Adams, Nick (Fictitious character) -- Fiction; American fiction -- 20th century; Short stories, American
“If you stand in with Retana in this town, you’re a made man,” the tall
waiter said. “If you aren’t in with him, you might just as well go out
and shoot yourself.”
“You said it,” the other waiter who had come in said. “You said it
then.”
“You’re right I said it,” said the tall waiter. “I know what I’m talking
about when I talk about that bird.”
“Look what he’s done for Villalta,” the first waiter said.
“And that ain’t all,” the tall waiter said. “Look what he’s done for
Marcial Lalanda. Look what he’s done for Nacional.”
“You said it, kid,” agreed the short waiter.
Manuel looked at them, standing talking in front of his table. He had
drunk his second brandy. They had forgotten about him. They were not
interested in him.
“Look at that bunch of camels,” the tall waiter went on. “Did you ever
see this Nacional II?”
“I seen him last Sunday didn’t I?” the original waiter said.
“He’s a giraffe,” the short waiter said.
“What did I tell you?” the tall waiter said. “Those are Retana’s boys.”
“Say, give me another shot of that,” Manuel said. He had poured the
brandy the waiter had slopped over in the saucer into his glass and
drank it while they were talking.
The original waiter poured his glass full mechanically, and the three of
them went out of the room talking.
In the far corner the man was still asleep, snoring slightly on the
intaking breath, his head back against the wall.
Manuel drank his brandy. He felt sleepy himself. It was too hot to go
out into the town. Besides there was nothing to do. He wanted to see
Zurito. He would go to sleep while he waited. He kicked his suitcase
under the table to be sure it was there. Perhaps it would be better to
put it back under the seat, against the wall. He leaned down and shoved
it under. Then he leaned forward on the table and went to sleep.
When he woke there was some one sitting across the table from him. It
was a big man with a heavy brown face like an Indian. He had been
sitting there some time. He had waved the waiter away and sat reading
the paper and occasionally looking down at Manuel, asleep, his head on
the table. He read the paper laboriously, forming the words with his
lips as he read. When it tired him he looked at Manuel. He sat heavily
in the chair, his black Cordoba hat tipped forward.
Manuel sat up and looked at him.
“Hello, Zurito,” he said.
“Hello, kid,” the big man said.
“I’ve been asleep.” Manuel rubbed his forehead with the back of his
fist.
“I thought maybe you were.”
“How’s everything?”
“Good. How is everything with you?”
“Not so good.”
They were both silent. Zurito, the picador, looked at Manuel’s white
face. Manuel looked down at the picador’s enormous hands folding the
paper to put away in his pocket.
“I got a favor to ask you, Manos,” Manuel said.
Manosduros was Zurito’s nickname. He never heard it without thinking of
his huge hands. He put them forward on the table self-consciously.
“Let’s have a drink,” he said.
“Sure,” said Manuel.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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