London Bridge
Page 28
“Kill her! Kill her!…” they cheer me on. They force my hand… No need!… I let her have it!… think a second, and wham!… Wham!… A good walloping!… Ah! This makes the mob delirious!… Happier than ever! They give me an ovation… fan my flames!…
“Bravo, young deer!…” That’s what they nickname me… I trample the darling girl a little… jump up and down lightly on her tummy… two or three times just like that… Ah! What wild unleashed fury… They tear off their clothes! Fly into convulsions… fling themselves into the attack… ransack each other… ripped-off trousers sail through the air… Such an awful sight!… Their asses gushing blood… and their ears!… And their eyes!… A seething eruption of mass rage of strangleholds… Even the Negroes wound up getting the willies… They clambered onto the big chandelier… hovering above the free-for-all… hanging like that in mid-air and singing:
Tweet-Tweet! Madame!
I say!
Tweet-Tweet! Madame!
Weep and play!
And then their huge shout… “Fikedee-ee-ee-ee!” Piercing through everything. Ah! The revellers seethe with renewed fury… hurl themselves back on top of each other!… They blend in the horrible heat… the fusion of fanatical feasters… the vat frothing with embraces… You can hear their enormous pleasure… roaring then bursting into laughter!… Smothering in assholes!… They don’t give a hoot about me any more… they’re totally absorbed! I’m going to make my escape… slip through… that’s what I tell myself! Up on my own two feet! Whew! I nab Virginia… drag her off… force her to bound up on all fours… the stairway’s clear!… I push my legs to the limit!… Ply my pain… plus everything!… I jostle past the bellhop… plough open the door! Whew! Fresh air! And a pitch-black street!… It’s pouring, cats and dogs… torrents… can’t hang around here!… Let’s get moving! We jump into the puddles… Now it’s just the two of us, me and my sweetie!… Ah! Her licking’s far from over! I made a promise… and I’m going to keep it!… I stop in a doorway… sheltered from the rain… a whole lot cosier here!… She’s drenched… in tatters… she’s not listening to me any more… puking… I keep her from falling… hold her head up…
“Leave me alone!” she shouts at me, once she’s through puking…
Ah! The goddamned nerve of the girl!… Ah! It’s a crime!… To say such a thing to me after I rescued her from the monsters!… After I turn heaven and earth topsy-turvy!… To save her from the demons!… Ah! The spiteful little minx!… The rotten bitch!… Whack! I give it to her good!… Send her reeling!… She sprawls flat and blubbers!… I lift her up… all the way, so she’s even with my face… and give her a kiss! Ah! I adore her!… I hug her!… Ah! I love the kid too much!…
“Don’t cry!” I beg her!… “My little sweetie pie! I’m a monster!… Yes, I’m the most horrible monster!… More horrible than anything!… Forgive me, darling!…”
I stammer out the words in English… hug her against me!… She’s shivering!… I warm her, rub her, kiss her! She’s not affectionate… or even nice!… She’s angry… I beat her! Yeah, but the truth is, I saw what I saw!… And I didn’t miss a trick!… I caught every dreadful detail! The way she let herself be fondled!… Plastered… felt up and down!… Ah! And how! By the horde! Little Miss Goody Two Shoes!… Ah! The little hussy! Ah! I still can’t get over it!… Ah! Never in my life! Just can’t be! Ah! This sets my blood back boiling! Ah! And how! A dream!… Ah! They’re back before my eyes! Each and every one!… That stampede… that wild spree!… Ah! I sink my teeth into her neck!… I bite her!… She wants to break free, she shouts… I clamp down onto her loins, her butt!… Just the way she is standing up against the wall… This way I keep a good grip on her… Ah! She just can’t run away!… The rain coming down in buckets… the drainpipe’s flooding over, spraying out… right on us… our heads… Not a soul passing by… She wants to go… I don’t… I keep her braced… against the gutter… I talk into her curls, suck her hair… the rain… I want her to tell me… tell me everything…
“Ten-Paw, darling?… Ten-Paw… do you love Ten-Paw?… Little one!…”
I want her to tell me she loves Ten-Paw!…
“Little tramp… little two-face!… Ah! I’ll find out everything!” I don’t want her conning me!…
“Nympho!…” I yell… “Slut!…”
Ah! The mere thought’s sheer torture!… The way she got everybody off… Ah! It’s all too crazy… too incredible!… So intense! I bite her… nibble away… jam her back up against the wall!
“What about Curlers? You love her too, don’t you?… You love her a lot more than me, don’t you, huh?… You’d like her to take you away with her, huh, huh? Say it… let me hear you say it!…”
I beg her… implore her!… I knead her!… Right there under the gutter spray!… Ah! It’s tearing me to pieces!… That she won’t give me an answer… Ah! Are we ever getting soaked!… To the bone!… It’s coming down in torrents… pitchforks… a sweeping flood!… We’re prisoners of the downpour!… The wind’s whipping the rain under the archway!
