A. Fair - Owls Don't Blink

“But I have nothing to drink with.”

“We’ll have to remedy that.”

Hale said, “I think you have the most wonderful hair.”

“Thanks... Joe, I’ll have another whisky and water.”

The waiter turned to Hale.

“Bring him another Coke and gin,” I said. “Fix it so he can taste it if you don’t want the party to go dead.”

The waiter looked at Hale, then looked at me. “Okay, what do you want?”

“This is a hold-over. I’m keeping it.”

He said, “You’re entitled to another drink at no extra charge. When you have a girl at the table, you—”

“I know all about that,” I told him. “Get these drinks before these people die of thirst in the middle of your night spot.”

Marilyn laughed at that.

Hale started rubbering around the room.

Marilyn took a deep drag at her cigarette and said casually, “You’ll find it through the archway in that next room.”

Hale seemed embarrassed. “I beg pardon.”

“That’s where it is.”

“What?”

“What you’re looking for.”

Hale cleared his throat, pushed back his chair, said with dignity, “Excuse me for a moment.”

“Guess he can’t take it too well,” I said, as she watched him cross the room.

“A lot of those old bozos can’t. He’s a nice guy, isn’t he, Donald?”

She was watching me intently.

“Uh huh.”

“You don’t seem to put much enthusiasm in it”

“What do you want me to do? Stand at attention or I jump up on the table and start waving a flag?”

“Don’t be silly. I just said he was a good guy.”

“Don’t be silly, yourself. I said he was, too.”

She looked down at the table for a while, then suddenly looked back up at me and smiled, that steady-eyed, direct smile which had such a suggestion of intimacy. “Don’t get me wrong, Donald. I mean that he’s a good enough guy, but — well, you know how it is. Youth appeals to youth and—”

“Go ahead,” I said, “finish it,” as she seemed to stall on dead center. “What does age appeal to?”

“Nothing.”

I laughed.

“It’s the God’s truth. The old women want young men, and the old men want the flappers. If the older men would give the older women just a little attention, it would make everybody a lot happier.” She kept her eyes on mine. “As for me, I want youth.”

She put her hand across the table and squeezed mine. “What did you say to that girl?”

“What girl?”

“The one who came over to use the cigarette machine when you were playing the pinball machine — Rosalind. You bought her a drink when you were here before — remember?”

I said, “I didn’t place her at first. I guess she’s sore. I kept looking at you when she was with me. She noticed it. I think it made her mad.”

“Oh.”

“Aren’t you and Emory getting along?” I asked.

“Oh, yes. Famously. Why?”

“I was wondering after what you said about older men and wanting youth.”

She smiled and said, “Oh, in a way he’s different. He’s so quaint and — sort of old-fashioned. He’s like a father to me. What does he do?”

“He’s a New York lawyer.”

“Oh, a lawyer! Successful?”

I said, “He’s got money to burn. And he isn’t one of the hard-boiled kind that know all the tricks. He specializes on probate work. He’s really a babe in the woods.”

She said, “It’s funny, but I thought there was something in his life — oh, you know what I mean. An aura of misfortune that clings to him. Perhaps he’s unhappily married. That may be it. Domestic troubles.”

“I don’t think there’s anything to that theory. I gathered the impression he’s a wealthy widower.”

“Oh.”

I said, “Here he comes now. Look at the way he’s walking. He’s certainly picking them up and putting them down carefully.”

She laughed and said, “Another gin and Coke and his feet won’t even touch the floor. Look, Donald,” she said hurriedly, “you know that girl I was talking to you about?”

“You mean Rosalind?”

“Yes.”

“What about her?”

“Try and find an opportunity to speak to her. She’s just absolutely crazy about you, simply nuts. Perhaps you don’t realize it, but when a girl in a place like this falls for a man the way she does for you, it hurts her terribly to have you come in and sit with another girl. Do try and say something nice to her, won’t you?”

“Why, sure. I didn’t think she even remembered me.”

“Remember you! I tell you she’s crazy about you... Oh, you’re back, Emory? Just in time for your drink. Joe’s bringing one over. How do you feel?”

Hale said, “Like a million dollars.”

Marilyn said, “There’s Rosalind now. Rosalind’s a great one for the pinball machine. I’ll bet she keeps herself broke playing the pinball. During the daytime when business is slack, you know.”

Marilyn looked significantly at me and smiled.

“Excuse me,” I said.

I got up and wandered over to the pinball machine. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Marilyn give Rosalind a signal.

I’d shot the third ball on the machine when I noticed Rosalind standing beside me. “What did you do to her?” she asked.

“Why?”

“She gave me the highball to pick you up.”

I said, “I let her think she had a diamond-studded live one.”

“Is he?”

“Maybe.”

“Friend of yours?”

“In a way. Why?”

“Nothing. I was just wondering.”

I finished out the game on the pinball machine, fed a coin in the slot, and pushed in the plunger. “Want to try it?” I asked.

She started shooting balls around the board. Joe came over and looked at me significantly.

“Couple of drinks,” I ordered.

“What’s yours?” he asked Rosalind.

“Same old stuff. This guy is wise to the joint, Joe. Don’t bother with the hooey. Just bring me the cold tea. You’ll get the dough.”

“Yours?” Joe asked me, grinning.

“Gin and Seven-Up.”

Rosalind and I finished our drinks at the pinball machine. “You going back?” she asked.

“Perhaps.”

“Marilyn wants me to stay with you.”

“Why not? Come on over and meet Emory.”

“You aren’t sore, are you?”

“At what?”

“Oh-Marilyn. You don’t-you didn’t really fall for her, did you?”

I grinned at her. “Come on over. Sit down and join the party.”

She said, “You did a swell job with Marilyn.”

“Why?”

“She was looking daggers at me a few minutes ago when she thought I was making a play for you. Now she’s signaled me to go ahead.”

“Circumstances alter cases.”

She said, “Donald, you’re a deep one. Just what are you after?”

“Nothing that’s going to hurt you any.”

She looked at me and said, “I’ll bet you’d give a girl a square deal at that.”

I didn’t say anything. We walked over to the table.

Marilyn said casually, “Oh, hello, Rosalind. This is Emory, my friend, Mr. Emory — Smith.”

She turned to Hale and flashed him a quick wink.

Rosalind said, “How do you do, Mr. Smith?”

Hale got up and bowed. I held a chair for Rosalind. We sat down.

Marilyn said to Hale, “I don’t like to talk about it. Let’s talk about something else.”

“What don’t you like to talk about?” I asked.

Hale said, “What happened this morning.”

“What happened?”

“Marilyn heard the shot that killed that lawyer. You remember reading about it in the papers?”

I said, “Oh.”

“She was coming in around three o’clock in the morning,” Hale said.

“Two-thirty,” Marilyn corrected.