“He was being a nice guy,” Barry said.

“He didn’t wanna pay us,” Steve said. “If we’re there, and we didn’t know, he would’ve had trouble. He didn’t want no trouble. He wanted money. He didn’t wanna share no dough with us. So he told us not to show up. He’s not nice. He’s just cheap. Just like everybody else. You dumb shit.”

“I still liked the guy,” Barry said.

“You liked the blonde,” Steve said. “Come on, Barry.”

“He was married to that girl,” Barry said.

“Jackie don’t think so,” Steve said. “Dillon, either. She was just something he had around.”

“She was a nice girl,” Barry said. “I did like her.”

“She hadda great big ass,” Steve said. “That’s all you think about, a great big ass.”

“She did,” Barry said. “Still, not a bad girl at all. Nice bazooms. She was a good kid to talk to.”

“Yeah,” Steve said, “right. Talk. Remember that night she come out there inna pink pants?”

“Yeah,” Barry said.

“You don’t,” Steve said. “Still, that was the biggest pink thing I ever saw.”

“She was a nice girl,” Barry said.

“You wanna be careful,” Steve said. “Some night I’ll get drunk and I’ll call Ginny up and tell her, you’re scoutin’ strange tail alla time.”

“Steve,” Barry said, “you know …”

“I know,” Steve said.

“Ginny’s the best thing, ever happened to me,” Barry said. “I know, you’re always telling me, I’m a dumb shit. Okay, I’m a dumb shit. But I know some things. The times that girl, I couldn’t count them. You can kid around all you want. I don’t care if you are my brother. You know what? I get home tonight, don’t matter what time I get home tonight, it’s probably gonna be late, Ginny’ll be waiting up. We’ll have a beer and we’ll talk. Anybody gives Ginny a hard time, well, I’m maybe a little outa shape. But nobody better call Ginny and get her thinking something like that, or anything, that, especially that’s not true.”

“Oh for Christ sake,” Steve said. “I was just hacking around.”

“Not on that,” Barry said. “Ginny, Ginny’s sacred to me.

“Yeah, yeah,” Steve said.

“I mean that,” Barry said. “The rest of you guys, all right, you can think anything you want. But not me. Not me and Ginny.”

“You mean to tell me,” Steve said, “Trattman’s pink broad, you didn’t fuck her?”

“Nah,” Barry said. “I tell you, she was married to Trattman at the time. You don’t fuck somebody else’s wife. I wouldn’t do that.”

“Jackie don’t think so,” Steve said.

“Jackie don’t know, is what Jackie does,” Barry said. “She told me herself.”

“You asked her,” Steve said.

“I didn’t ask her if she was married,” Barry said.

“Barry,” Steve said, “I’m ashamed of you. My own brother, and you asked somebody else’s girl to fuck.”

“I did not,” Barry said.

“I’m definitely gonna tell Ginny,” Steve said. “You’ll be lucky, you don’t get a mouthful of plates, you come in after this. You goddamned stud.”

“I wasn’t married to Ginny then,” Barry said.

“Barry,” Steve said, “you been married to Ginny since you’re twelve, you know that. You just didn’t get to church before, is all. Any time Ginny said: ‘Jump,’ all you ever said was: ‘How high?’ ”

“I did not,” Barry said.

“You did,” Steve said. “You give up boxing because Ginny didn’t want your face wrecked.”

“No, I didn’t,” Barry said. “I give it up because I wasn’t no good.”

“Who’s the light-heavy champ in Sixty-three?” Steve said.

“All right, all right,” Barry said. “He wasn’t champ for long.”

“Who was he?” Steve said. “I forget his name.”

“When I fought him he hadda different name,” Barry said.

“Yeah,” Steve said, “I remember. Tennessee Bobby Walker. Yeah. That’s the guy. How long’d you go with him?”

“That was before,” Barry said.

“Not much before,” Steve said. “Twelve and you TKO-ed him, and then fifteen and he splits you. And, who was that guy on the Ticonderoga?”

“You remind me of Jackie,” Barry said.

“I remind you of Ginny,” Steve said.

“He was always at me, like you are,” Barry said. “That night Walker beat me? He was fulla fuckin’ shit, and I was hurt. That bastard cut me onna eye and he kept the laces in it all night.”