“Don’t you? Huh?” I shout!… “That’s what you’d like, isn’t it, huh? You want me to give you to Ten-Paw, huh? You’d kiss him too, huh? Plus Curlers? You’d eat out Curlers, right, huh? The two of you together, right, huh?… Which one you love more? Tell me, dear! Tell me! Tell me! Sweetheart!… Tell me, little darling I adore!…”
And I give her a good shake!… Squeeze her hard!… And sink my teeth deep into her!…
“Ferdinand!… Ferdinand!…” she answers me real sweetly… she’s real affectionate… real loving!… Her breath… her angel breath in my mouth… She gives me her mouth… “My precious!…” She’s the one who kisses me… I take her lips… “My baby doll!… My life!…” Ah! I adore her too much! I lift her… pick her off the ground… little darling I adore too much!… Ah! This face so cool and moist!… How I kiss her… suck her!… “My queen! My sweetheart!”… Standing there in the night!… “My little honey! My little fairy!…” Ah! But what about her looniness a little while back? Ah! how about the Tweet-Tweeters?… And the old bats?… Ah! I’m goddamn sizzling all over again… Ah! The fiery driving rain, fuck it all! Ah! I squint into the darkness!… I’d like to see her eyes!… How she’s lying!… Her mouth!… Her face!… Her so soft and darling face!… Drenched!… Right here… laughing under my mouth… I lick her all over! I’m losing my head!… She’s behaving better now… back to her old self… cruel… nasty… mischievous… her nastiness has lost some of its edge, just because I’m cradling her in my arms… Oh! She’s going to leave!… Escape! Ah! She’s going to run away and never come back!… Into the darkness of the night!… Just like that… laughing at me!… A scamp… an imp!… An angel… “My little angel!…”
“Virginia!… Virginia!…” I call her name… “Virginia!…” She stirs a tiny bit… lets out a teensy little giggle… It’s true!… Ah! She’s laughing!… Poking fun!… Ah! The brazen little brat!… She’s a rotten kid… starting to fidget around!… Ah! She’s all better now!… A whole lot better!… She wants to escape from me right away… I hold her back… kiss her!… “Little bitch!” She’s wriggling around! I touch her little breast!… I want to suck it too!… Her dress is gone!… All torn in tatters… she’s wrestling hard!…
“Pancake!…” I shout. “I’ll flatten you like a pancake!… Make a move and find out!…”
She starts kicking me… I’m an animal, whack!… Not a soul around!… At first she whimpers… then wails… I keep her hopping I’m so strong!… “Hop! Hop! Little goat!” I’m totally batty!… I feel she’s just about done in… with each whack she groans… My hand’s hot!… Hot where it hits!… “My angel!…” I kiss her… she turns away from me… I shake her… shake her!… I hug her too hard… she snags my ear in her teeth… and bites down! Ah! I howl! The bitch!… I plaster her against the wall!… I’m going to beat this little viper’s brains out!… I ram my knee between her thighs… there. “You won’t be moving any m
ore!” I brace her against the wall… she keeps wrestling… wriggling! Squealing! I lean down hard… flatten her back down… I’ve got a good grip on her!… I’m all whipped up… even worse than before!… Her carcass is done in!… In the raw done in!… The raw! Ah! I’m shouting!… Shouting! I can hear the whole street… shouting along with me… but not a soul around… just me!… It’s nothing… just the darkness!… The echoes!… Good news!… It’s horrible!… Not a soul! Ah! I bite her again… my grip firm… I adore her!… I suck her bare shoulder… her darling dripping-wet shoulder… Ah! I jump up and down!… Pumping!… I’m all dog… a rain-drenched pup… in the full spray from the gutter!… Soaking us… running out between us… I ram!… Ram!… With all I got!… my whole body against her… Ah! I’m in pain all over!… Yanking all my parts out of whack… my own strength knocking me to pieces…
“Honey buns! Honey buns!…” I call her. “Sorry! Sorry!…” I shake her… bite her!… Suck her!… Ah! It’s my hot love!… My blood!… My lightning passion!… I’m all revved up! Revved up full blast!… I’m going to bust her up!… Crush her alive!… Can’t stop myself any more!… I hammer my whole body into hers!… Crush her… I’m out of control… I ram! I ram!… And talk… got to bellow… bellow… “You’ll do everything to her!… You’ll do everything to her!…” I can feel her kissing me!… Sucking at my lips… she’s a sweetheart!… I plough into her!… Ramming away!… Killing her!… Killing her!… That’s the truth!… The truth!… I ought to know! Even harder now!… Faster!… Got to be worse!… Until we tear each other limb from limb!…
“Virginia!… Virginia!…”
She’s flagging… giving out!… Totally limp!… She’s stopped kissing!… I stand her back up… hold her against the wall!… Take her in my arms again!… I can’t see anything… can’t see her face!… I grope for her nose… in the downpour!… Her eyes!… Her mouth!… I’m going to carry her!… I sit her down against the wall!… Ah! It’s awful!… Frightening!… What’s happening to me?… What have I done?… I throw some water on top of her… sprinkle her… with lots of water… from the gutter…
“Virginia!… Virginia!…” I gave her a few light pats on the cheeks… All! She’s coming round!… Ah! Happy day! Thank God!… This is just great! She’s starting to talk a little… a few words!…
