toward a phone booth to make the call to Charlotte. Billy says, “I’ll call her if I can make up my own story, in my own way—alone.” He shuts the door to the booth. Larry knocks on it and Billy opens it up.

“What now?”

“Do you have enough change?”

“Why? You gonna give me some?”

“No, I was only wondering …”

“Well, quit wondering ’cause I’m gonna reverse the charges.”

“Maybe she’ll be pissed and won’t accept them.”

“Will you cool it? You’re beginning to sound like a goddamn Polish grandmother. Go fry some pierogies.”

“But what if she doesn’t?”

“Why the hell don’t you just shut the hell up and see if she doesn’t?”

He pulls the folding door and turns away.

“Okay, Billy,” Larry mumbles.

Billy pushes his back against the door and pretends to be calling Charlotte. He does not want to talk to her so soon, even about something as detached as a shepherd’s pipe. He does not want to talk to her until the detail is over and he knows what he wants to do. Once he knows, then there will be no trouble in the saying of it. He gabbles into the phone and occasionally raises his voice to say, “Is that right?” and “I’ll be damned,” or “Yeah, he’s fine too.” He looks over his shoulder to see if Larry is buying it. He smiles, nods his head, and points to the mouthpiece, in several short jabs. Billy puts the phone back on its hook and leaves the booth.

“What’s the verdict?” asks Larry.

“Legal possession of a shepherd’s pipe,” says Billy.

“Huh?”

“I told her I packed the pipe by mistake and she said she wanted to give it to you anyway since you seemed to get a boot out of it, and when she noticed it was gone she figured she gave it to you the night before and just didn’t remember because of the pot and all. Anyhow, she says for you to take it with her blessing and knock yourself out.”

“No shit?”

“Absolute constipation.”

“C’mon.”

“I give you my word of honor as a representative of the president of the United States. She says you should keep the shepherd’s pipe as a going away gift from her. I swear it on my life.”

“That’s good enough for me,” says Larry, smiling widely. “What do you think of that, Mule?”

“You’re a real meatman. Must am she has the hots for you—if you want Billy’s retreads.”

“What a thing to say! Damn, you could piss a guy off,” says Larry.

Mule looks first at Billy, who is noncommittal, and then at Larry.

“Me?”

“You shouldn’t talk like that about retreads. Women aren’t tires,” says Larry. “And besides, she doesn’t even have the hots for me.”

“Looks like it, that shepherd’s pipe for a present. She didn’t give no shepherd’s pipe to Billy or me.”

Larry opens his peacoat, lifts his jumper and pulls the shepherd’s pipe out of his waistband. He holds it at arm’s length in admiration and gratitude and wonder.

“Gee, I wonder if they’ll let me keep it in the brig.

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