From Here to Eternity_ The Restored Edit - Jones, James [133]
“Lets not be crude,” Mrs Kipfer said icily, “just because there was a misunderstanding. You know how I feel about that word. I’d hate to have to ask you to leave, Maylon, but I could, much as I would hate to, if you insist on being nasty.”
Stark said nothing stubbornly.
“I think you owe me an apology for that last remark,” Mrs Kipfer said. “Dont you?”
“I guess so,” Stark said irritably. “I apologize.”
“I still havent met your friend,” she said.
Stark introduced them politely, and mock-bowed deeply as he did it, looking more like a recalcitrant small boy than an angry man.
“Charmed, I’m sure,” Mrs Kipfer smiled at Prew, ignoring the bow as being beneath comment. “I’m always pleased to meet a new member of the Company.”
“Pleasetomeetyou,” Prew said uneasily, wondering where the hell the women were. He felt awkward before such exquisite manners, and he remembered suddenly bitterly what Uncle John Turner, who had never married, had once told him bitterly. Women run the world, boy. God dealt them all the cards between their legs, he said. They dont have to gamble, like us men, and we mights well admit er. So bitterly the boy, being a boy, could not understand it then.
“I think,” Mrs Kipfer smiled, “that I shall call you Prew. May I?” as she led them from the big wide entryway to the right, on across the narrow hall, and through the doorway to the waiting room.
“Sure,” Prew said, seeing women now at last, not the women he had seen in his mind outside, but still at least women. “Nobody calls me by my first name.”
There were seven of them in the waiting room, one standing with a soldier at the Wurlitzer, two sitting talking to two sailors. The other four were sitting by themselves, three of them the fat gum-cud-chewing cows wearing the one piece short suits and all looking alike, three that would always sit by themselves, not caring, except when they were thrown into action, still not caring, as reserves during the big Payday attack. But the fourth sitting one was not like them; she was a slight brunette wearing the full length gown of the better grade, and sitting very poised and quiet with her hands clasped serenely in her lap, and he found that he was watching her.
He had already seen, with the experienced eye, that the four slim ones, the better grade of which the slight serene brunette was one, all wore full length gowns with the handy full length zippers, separating themselves consciously from the three fat gumchewing ones. He had already deduced, by this, that it was like all the others, this place, no different, pay your three bucks at the window, take your piece and leave, in spite of all he had heard about this one that was the Company hangout being the best. He had seen all that at once, but still he found that he was watching her, who was so obviously different even from the other three of the better grade.
“This is Maureen,” Mrs Kipfer said, as one of the two of the better grade sitting with the two sailors got up and came over to them at the door, a thin, sharp nosed blonde with the dark triangle of hair showing through the thin material of the long blue gown.
“Prew is new here,” Mrs Kipfer told her, “you will introduce him around, wont you, dear?”
“Sure, dear,” the blonde said, huskily sarcastic, and put her arm around Prew’s neck. “Cmon, Babyface. Hello there, old Stark, old kid,” she cried and grabbed for his crotch. “You got a present for me?”
“Watch it,” Stark grinned, ducking back. “Or I wont have.”
Mrs Kipfer smiled sweetly. “Maureen’s our little hustler, arent you, Maureen dear?”
“Thats how I make my livin, dear,” Maureen said sweetly. “I hustle. And I admit it.”
Mrs Kipfer, still smiling sweetly, turned back to Prew. “You mustnt think we’re rushing you, Prew. We want you to look around as long as you like. We want you to be satisfied with your friend. We arent crowded at all tonight, and there is plenty of time, isnt there, Maureen dear?”
“Sure, dear,” Maureen