The Warriors (13 page)

She said, weakly, “No. It's enough. I've had it, man.”

Lunkface, holding her shoulders, kicked out her legs and had her down and hitched up her skirt, pulled off her pants and was pushing inside her quick while she said softly, “No, man. Enough, I told you. Enough.”

The men circled them and put their arms around one another's necks, looked down, and began to stamp their feet for rhythm.

She rolled and rolled and kept saying that she'd had enough, but she was beginning to enjoy it as they slowly began to increase the stamp-tempo. Lunkface finished quickly, stood up, and they went one after the other, while the others stood around and continued to step up the stamp beat.

Hinton was the last to go on her and by now her face was completely rigid and her eyes saw nothing at all and she was almost unconscious with the joy of it—this big kick—and Hinton looked at her face and was almost frightened because she
was something else—mad. Hinton picked up the rhythm of the rabbiting beat, but he almost felt nothing, pumping wildly to keep up with their stampstampstamp. But since nothing was happening, he pretended that he came and jerked out and got to his feet and they were all ready to move out.

Bimbo the bearer kneeled over her, put his hand under her stocking roll and wiped the blade between his thumb and forefinger.

They cut out, running, and left the girl behind. They ran a block to the station and ran up the stairs. Bimbo put tokens in the turnstile for all of them and asked the directions. The cashier told them about how to change to the Coney Island train at 42nd Street. They could see the cashier giving the Family a cautious look, like he expected to get held up. They walked out on the platform. There was no train waiting. They walked to the back end of the platform and looked down. Under the dim street lights, they could see the body lying there. They could see the white skirt and the naked hips, belly, and thighs; she was still there, her head still pillowed on the body.

Elbows on the railing, they watched. She didn't move for about five minutes. And then she turned over. Slowly, she got to her feet and staggered a little. She stood there for a second—patted her skirt, and began to say something. At first they couldn't make out the words; then they heard her, faintly. She was cursing them out, the words becoming clearer and clearer. She shook her fist toward downtown. Her hand dropped. She stopped yelling. She turned slowly, lurched, caught herself, and walked away, standing straighter, going faster and faster back along the way she had come.

“Man,” Lunkface said. “We should have taken her with us. She was fun.”

They were leaning against a railing, under the station lamps, waiting for the train to come. They slouched looser and looser, bent easy, tired now. Their faces were empty, staring; Lunkface's mouth was open and his eyes half-shut. He yawned.

Hector said, “Now they know the kind of men we are. No one steps on the Dominators,” and he yawned.

Lunkface said, “I still think we should have taken the bitch along.”

“But man, she was a slut. I mean any girl who would do it that way . . . Them women; only blood satisfies them,” and Bimbo smiled. The Junior giggled.

Dewey started to yawn but his yawn broke into a soft, hysterical laugh. He couldn't stop and the Junior began to laugh and
Lunkface joined. Soon they were laughing and laughing, tears rolling. Hinton had to sit down on the floor, weak. The laughing died down; someone started it again. After a long while it slowly stopped because they were too weak to laugh.

“She's going to get it when she gets back. They're really going to scar her up,” Dewey said.

“Man, I wouldn't worry about that one,” Hector said. “Not one little bit. She got it coming to her, but good.”

“Yeah. Man, with the brass heart she has, I'll bet you she has them eating out of her hand in no time. Don't worry, that one, she takes care of herself. Still, she was fun,” Lunkface said.

“Well man,” Dewey laughed again. “Like how would you know, man? I mean, she didn't even know you were in there.”

“She let out some scream when I took her. She knew who was up there,” Lunkface said.

“No, man, that was The Junior who made her scream, not you. Am I right, Junior? Am I right?”

The Junior giggled.

“You saying I'm not a man, little brother?” Lunkface asked.

“Now did I say that?”

“He didn't say that, Lunkface.”

“I heard what he said. And any time he thinks I'm not the man, why there's ways of proving it, you know what I mean?” Lunkface was scowling.

“No need to flip; this little brother, he's only talking.”

“Mad? Who's mad? I just don't like being sounded.”

