— I thought some mail might have come for me while I was…
— What do you think that pile on the bread box is, Mister Coded Anonymity.
— Oh, oh yes this is what I’ve been…
— They want you to be president of General Motors? Wait till they get a look at you… a fork dropped, a spoon followed it.
Somewhere a clock made a try at striking the hour. A door banged; a toilet flushed; a door banged. — Dad…? are you in there? A rude sound responded promptly from within. — My God… rounding a corner shedding one shoe, the other. — Now what are you looking for.
— I had some money put away here, in the back of this drawer. It’s gone.
— What do you put money in the back of a drawer for?
— There was almost fifty dollars it, it’s gone.
— Nora? Come in here.
— What Mama?
— I said come in here. Daddy says he put some money in that drawer and it’s gone. Do you know…
— Donny found it.
— Well where is it, get it.
— He sold it.
— What do you mean he sold it.
— He sold it to some boys.
— He sold it?
— He didn’t know, he thought the coins were better because the other’s only paper. He sold the fives for a nickel and the ones for ten cents.
— Well why did he, my God, why did he…
— He thought the ones were better because they had George Washington.
— My God.
— But, but Nora what boys. Why didn’t you stop him.
— I don’t know Daddy just these boys, I wasn’t even here. He got eighty-five cents, I helped him count, after. Mama…
— All right Nora that’s enough, I told you to get ready for bed and pick up that toilet paper, it’s all over the house. So what are you going to do now Mister Morgenthau.
— Well I, I don’t know, I…
— You better get back to making faces at yourself in the mirror. When are we going to see your nose again?
— The doctor said I should leave this bandage on until he thinks I’m…
— Does he think you can get up here and do a little roll playing? A skirt went to the floor, hose peeled down to a wad and followed. — What’s all this stuff.
Calibrated pencil, linen counter, tape measure, string, — things they took out of my pockets at the hospital, they put them in a…
— Well can you get them off the bed? My God, like doing it on the counter in Woolworth’s, here’s another of your pieces of paper.
— Oh I’ve been looking for…
— General Electric Credit Corporation? If you have made your past payments regularly, you have established a valuable saving habit.
— No that’s from the payment on the washing machine, I didn’t mean…
— Don’t break this worthwhile habit. Your dealer will deliver the appliance of your choice today my God no wonder you’re in such a mess, you hide money in drawers and save it by spending it, now they want you to save some more by buying something else, you’re all crazy… Elastic snapped, something shapeless black flew toward a chair. — Nora can sit there and Donny can sit over there.
— What for.
— What do you mean what for, so they can see.
— See what.
— See what. What do you mean see what. See us.
— See us, what…
— See us what! My God what do you think what! Unless you’re going to keep on those pants with the rip all the way down the crotch, what do you think what!
— No that, happened in the accident but…
— All right just forget it.
— But did you really mean…
— I said forget it! where pearled nails suddenly bit deep, — if that was Miss Moneybags you’d have your face in it! You’d have your, get away from me!
— But…
— I said forget it! If I ever thought we could show these kids something beautyful I should have my head examined… and up, heels drawn abruptly nestled in the rough as though preparing el modakheli, — the things they do in India! My God look at you… where the struggle rose between shirt and sling, a shoe dropped and — you don’t even wear uqderpants like other men do, they come to your knees… an end of the inflated belt encircling her where she drew breath deep and held it as around her movement slowed to the tearing of envelopes, rustle of paper, silence, tap, tap, tap… Cinched upright, nipples standing pebble hard, she turned slowly. — What are you doing!
— Oh nothing, nothing I just…
— Nothing! What do you mean nothing! You’re crawling around on your hands and knees tapping the wall and listening! You’re crazy! Or you’re trying to make me crazy aren’t you. Aren’t you! I’m going to call the police.
— No you don’t understand, I’m just…
— Don’t understand! I understand you’re crazy, what are you doing down there! You think there’s somebody in the wall?
— Mama what’s the matter.
— Shut up and go back to bed Nora, ask your father what’s the matter!
— Daddy what’s the matter.
— He’s crawling around on the floor with his measuring tape making little pencil marks and tapping, that’s what’s the matter! Tap, tap, tap and he listens, look at him. Go ahead do it again, show her, drive us all crazy.
— No but I just…
— Don’t tell me that’s not what you were doing, I was watching you.
— Can we call the police Mama?
— Shut up and go back to bed Nora. And you, just stay on your side of the room… she slid upright and disencumbered herself, — my God, and you talk about the things they do in India. And leave that light on! You think I’m going to lie here in the dark when you start in again? And I thought it was bad when you just made faces at yourself, you’re probably doing it right now under the bandage where I can’t see aren’t you. Will you turn off that light? You think anyone can sleep with the whole place lit up like Coney Island…? and somewhere the clock took up its occasional tries at striking the hour till morning made a tentative approach as though uncertain what it might discover. — My God, can’t you get up and make them something to eat? do I have to do everything in this house…? doors banged, the toilet held a round of flushing, smoke rising from the toaster lay a blue pall down the hall and the morning still lingering outside appeared to have decided to stay there, dwindling to the gray of afternoon. — Now what is it Nora, my God can’t Mama spend a day resting without everybody going crazy? Go tell Daddy to make you a peanut butter if he can do it without burning the house down, close the door and turn down that television…! and finally the gray yielded to dark, the clock made another try at striking the hour, missed, waited, tried again unheard, again, until the alarm stung the silence into another sunless day. — You’re making faces again aren’t you.
— What? oh I…
— Well what are you doing hiding in the closet.
— No I’m looking for some clothes, I just…
— Why don’t you put the closet light on then.
— I didn’t know you were awake, I didn’t want to…
— Awake? Could anybody sleep with you banging into doors like that? What are you doing at that end with all my dresses.
— I’m looking for something to wear, I can’t…
— Pull up your underpants and you’ll look nice in the green one.
— No a suit, I can’t find a suit, if you sent them all to the cleaners I can’t get one out before school and…
— Who said they went to the cleaners.
— But where are they then.
— Nora took them to the Thrift Shop.
— The Thrift Shop? My suits?