Last Exit to Brooklyn - Hubert Selby Jr Read Online Free PDF Page A

nothing except the benzedrine which would probably be
found and thrown away. There was nothing hidden in the house; no way
she could get it. In the house a week or more with nothing. I/d
crack. I cant stay down that long. Theyll bug me. Bug me. O jesus
jesus jesus. . . .
    A cab stopped in front of the Greeks and Vinnie got
out and he and Harry helped (forced) Georgette into the rear of the
cab. She continued to plead, to beg; she told them she had a john who
was a Wallstreet Broker and she was going to see him this weekend and
he was good for 20, maybe more. I/ll give it to you. I/ll give you
more. I know where you can get hundreds without any trouble at all. I
know a few fairies who own an Arts & Crafts Shoppee in the
Village. You can stick them up. They always have a lot of money
around; it wont be any trouble—Vinnie slapped her face and told her
ta shut the hell up, trying to see if the cab driver was paying any
attention to what she was saying and telling him something, almost
incoherendy, about his friend just having a accident and was still
kindda shook.
    It took less than 3 minutes to drive the few blocks
to Georgettes house. When the cab stopped in front of her house
Vinnie took the change from her pocket and the 3 singles from her
wallet. Is that all ya-got? I/ll give you more in a few days if you
take me to the hospital. Look, if ya dont walk in, we/ll carryya in
and tell ya brother ya tried ta pick up a couplea sailors and they
dumpedya. Will you come over to the house tomorrow and see me, alone?
Yeah, sure. I/ll seeya tomorrow, winking at Harry. Georgette tried to
believe him and for a moment forgot her previous fears and the old
dream flashed briefly across her mind and she could see her room, the
bed, Vin-nie. . . .
    She limped toward the door and stopped in the
vestibule, put a handful of bennie in her mouth, chewed then
swallowed them. Before knocking on her door she turned and yelled to
Vinnie not to forget about tomorrow. Vinnie laughed at her.
    Vinnie and Harry waited in
the cab until they saw the door open and Georgette go inside, her
Mother closing the door behind her, before they paid the driver. They
left the cab, walked down the street to the avenue, turned the corner
and walked back to the Greeks.
    * * *
    The door closed. A hundred times. Closed. Even as it
swung open she heard it bang shut. Closed. Closed. Dozens of doors
like many pictures jerkily animated by a thumb, tumbling mistily like
shadows. . . . and the click, click, the goddamn click click click of
the latch and it banged shut. SHUT. Again and again and again it
BANGED SHUT. A thousand miserable times. BANG BANG. BANG. Always
banging shut. Never a knock. Think it. Force it. A knock. A knock.
Please, please. O Jesus a knock. Make it a knock. Make it someone
knocking. To come in. Why cant it be a knock. Goldie with bennie.
Anything. Anybody. Closed. Closed. Bang. BANG. BANG! SHUT!!! O Jesus
SHUT! And I cant get out. Only roll in bed. This dirty freak of a bed
(VINNIE!!!) and that rotten fairy of a doctor wouldnt give me
anything. Not even a little codeine. And it throbs. It does. It does.
It throbs and pains. I can feel it squeezing up my leg and it hurts.
It hurts dreadfully. It does. It really does. I need something for
the pain. O Jesus I cant stay down. And I cant get out. Not even
Soakie. She might have something. Let her in. I cant get out. Out.
Up—(the door banged and her Mother looked up and noticed first the
strange look on her sons face, the staring eyes; then the blood on
his slacks and as she ran to him she collapsed on Mothers shoulder,
crying, wanting to cry on Mothers shoulder and have her listen and
stroke her hair (I love him Mother. I love him and want him. ) ; and
knowing that she must scare her Mother so she would be protected by
her sympathy, and perhaps Mother would get her to bed (she wanted to
run to the bed, but she knew she had to hobble to impress her), get
her to bed before her brother came in the room. She