“Sounded? Who's sounding? It's just that I heard her . . .” but he didn't finish when he saw Hector's sign to cool it.

But Lunkface was angry now. “I'll show you who's a man,” he said and he unzipped his fly. “You bigger than that, man? Who's bigger than that?”

And Dewey let an expression of disgust at Lunkface's utter stupidity cross his face. “Man, that's not the way you show
who's the best man. Size don't mean a thing; everyone knows that.”

“What do you mean, size don't count? How else?”

“It's the way of the lay, not the size of the prize. Am I right, Junior? Isn't that right, Hinton? I mean there's other ways of telling. Everyone know that. Uncle Bimbo, I ask you, is it size?”

Bimbo, not wanting to get involved, shrugged and said, “I don't know. I know I like it. That's what counts, man. I like it. My woman, she likes it. We like it. Size, that's someone else's worry, not mine, man. She likes it and she lets me know. That makes me Man.”

“No, but I'm talking for the sake of argument. Size don't mean a thing. Not one little thing.”

“Well, you so smart and you're talking so big. Is yours this big? Is it?” Lunkface shouted.

“I told you.”

“Well, what is it?”

“There's ways of telling.”

“How? Just you show me how.”

“Well, we don't have a woman. That's one way. Another way is to piss the farthest. That's always a sure sign.”

“Any time, man. Any time. Right now.” Lunkface walked over to the edge of the platform and pissed. The line of urine curved up and reached as far as the outer rail. “All right, wise man, just you beat
that
”

“Well now, I don't know as I have to go. You know, I mean, you are committing a public nuisance. You know that, man? I mean the cops, they are going to come and they are going to take you and put you in the no-stir. Yes sir. And you are going to have the leisure to piss all you want to. Especially when they bang
your
club with
their
club.”

“Man, you were lipping me and you're going to back your words or else you deal with me.”

And so they had a contest. Except for Lunkface, they all lined up at the platform edge and they pissed over the tracks. Hinton won, going just a little farther, hitting the third-rail guard. Lunkface disputed it because, he claimed, Hinton had his toes over the edge.

More people were coming onto the platform. They kept away from the Family, staying down at the other end. They were afraid of these Brothers, which made the men swagger a little. Hector got tired of the argument and he sent Bimbo to buy candy for them; he was beginning to get hungry. Bimbo came back with six bars. Hector put them into the pocket of his jacket.

“Man, they'll melt there,” Dewey said. Hector paid him no mind.

The argument over, they leaned on the rail for a little while. They were even too tired now to worry if the cops were going to come, or if that bitch was going to bring back her gang. Dewey had to sit down on the floor; his jacket was split in the back. They watched the platform filling up and couldn't stop yawning. Dewey almost fell asleep. They tried to work up a little interest in sounding one another, but no one had the energy. After about fifteen minutes, a train came crawling into the station. A mob of passengers went through the same bit that had happened on the other station, but they were orderly about it. The men slouched onto the train and found seats. Five of them sat on one side of the aisle; Hector sat on the other side, facing them.

They sat and yawned and waited; the train wouldn't move. They complained to one another about it. The Junior took out his comic book and started to read. The Junior didn't follow the words too well unless they were printed big, or dark. But he could follow the whole action from the pictures. It was about ancient soldiers, Greeks, heroes who had to fight their way home through many obstacles, but in the end they made it. He had
enjoyed reading it so much that it was the third time he was going through.

It was hot in the train and smelled of burned insulation. Some of the fans were broken. No wind blew through the windows. Outside, over the rooftops, the celebration flashes were coming less and less frequently.

Hector took one of the candy bars out of his pocket. They looked expectantly at him, all except The Junior who was bent over his comic book. Dewey clowned it a little, clapped his hands together and made seal noises. Lunkface sat still, his arms folded on his chest; it was coming to him. Two or three passengers sitting at the other end of the train stared apprehensively at them, not sure if they were fooling around or were dangerous. The men made certain that the looks weren't put-down or evileye in any way. After all, they were men with a rep and had done big things, especially tonight, and it gave the Family a sense of pride to know they were being looked at with respect.

