Thursday, January 10, 2013

BINGO BOY - post 56

Marty sat all by himself. Nobody came to the house. Who'd he have? Wife left. Kids left. Neighbors all hated him. Sure, Muscles was there... but he didn't count. Crapped up the kitchen with all them take out Chinese food containers. Wants a bring one of his sticky whores in to spend the night, but Marty won't have it... not in his kids' house. 

Some nights he sits there listing to 'Fun' for hours. I think he's got it on a loop. 'Carry On, Carry On, Carry on'... Makes him feel a little better.. Gotta find a line. Gotta 'rep' something good. Maybe ride the train into Manhattan some morning. Fix himself up. Put on a suit. He could do it..... maybe.... But then, when he'd finally turn the music off and it got quiet, he knew he couldn't do it. Got no connections. ..... Gee, Bingo was a good racket. You know Steve Wynn and his father started that way? A lot a people started that way. But Marty was dumb. He was hungry. He couldn't wait. ...So now he had shit.

Most of the rooms were empty. Some furniture jobber gave him eighteen hundred dollars for the lot. Dining room was separate. Pool table was separate. Piano was separate... Big deal. How far's ten thousand bucks gonna go? 

Muscles might help these crooked cops he knows shake down drug pushers., but Marty can't do that. Know what he does to save money? Early Bird Specials... He goes to early bird specials. Eight ninety nine... you get the whole deal..swiss steak, mashed potatoes, peas, a salad, cake, soda. OK, so he tips 'em two bucks. It's still worth it... Plus it gets him outta the house.

He tried calling his father-in-law's place, but after two rings he hung up. Too-Many-Cookies says she knows they're all at the shore. Jimmy and them shit-for-brains kids, I mean. Marty has this 'thing' he plays over and over in his head. It's like a play. It's like a movie. He sees it all. Corners them at the new place. He's got a gun. Muscles got a gun. Makes Jimmy turn over the money. But it's just a dream. Tony Soprano, he ain't.

Now his sneakers are wearing out. The refrigerator's makin' noise. And he thinks he's got the shingles.

Look, if you rode by the house, you wouldn't suspect nothin'. Lawn looks all right. It's winter time. Don't have to cut it now. Drive ain't got no cracks. Fake stucco still looks good..... Yeah, he's got some equity in the place. But you know Mrs. Marty and the 'puppies' gonna get that...... And you wanna hear a good one?..... Big Chrissie and her Hitler-Groupie pop-pop still want money for the new baby.

'New baby'.... What a joke that is..... but it's his....

Marty stays up real late every night now. Watches them Hoda-Kathy-Lee reruns at two a.m...... Then he watches that Kramer guy go nuts on MAD MONEY...

Too bad he ain't got nothin' to invest.....

_______________________________________________