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- "How much is it, for God's sake?"
"Eight dollars and eighty-five cents. Sixty-five cents. I spent some."
Then, all of a sudden, I started to cry. I couldn't help it. I did it so nobody could
hear me, but I did it. It scared hell out of old Phoebe when I started doing it, and she
came over and tried to make me stop, but once you get started, you can't just stop on a
goddam dime. I was still sitting on the edge of the bed when I did it, and she put her old
arm around my neck, and I put my arm around her, too, but I still couldn't stop for a long
time. I thought I was going to choke to death or something. Boy, I scared hell out of poor
old Phoebe. The damn window was open and everything, and I could feel her shivering
and all, because all she had on was her pajamas. I tried to make her get back in bed, but
she wouldn't go. Finally I stopped. But it certainly took me a long, long time. Then I
finished buttoning my coat and all. I told her I'd keep in touch with her. She told me I
could sleep with her if I wanted to, but I said no, that I'd better beat it, that Mr. Antolini
was waiting for me and all. Then I took my hunting hat out of my coat pocket and gave it
to her. She likes those kind of crazy hats. She didn't want to take it, but I made her. I'll bet
she slept with it on. She really likes those kind of hats. Then I told her again I'd give her a
buzz if I got a chance, and then I left.
It was a helluva lot easier getting out of the house than it was getting in, for some
reason. For one thing, I didn't give much of a damn any more if they caught me. I really
didn't. I figured if they caught me, they caught me. I almost wished they did, in a way.
I walked all the way downstairs, instead of taking the elevator. I went down the
back stairs. I nearly broke my neck on about ten million garbage pails, but I got out all
right. The elevator boy didn't even see me. He probably still thinks I'm up at the
Dicksteins'.
24
Mr. and Mrs. Antolini had this very swanky apartment over on Sutton Place, with
two steps that you go down to get in the living room, and a bar and all. I'd been there
quite a few times, because after I left Elkton Hills Mr. Antoilni came up to our house for
dinner quite frequently to find out how I was getting along. He wasn't married then. Then
when he got married, I used to play tennis with he and Mrs. Antolini quite frequently, out
at the West Side Tennis Club, in Forest Hills, Long Island. Mrs. Antolini, belonged there.
She was lousy with dough. She was about sixty years older than Mr. Antolini, but they
seemed to get along quite well. For one thing, they were both very intellectual, especially
Mr. Antolini except that he was more witty than intellectual when you were with him,
sort of like D.B. Mrs. Antolini was mostly serious. She had asthma pretty bad. They both
read all D.B.'s stories--Mrs. Antolini, too--and when D.B. went to Hollywood, Mr.
Antolini phoned him up and told him not to go. He went anyway, though. Mr. Antolini
said that anybody that could write like D.B. had no business going out to Hollywood.
That's exactly what I said, practically.
I would have walked down to their house, because I didn't want to spend any of
Phoebe's Christmas dough that I didn't have to, but I felt funny when I got outside. Sort of
dizzy. So I took a cab. I didn't want to, but I did. I had a helluva time even finding a cab.
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