Hector ate the first bar of candy himself. Their looks pleaded; Dewey made the tongue-hanging face. Hector chewed very slowly to show them who was Father. He reached into his pocket and took out the second bar; it was melty. He held it up. They looked at the candy. He grinned. The Junior concentrated on his comic book. Hector milked it for what it was worth. Lunkface's eyes were empty as he looked dreamily at the bar, picking his nose steadily, deeply, with a thick forefinger, not seeing the bar, remembering the girl. Bimbo nudged Lunkface to pay more attention. Hector stuck his finger under the end of the white, inner wrapping of the chocolate and pushed the bar slowly up through its outer wrapping. They grinned and laughed while Hector simpered, making like a fag. Dewey took him up on it, stood and pranced by, his hands on his hips, pretending that he was fruit and that the candy was the big come-on. Dewey reached out for the candy bar and Hector kept it out of his
reach, slapping Dewey's wrist. Dewey became fruitier, begging for it, dog-panting while they nudged one another and laughed. Even The Junior had to look up from a panel showing the grinning faces of the Greek heroes as they saw The Sea. The Sea.

Dewey looked over Hector's head, pretending he saw fireworks: he shouted, “Man, look at that rocket go.” Hector turned. Dewey slid the candy up from the outer wrapper, jumped back to his seat, simpering, and hid the candy behind his back. When Hector turned around and saw what had happened, they all pointed him and laughed; Dewey stamped his boot and slapped his thigh. Hector had to laugh too, but they could see it made him angry so Dewey gave back the prize.

Hector peeled back the white wrapping from the chocolate bar; they all leaned across the aisle. Hector joked, yelling, “This is called the circumcision,” and that broke them up again. Hector broke off a piece of chocolate and made as if to eat it himself. They all groaned. He looked at Lunkface, but tossed the piece to Bimbo. Bimbo caught it without moving, calmly opening his hand, letting it fall into his grab. They murmured approval. Hector broke off another piece and tossed it, looking in Hinton's direction, to Lunkface. Lunkface tried to catch it fancy, bobbled it, leaving his seat to hold it; someone laughed at his clumsiness. Lunkface turned quickly and they all looked back at him with bland faces. Hector, who knew the laugher, grinned.

The train doors closed. The next piece was for Dewey. It flew through the air. The train jerked, and began to move ahead very slowly. The candy fell in the fold of the comic book and slid to the floor. They all laughed. Hinton picked up the piece of chocolate quickly, handling it as if it were something contaminated, and tossed it up into the air lightly, in Dewey's direction. Dewey shrieked, and shrunk back and batted it lightly to his left. The piece flew in Bimbo's direction; Bimbo jumped out of his
seat as if a dirty bug was flying in his direction. The chocolate flew past Dewey toward Lunkface who made clumsy, frantic brushing motions, missing the piece. It hit Lunkface and he tried to get away from it as if it was alive; it fell to the floor again. Lunkface reached into his pocket for his handkerchief to wipe himself, forgetting it was tied around his head with the Family pin on it. He made brushing motions; he reached over and tore a piece of The Junior's comic book and wiped the invisible stain from his fingers. He paid no attention to The Junior's angry yell.

But Hinton kicked the piece of chocolate back in Lunkface's direction. Lunkface jumped high and away. Hinton went and got the crumpled piece of comic-book paper, smoothed it out; it was the panel showing the heroes arriving at the sea. He bent down, picked up the piece of chocolate with the paper and went over to Lunkface, bearing it carefully with both hands, bowed and presented it, his head almost, but not quite, touching the piece of candy.

Lunkface leaned away. “Get that out of here,” he told Hinton.

Hinton said, “But why, oh older brother? Keep our city clean. Man, take.” And he pushed the candy a little further in Lunkface's direction. Lunkface drew back more. The Junior was smiling, but kept his head straight watching the play out of the corner of his eye. You had to be careful the way you smiled at Lunkface.

Lunkface said, “Get that thing out of here, man, get it away.”