Whores for Gloria

21. Peggy

Well, sweetycakes, what kind of dreams exactly do you have? said Jimmy. I never have dreams so I'm gonna memorize yours if you don't mind which somehow I have the feeling you won't because here's five dollars.

Peggy breathed hard and said I had a nightmare just a few nights ago that I was in the stairway of a hotel. I'm running up and down on the stairway and I got these two guys clowning me. They're teasing me, and one's at the top of the steps and I'd run down and I'd run into the other one. I can't get away from 'em. And if they ever got close enough they'd start trying to take my clothes off. I kept looking for my man Titus, but I couldn't find him. He never came through to rescue me. He woke me up once, and I was too sleepy to really come out of it. Yeah, I couldn't get away from 'em. I lost two nights' sleep over it. I was afraid, really afraid.

Pearl

I had a bad dream last night, said Jimmy, thinking to himself my lies are so bad not even I believe 'em. He looked Pearl in the eye and locked his face into the loopy sincerity that she might believe before he said I dreamed that Gloria was trapped on the stairs between these two pimps who wanted to hurt her and they kept sorta playing with her by throwing jewels at her and telling her about all the people they'd stabbed and blown away and then they threw this dead German shepherd bitch at her and she saw they'd cut its cunt out and started calling to me like she was in real trouble, really afraid, and I could hear her through the wall but the door was locked and I couldn't find the key. Finally I broke down the door and rescued her.

That's good Jimmy, said Pearl. I'm real glad it ended happy.

Yeah, Jimmy said. But you know the funny thing was that these pimps were women. They looked like Black Rose types, big and tall but with kinda delicate faces like Luna or Regina, and I thought I'd seen them both before in the street somewhere. One of them had a ponytail, and the other one was kind of like Dinah — you know her, don't you, Pearl? The one that tells lies? They kept whispering these awful things, and every time they'd say something they'd throw a little dart at Gloria and it never missed her — pierced her and went right in her and she was bleeding and crying so every time one of those darts hit her she got thinner and paler until I could see right through her! What do you think that means? I can't figure it. Actually I don't remember much that they were whispering but one time they said Gloria you whore we're gonna take you to the movies. When I finally got there and they saw me they started laughing but I charged at 'em back and forth and they turned into big clay statues you know ceramic and I smashed 'em. But the main thing is I saved her I saved her.

Pearl cleared her throat. You know, Jimmy, she said, if Gloria ever doesn't work out for you I want you to know that I'm here.

Thanks Pearl said Jimmy, taking in all the honest ugliness of her, the bad breath and good nature and loving kindness of her, and then he paid his rent and went out.

Gloria

Well, I didn't do too bad that time did I? he laughed, leaning against a wall on Turk Street. I did pretty good considering I don't even believe in you.

He took a stroll down to Sixth Street, walking cocky, and heard Code Six puking in his alley and politely waited until the sounds stopped before he ambled in and said hey Code Six! How's life, buddy? You pulling through?

Damned straight I am, said Code Six. That's why Walgreen's sells Vaseline.

Gloria

Stories and hair he said to himself again on the bed that's the ticket, stories and hair. Just keep pretending, step by step, and then you're back around the block.

Fine.

What next?