Free S.O.S. by Joseph Connolly Page B

big fur hats?’
    â€˜Yeh yeh …’
    â€˜So anyways, there was this
toon
, right? They were playing? It was so
familiar
… you ever get that? When youhear this toon and you know you know it but you just can’t seem to …?’ Charlene paused at the landing on One Deck and turned to search the shut-down mask that often now was all she saw where once her husband’s face had shone so brightly, filled with wit and love. ‘No, Dwight … I guess you just don’t, huh?’
    But soon her eyes were dancing again as they fell upon
Julie
 – and Julie was already locked on and coming right on towards them (and
shee
-ut, thought Dwight – now of all times, now when all I wanna do is lie me down with a Jack on the rocks – now it’s
Julie
we gotta do).
    â€˜
Julie
, sweetie!’ was Charlene’s vast and dazzling greeting – and the wrists of both of them clanked and jangled as they clasped each other’s hands as their eyelids closed up and their lips went off and sought out the heat of their respective cheeks or jowls. (Hey look, was Dwight’s take – since
morning
they ain’t seen each other: what
is
this?) ‘You didn’t get off, sweetie? You been here all the
time
?’
    Julie had on a cocked and sneering lip (rather like, you know – real late Elvis? When he was hamming it up? Yeh OK – but on Julie, this was for real).
    â€˜London I know,’ was her clipped and dismissive response. ‘London I been to.’
    â€˜I got the most
darling
pieces of paddery in the
Harrods
store? You’ll just love ’em, Julie sweetie. Catch ya in the Zip Bar, huh? Benny OK? Still with the stummick?’
    Julie just shrugged, some.
    â€˜Benny’s OK. Benny’s doing fine. What can I tell you, Charlene? Benny’s Benny.’
    And as she peeled away, Dwight just exhaled his relief.
    â€˜Maybe now we can get to our cabin? Soon it’ll be with the alarm bell schtick and I don’t even got off my shoes.’ And as he heaved himself up the final flight of stairs (and each tread – hey, he had thought this how many times? Each tread is real shallow, you know? So how come under me they always feel so steep?): ‘Benny’s
OK
… Benny’s doing
fine
. Huh. Benny ain’t neither thing, I’m telling you, Charlene. Benny’s one sick guy. So what’s noo? I lived with Julie, all day long I’d be gnaw-shuss.’
    â€˜God
sake
, Dwight: leave it already, huh?’
    Dwight turned the key in the door of their cabin.
    â€˜So,’ he sighed, ‘what was it? You find out?’
    â€˜What hell talking bout
now
, Dwight? I find out what?’
    â€˜Toon. The toon. You find out what toon it was, or what?’
    â€˜Oh
yeah
,’ smiled Charlene, as she slipped inside. ‘It’s like all these great pieces, you know? They’re, like – part of your life and nobody knows what they’re called? You gonna take a shower? Guess I’ll take a shower.’
    â€˜Yeah. So?’
    â€˜
So
? So what’s with all the
so
, Dwight?’
    â€˜The
toon
, goddam it, Charlene. Jeez.’
    â€˜Why suddenly you’re so eager to know the toon, now, Dwight? Before you was saying you didn’t even
hear
no toon.’
    Dwight sat down heavily on one of the twin beds, and sank back his head with gratitude into the pillows.
    â€˜Time to time, Charlene,’ he barely whispered, ‘you drive me crazy. You know that?’
    Charlene stopped stock-still.
    â€˜I drive
you
crazy? I drive
you
? Oh that’s
neat
, Dwight, you know? I mean, crazy from you – that’s real
neat
. I’m gonna take a shower – I’m, like,
outta
here, Dwight – and maybe when I come back you’ve remembered some
manners
?’
    Dwight closed his eyes and opened them and stared at the riveted ceiling. And then he roared up at