From Here to Eternity_ The Restored Edit - Jones, James [228]
“Oh?” Hal smiled the sweet boyish smile. “Well, you know some people actually are born deformed that way. Unfortunately, or fortunately, all according to the way you see it. So I wouldnt say the picture was entirely idealistic.”
Prew shook his head, grinning. “This aint no morphidite, if thats what you mean. I been in too many freak shows, from Times Square to Frisco, to swallow that. They don’t have perfectly developed breasts. Or cocks.”
“You’d be a dear thing,” Hal said distastefully, “if you didn’t strain so hard to be filthy.”
“Filthy?” Prew grinned. “How can anything be filthy, if you dont believe in morals?”
“Its not what you say. Its the manner in which you say it, that is filthy. To me that picture is beauty.”
“Not to me. To me its trick photography, and good too. But its not beauty because it aint true”
Hal raised his brows, sweetly, and stared at him. “Sometimes,” he said to Angelo, “your buddy almost irritates me.”
Prew could feel himself grinning and under the grin his face felt stiff, the way it always felt when he heard somebody use the old kill word. “Way I see it, your idea is just as much wishful thinking as the rich young Broadway producer in Tommy’s story.”
“I can see I made a mistake about you,” Hal smiled. “I can see now that you dont really have imagination at all, that in truth you are rather a dull clod.”
“I guess so,” Prew grinned. “I guess between the Army and bein on the bum they kicked the imagination all out of me. What’d you do? Superimpose the breasts? and the hair?”
“You’ll never know, dear.”
“Wheres this champagne, Hal?” Angelo said. “Hunh? Come on, lets break her out, hunh? I’m gettin thirsty.”
“In a moment, my pet. Some day,” he said to Prew, “as you grow older, you will find imagination sometimes produces a truth that is greater than any fact.”
“I can see that,” Prew grinned. “But theres something else too, that I don’t get. The more I talk to you the more you sound like a priest, for some reason.”
Hal smiled. “If you werent Tony’s friend, I’d throw you out for that.”
Prew turned to grin at him, easily. “I dont think you could. But if you want me out, all you got to do is ask me.”
“Well,” Hal smiled to Maggio. “Your buddy is a bravo.”
“Hell, dont mind him,” Maggio said. “He’s just hot headed. All’s wrong with him is he needs a drink.”
“Is that all?” Hal asked Prew.
“Well,” Prew said. “I could use one.”
Tommy stood up from his chair and walked to Prewitt’s side protectively. “Goddam you,” he said to Hal. “Cant you leave the poor thing alone a minute? He’s my date, not yours, you know. Quit tormenting him.”
“Dont do me no favors,” Prew said.
“If you dont like the way I treat my guests, Tommy,” Hal smiled, “you can always go home. I dont know but what I’d like two bedfellow tonight anyway. What time must you boys be back?”
“Six o’clock,” Angelo said. “For Reveille.” He looked over suddenly at the clock on the desk, as if he had just remembered he would have to die someday. “Son of a bitch,” he said. “Come on. For Chrisake lets have a fucking drink.”
“Oh, you,” Tommy was saying to Hal. “You bitch. You dirty filthy bitch. I’ve a good notion to walk right out, right now.”
Hal laughed merrily. “Suit yourself, Queenie.” He turned on his heel and went up the step and into the kitchen.
Tommy stood glaring after him, his great arms straight at his sides, his hams of fists clenched against his thighs.
“You know I wont leave,” he said. “You know I have to stay.”
Hal stuck his head out the kitchen door. “Of course I know it. Come up here and help me fix these drinks.”
“All right,” Tommy said. He moved his big body stiffly, his hurt feelings on his face.
“Come here, Prew,” Maggio nodded, whispering. He led him around the corner and over by the record player in the glassed in bay. “Jesus, take it easy, will you? You want to mess everything up for me? Lay off for a while.”
“Okay. I’m sorry. I dont know what got me started. That ‘born’ stuff,