Ciudad Juárez (Mexico) -- Fiction; El Paso (Tex.) -- Fiction; Prostitutes -- Fiction
"Yeah--Mickey Finn, you know her, we just run into her at the corner,
and she told us about it, and said for us to come. Are you going?"
"Sure, we all are."
"Do you think it will be all right, Ev?" asked Pearl, under her breath.
"I don't get you--how do you mean all right?"
"Well, I've never been on an all-night party in Juarez--so naturally I'm
curious--but what I mean is--can you get away with much over here
without the Mexicans landing you in jail?"
"As long as there ain't no murder, or absolute destruction of
property--you are pretty safe, but why bother--wait till you get in the
can before you start worrying about it."
Juarez, with its lights twinkling in the glowing dusk--with its midnight
purple mountains looking like big, futuristic pillows flanking it on
three sides, the skies screaming, flaming, gold, crimson, varied colors
of reds, shading into blue, darker blue, then deep blue, then to purple
in the far east, with the sounds of laughing, running, playing dogs and
children, sounds of a twanging guitar slightly out of tune, accompanied
by a nasal but sincere Mexican love song being sung to a Senorita with
dark eyes and broken, dirty teeth, and bosoms that would make a Holstein
cow's eyes bulge with envy--smells of all sorts drifted on the soft,
gentle breeze, of tortillas, of beans frying with cheese, of chili
sauces, of charcoal, of unwashed dirty bodies, of manure, both human
and animal. A street car rattling by with its cargo of brilliantly
painted cheeks, flashing smiles, syphilis-carrying, would-be, has-been,
and are-to-be whores.
Signs advertising whiskeys, and liquors of all kinds, brilliant in
color, flashed in the deepening dusk, their utter defiance at the
American side of the border. The extra bartenders were coming on duty,
extra waiters were appearing in respective places, rubbing their hands
together like pawnbrokers, at the thought of the night's tips; at the
thought of what could be taken out of the pockets of one too drunk to
notice; at the thought of the tips that would be thrown at the
entertainers that would roll where they could stoop and pick it up
without being noticed; at the thought of drunken women's pocketbooks
that can so easily be gone into in a crowded place without fear of being
caught. This was Saturday night, the biggest night of the week.
"We are getting off here at the corner," said one of the five girls. "We
are going to start with the Gold Palace, Pearl; you and Ev come along
with us."
Evelyn started to rise.
"Thanks," said Pearl, as she caught Evelyn's arm, "We are going to ride
around to the Lobby No. 2. I've a friend around there to see on
business--but we will see you at the party, if not sooner. I hope you
all have some good luck tonight."
"Thanks, honey," called one of the girls, "I'm damned if we don't need
it."
"Why didn't you come on and get off and get a drink? I don't think Harry
is there yet--it's a little early for him."
"Oh, Ev, I just can't wait."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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