Chieu Hoi Saloon by Michael Harris

Author:Michael Harris [Harris, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-60486-467-0
Publisher: PM Press
Published: 2010-11-15T00:00:00+00:00

‘I thought Section 8 was when they… k—kicked you out of the Army… b—because you were nuts,’ Harry says.

‘Not this Section 8,’ I tell him. ‘Our ship just done come in, and we’re gettin’ out of this motel for good.’

He was pissed off, I know. Learnin’ all about Sidney and that, and havin’ to cough up all that money at the same time. But Harry, he stay cool-mad, like I said. And it ain’t like I had much choice. It was either grab that voucher right then or maybe miss our chance and have to wait all over again. Or maybe miss it for good. The government be cuttin’ back on that program now, I hear.

Besides, livin’ in that motel wasn’t nothin’ nice, you listenin’ to me? Them gangbangers kept comin’ back after that Cadillac. Finally Eugene went to the extremities of stayin’ up all one night, lyin’ in wait for ‘em, and shot one of the little motherfuckers in the leg. Not with that old .45—the cops seen that one. He bought hisself a Saturday night special. A .38, I think. Them Mexicans had the ardacity to be cuttin’ on them tires again, and Eugene got one of ‘em in his sights. He got so much anger in him now on account of that LaVonne business, I don’t know what I’m-a do with him. Shit. I’m surprised he could even shoot straight, dark as it was, and him drunk. But he said the dude fell down, and tried to get up, and then some of them other gangbangers dragged him off. Eugene only fired the one shot, and he got rid of that gun right away. Still, them India people had a good idea who done it. I didn’t tell Harry, but that’s another reason we had to get out of there.

‘You think I like it, all the time askin’ you for money?’ I say. ‘It’s embarrassin’, you hear me? You just don’t know what I been through.’

‘I’d think …y—you ought to be …p—pretty used to it by now,’ he says. Meanin’ the money part. That’s about as mad as Harry let hisself get.

‘You just don’t know,’ I tell him. ‘See all these greys? I’m gonna have to get my hair dyed now.’

Harry looks down at my head and says he can’t see any.

‘Shit,’ I say. ‘Don’t you be tryin’ no flattery on me. I’m serious.’

Other times, Harry act just as sweet as can be. Got hands so soft I can’t believe. Like he never done any kind of physical work. ‘How come you’re … s—so good to me?’ he keeps askin’ after we been in bed together.

‘Cause you be good to me,’ I say. What else?

The thing I can’t figure out is, what’s Harry’s problem? I mean, he stutter, sure, but he got money, a good job. An education. He shouldn’t have any problems at all, you understand what I’m sayin’? But he don’t act like it, even though I keep tellin’ him he in clover, he got it made.

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