“You did the same thing to him, the time before,” Steve said.

“That didn’t make it feel better,” Barry said. “The only thing that bastard’s thinking about’s how much money he’s out. And I was hurt.”

“You should’ve butted him,” Steve said.

“I tried to,” Barry said. “Didn’t work. He had his head down too low. You know something? That’s the thing I liked about Markie. He never saw me fight. All you guys did.”

“And we knew you quit because you’re chicken,” Steve said. “It’s all right.”

“I wasn’t any good,” Barry said. “There’re guys that’re like that, you know.”

“I know,” Steve said.

“No you don’t,” Barry said. “You’re just like Jackie. I’m not gonna do this. I haven’t got nothing against Markie. I dunno why he didn’t stay married, the blonde.”

“Barry,” Steve said, “they weren’t married. That was just something that went on a long time. She was letting you down easy. She didn’t wanna fuck you and she didn’t wanna hurt your feelings.”

“No,” Barry said, “maybe, okay, but nothing Markie ever had, went on a long time. He’d just as soon get married as fuck around, he don’t care. He’s not a bad shit.”

“No,” Steve said, “he’s not. He’s just an asshole when it comes to the broads.”

“I still like him,” Barry said.

“So do I,” Steve said. “I said that to Jackie. I, I don’t want to do this, you know? I really didn’t. Markie’s not a bad shit. I told him, I said: ‘Look, I used to work for the guy now and then. Me and Barry. Jeez, I don’t know. He always treated me all right.’ ”

“Dillon was there too, wasn’t he?” Barry said.

“Dillon was there,” Steve said. “White’s a fuckin’ sheet, he don’t use no breath to say nothin’, it’s probably his last. There’s dogs, I think, not as sick as Dillon.”

“They’re both the same,” Barry said. “They’re both pricks.”

“I don’t know,” Steve said.

“I do,” Barry said. “I knew Jackie before I knew Dillon. I didn’t work for Dillon, after I worked, after I knew Jackie. Jackie didn’t have no work. They’re both the same.”

“What difference it make?” Steve said.

“You know Dillon,” Barry said.

“Yeah,” Steve said.

“You know Jackie,” Barry said.

“Yeah,” Steve said.

“You know the way Dillon looks now,” Barry said, “and it’s because he’s sick.”

“He don’t look right,” Steve said.

“Jackie always looked that way,” Barry said. “Always. He’s got the same eyes.”

“Ahh,” Steve said.

“I mean it,” Barry said. “I mean it. I did some things for that guy. When the fights’re on, and all, you know something? I bet that guy didn’t weigh one thirty then, and he wasn’t carrying nothing you could see, and you can see things, you know?”

“Yeah,” Steve said.

“A little shit,” Barry said. “He was always a little shit. And there was a lot of big guys around. And he had dough. And you know something? Nobody ever fucked with him. Nobody. Not officers, nobody. You know why? Because he looked the same way then that Dillon looks now. In the eyes. Like somebody hit him. Only he’s not hurt and he’s not going down. He’s just there. And nobody knew him from the next guy’s asshole, then. Now Dillon’s sick and he looks the same way. I don’t trust that guy.”

“He’s all right,” Steve said.

“He’s a mean little prick,” Barry said.

“He doesn’t act like one,” Steve said. “He treated me all right. Any questions I had, he treated me all right.”

“What’d you ask him?” Barry said. “What’d he say?”

“I told him,” Steve said, “I said: ‘Look, I kind of like Markie.’ He said: ‘I know it. Everybody does. He’s a great guy. I told him once: “Markie, you ask girls to fuck, you don’t even want to fuck.” I said that to him.’ And you know what he says? Jackie said: ‘ “I’m staying in shape. Besides, how the fuck do I know, I don’t wanna fuck the girl, unless I fuck her? So I ask her, and she says, all right, I fuck her and then I know. After.’ ” I think, myself,” Steve said, “I think the guy’s afraid, there’s some broad some place inna world that’s gonna fuck, and he’ll die without asking her. That’s what Jackie said. ‘Guy gets more ass’n a toilet seat.’ ”