Red Baker Read Free Page A

room.
    “When did he become such an ass kicker?” Dog said. “He’s always been on the quiet side.”
    “World’s full of surprises,” I said, looking glumly up at Crystal. I know it’s wrong and outdated, but I was thinking of her as my girl and wished to hell she was crooning her tunes down the Starlight Lounge instead of shaking her ass for all of Baltimore.
    Finally her set ended, and she tossed a gold lamé shawl over her shoulders and hopped down off the stage.
    “Hi ya, hon,” she said, coming around the bar and standing behind me. I couldn’t resist it any longer and didn’t even give two shits who saw. I put my arms around her and held her tight. Just seconds ago she’d seemed like the Queen o’ Sex up on the stage, but now she had changed into this innocent little girl, and I wanted to protect her, hold her safe from all the trouble the world loves to lay down on you. That’s the glory of women for me. They are all at least five different people, every time, and I’ll never understand how they do it. I mean, keep all those separate personalities straight. What amazes me is that they don’t even seem to know it. It comes natural to them, and if you ask them about it, nine out of ten will tell you a logical explanation for each of their different parts, which sounds good while it’s being told but, when you think back on it, never adds up to anything like the whole story.
    Even Dog cheered up just standing next to her.
    “I heard you boys got the pink slips today. Well, join the club. The Starlight just told me they’re going to go with a jukebox. I won’t be singing there anymore. Got to be the slut queen here instead.”
    She smiled so sweetly when she said it that I gave her a squeeze.
    “Hey, don’t run yourself down, hon,” I said. “You are the queen of every steel man’s heart.”
    Crystal gave me a little peck on the cheek and winked. “A girl has got to try to find her fun where she can, hon, but you know my heart belongs to song.”
    “And you can sing with the best of ‘em,” Dog said. “They ought to let you put your piano up there on the stage and do your numbers right here.”
    “Vinnie isn’t interested in my
voice,”
Crystal hummed.
    Billy Bramdowski came back from the men’s room. I noticed he had put on some weight around the middle. He smiled and gave Crystal a hug.
    “You’re wonderful,” he said. “Isn’t she terrific, Red. Hey, Crystal, you hear about Jennie? She’s having a baby.”
    “She is?” Crystal said. “That’s wonderful, Billy.”
    She shot me a look then, and I looked away. There had been times when we were together late at night dreaming about Florida, when having kids together seemed like the most natural and logical thing in the world.
    “Yeah,” Billy said. “Four babies and no job. But we’re going to hang in there. Count on that!”
    “That’s right,” Crystal said. “I’ll tell you what, I think the bar ought to buy us all a drink to celebrate Billy’s kid. What do you say, Deena?”
    Deena broke into her horsey laugh and started taking the orders, when behind us I suddenly heard a voice that sounded like a file being rubbed across steel.
    “Hey, what’s this, charity day? Since when do you buy my customers drinks?”
    Without even turning around I knew who it was. None other than Vinnie Toriano, the owner of the Paradise Lounge.
    “No, Vinnie,” Crystal said. “I just thought since Billy’s wife Jennie is having a baby, you wouldn’t mind springing for a round of drinks.”
    I turned and looked at Vinnie. He was fatter than ever, wearing his light green leisure suit and a silk shirt with this paisley print that looked like the bugs we looked at in night school class down Essex Community College. Parameciums. Though I would guess a paramecium had more soul than Vinnie Toriano. I’d known this moustachioed grease ball since we were kids, about as long as I’d known Dog, and you’d think by now with all of us pushing