“Virginia!… Virginia!…” I call her name again… she’s in the buff!… Not wearing a stitch… her whole dress ripped to shreds… I pass her my jacket… slip her arms through the sleeves… get her moving again… all with the gentlest touch…
“Let’s go, Virginia! Come on!…”
I’m thinking about the house… the Colonel… Sosthène… Ah! The errands! The appurtenances!… The goddamned gear!… Where the hell did I leave it all?… Ah! At the Corridor… Ah! My wits were coming back!… The Corridor… Jesus fucking Christ!… Ah! What a botched job!… Ah! I remember clear as a bell now!… Fat lot of good it does me!… Can’t see a goddamn thing!… I’m trying to figure things out just like that in the pitch-dark… Where the hell can we be?… Not the faintest glimmer anywhere… surely some calm quiet neighbourhood… with little houses that all look alike… row upon row… did a bus just pass? at the end of one street or another?…
“Must have been a bus…” I say to Virginia… that would be a nice break… Ah! But we couldn’t take it!… I didn’t think about that!… Dressed in rags and tatters as we are!… Especially with the girl without a stitch on!… In nothing but my jacket… It’d never work… the conductor would have us arrested!… We’ve just got to keep scurrying along!… Keep cracking before the sun comes up!… And find our way!… In the darkness… and not ask the policemen anything… I was regaining my presence of mind!… Helps you sort clear through all the bull… that’s out there waiting to trip you back up!… You’re saved!… You stop talking crap!… Presto, my plan… Plain common sense!…
“Kid!” I say… “Listen to Big Ben!”
We stop so we can hear better…
Five o’clock!
“There!” I say… “No problem! Let’s go, honey pie!…”
I didn’t know where we were going… but I wanted to use the echo as my guide… Once we found Westminster we’d be home free!… So I take the girl by the hand and head out of this place! We had to escape from this neighbourhood, worm through the maze of narrow streets… zigzagging into each other… We were stumbling all over in the dark… At last an avenue… one I recognized… Acton Road, then Long Avenue… Ah! The situation’s looking up!… This is just great!…
“Quick! Quick!…” This is our road!… we’re happy!… Even so we still had one hell of a stretch to cover… another good hour at least… Luckily it’s almost stopped raining… but it’s cold… I step up our pace… the only thing on my mind is getting home!… The kid’s not complaining… just wondering where we are… is there still a long way to go?… The poor little angel’s skipping to keep up… I have long legs… and we’re not out here for our pleasure, of course!… Now it’s straight ahead!… Edgware Road… then Orchard Scrubbs… the small park… finally Dwilk Commons… farther along we reach Willesden… the avenue… the large trees!… Ah! Now we got to keep our eyes peeled… Can’t just race along the way we are, whoosh!… There’s home, over there!… I can see the house… the façade… the surroundings!… Totally deserted!… Just the milkman… his ramshackle cart… the garden door’s open… zip!… We both slip through… back inside… it’s still dark!… Nobody spotted us…
*
“Hey!…” he goes to me. “Hey, come on, what’s the story!… The old man’s in a nasty mood!”
That’s how he wakes me up.
“His niece told him you lost everything!”
As soon as I got in I collapsed in a heap just as I was, plop!… He shook me awake to give me the news… He wanted an answer…
“Who said that? Who?…” I wasn’t following… I was still half asleep… “His niece, for God’s sake!… Well! Out with the story!… Let me hear it!…”
“Is he fuming?”
“Ah! Just what you’d expect!…”
“Is he ornery?”
“He beat her.”
“Shit! With what?”
“His riding crop!…”
“Oh, no!…”
Nice way to wake up… he’s dumping some outrageous news on me…
“I think he’s jealous…”
“Of who?”
“You, of course, you bum!… Not me!…”
Even Sosthène had noticed! Just terrific!…
“Our only chance now is to beat it!…”
I jumped to that conclusion.
“Ah! Don’t even think about it! He already did. He said that if we ran off he’d notify the police!… He’d have us hauled in!… He said he had our contracts… that we’d been paid… boarded… bedded… and that our signatures meant something!… So that’s that!… That’s what he said… He laid it all out for me!… That he would do whatever he had to do!… That the contest was right around the corner… and that we mustn’t back out!… That he couldn’t replace us now!… It was too late!… We had to try out the masks… that was the whole reason we were hired. Not for goofing off!…”
“We! We! We! You mean you, just you!… Not me!… So just get that straight!… I didn’t promise anything about any masks!… I said I’d run the errands, one thing, period!… Just the odds-and-ends stuff!… I’m a wounded veteran, I’ve already been run plenty ragged!… You’re not looking at some engineer here!… That’s you, Monsieur de Rodiencourt!… You’re the guy pocketing all the gold! You’re the spoilt big-shot expert…”
“You call what you did running errands? What errand did you run on the niece?”
“None of your business.”
“Yes, right, but it’s her uncle’s!”