The Sweet Forever

“Sounds like a winner.”

“She always wanted to go to Florida. She’s selling watches in a department store. And Eddie’s installing dishwashers. Takes him a little longer than it used to on account of that bum wrist of his. But as far as I could tell, they’re doin’ all right.”

Applause came from the television’s tinny speaker.

“There goes Chris Washburn,” said Clay.

“Golden State. Bet it’s nice out there in California.”

“Oh, so you thinkin’ of leavin’ town, too?”

“You know me better than that.”

“’Cause I need you, man.”

“I am the glue that holds this operation together.”

“Wouldn’t go so far as all that.”

The phone rang on the desk, and Clay picked it up. “Real Right. Hey, Cheek. Any action over there? Good. Uh-huh... How’s our boy doin’? That right. Well, you make sure and praise him when he’s on it and point out to him when he’s not. I want him to stay with it... Yeah, me and Dimitri were just watchin’ it. Happy for him, too. Take care, Cheek.”

Clay cradled the phone.

“What’s up?” said Karras.

“Cheek says they’re doin’ some business over at Dupont Circle.”

“How’s it goin’ with our new employee?”

“He says he’s comin’ along. Yeah, I think Alan’s gonna be all right.”

Karras grinned. “Long as you can keep him away from Denice.”

“Knock that shit off, man. Rogers backed away from that his own self. Boy’s got self-control, unlike you.”

They watched Chuck Person get called up by the Pacers; then Kenny Walker went to the Knicks.

“We doin’ anything out on the floor?”

Clay shook his head. “Cootch says we haven’t rung but one or two sales all day. If it wasn’t for Georgetown and Dupont, we’d be hurtin’ bad. We’re hurtin’ as it is.”

“You still talkin’ to Record City?”

“They’re comin’ back in next week. Say they’re interested in ‘testin’ the urban waters’ with a couple of small locations before they come to town with that superstore concept of theirs. They’re talkin’ buyout, but we’ll see.”

“Would you do it?”

“Get out of the way or get run over, that’s the way I’m lookin’ at it now. Like I say, we’ll see.”

Karras frowned, looking at the set. “Phoenix took William Bedford over Ray Tarpley?”

“I’m a little surprised at that one myself.”

Cootch’s head appeared in the doorway. “Boss?”

“Yeah.”

“Got a man out here from the mayor’s campaign office, wants to put some of those posters in our window.”

“Tell him we don’t do that,” said Clay. “We don’t do it for anybody. Explain it to him like that.”

“Right,” said Cootch, returning to the floor.

“He’s gonna get reelected,” said Karras. “You know that, don’t you?”

“Sure. Runnin’ against Mattie Taylor in the primaries and Carole Schwartz — a white Jewish Republican from Ward Three — in the general elections? Damn right he’s gonna win. Meanwhile, city services are down to nothin’, and the school system is fallin’ apart for real. And George Dozier tells me that crack’s already come to the District, ahead of schedule. Murder rate’s gonna accelerate now like we’ve never seen.”

“And the people are gonna put the mayor back in office.”

“Nero fiddled while Rome burned, Dimitri; our mayor took cocaine.” Clay looked up at Karras. “But you know somethin’? We’re all to blame. ’Cause in the end, years from now when it’s way too late, we’re gonna see that we did nothin’ to stop all this. We were so busy makin’ money, ignorin’ the ones who needed help, lookin’ out for ourselves. So busy lookin’ the other way.”

Karras jingled the change in his pocket. “Yeah, well, what’re you gonna do?”

“Just keep talkin’ about it, I guess.”

“Look, I gotta jet. Gonna make the rounds, check on the stores. There’s that Replacements show I want to catch at the 9:30 tonight, so I won’t be back in.”

“You talkin’ about that guy, looks like he can’t get a comb through his hair?”

“Westerberg. Steve Earle’s openin’ things up. Should be a helluva show.”

“Whatever.”

“Nice day out. You ought to see some sunshine yourself.”

“Fixin’ to, man. Gonna do some ball.” Clay eyed Karras. “You’re lookin’ a little on the thin side, you know it?”

“Way you’re workin’ me, man.”

“I’m serious. You all right?”

“I’m fine,” said Karras, avoiding Clay’s eyes. “Listen, you think you could come by one night this week, get the rest of your shit out of the apartment?”

“Why, you expecting company?”

“You never know.”

“Okay, man, I’ll try. Know how tidy you like to keep things over at the Trauma Arms.”

“Thanks, Marcus.”

“Ain’t no thing.”

Clay and Karras locked hands, gave each other their old double-buck shake.