The sidewalks outside Gruber’s looked like an oriental bazaar.
Aware of the fact that the store would close at six o’clock and further aware that this was Christmas Eve and late late shoppers might be willing to plunk down a few bucks for that last last-minute gift, the street vendors were out in droves, the overflow spilling from the choicer locations at the avenue entrances to here on the side street. Standing to the right of the Salvation Army kettle was a Puerto Rican man with a wide variety of wrist watches for sale, all of them displayed on a folding case set up on a folding stand. If the Law showed and the man did not have a vendor’s license, he would fold the case and the stand, like an Arab folding a tent, and disappear into the night just as swiftly. The Deaf Man assumed all the watches were stolen. Otherwise, why was the man selling them for five dollars apiece?
‘Fi’ dollar!’ the man shouted. ‘Bran’ new wriss washes, fi’ dollar!’
On the Deaf Man’s left, shouting over the strains of ‘Silent Night’ coming from the Deaf Man’s cassette player, another sidewalk entrepreneur was displaying on a moth-eaten army blanket two dozen or more scarves in various brilliant colors.
‘All silk!’ he shouted to the passersby. ‘Take your choice, three dollars apiece, four for ten dollars, all silk!’
On the corner, where side street and avenue intersected, a man sold hot dogs from a cart. Another man sold pretzels. A third man sold 100% Fresh-Squeezed Orange Juice and Italian ices.
Up the avenue the bell in the tower of the Church of the Ascension of Christ began tolling the hour two minutes too soon.
* * * *
The personnel manager came into the sixth-floor Toy Department at two minutes to six. Santa was sitting alone on his throne. The personnel manager—whose name was Samuel Aronowitz—went over to him and said, ‘We won’t be getting any more little girls and boys tonight, Santa. Come on, let’s have a drink.’
Santa sighed forlornly.
They walked down the hall past the bewildering array of signs pointing in every direction of the compass: MANAGER’S OFFICE, CASHIER’S OFFICE. CREDIT OFFICE. RETURNS. PERSONNEL OFFICE. TOY DEPARTMENT. SANTA CLAUS. TELEPHONE OFFICE. REST ROOMS.
As they entered the personnel office, Aronowitz heard the woman’s voice over the loudspeakers again.
‘Ladies and gentlemen, it is now six o’clock. If you are still in the store, we advise you to use the Fourth Street exit. We take this opportunity now to wish you all a Merry Christmas from Gruber’s uptown, downtown, all around the town. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.’
‘That was in our radio ads,’ Aronowitz said.
‘Sir?’ Drits said.
‘The “uptown, downtown, all around the town” line. Very effective. Come in, come in, what would you like to drink? I have scotch and gin.’
‘A little scotch, please,’ Drits said.
* * * *
In the cashier’s office Molly Driscoll and Helen Ruggiero both looked at the clock at the very same moment. Molly was the cashier. She had been the cashier since the middle of October. Helen was the assistant cashier and was angry that she had not been promoted to cashier when Liz Turner left the job.
It was now a quarter past six, and all but Better Dresses, Housewares, Major Appliances, Juniors, and Luggage had already delivered their zippered bags containing receipts from cash registers all over the store, dropping them into the little steel drawer set into the wall at right angles to the vault’s outer steel door. Both steel doors to the vault were closed and locked. The safe door was open. They would lock that and set the alarm on it after the last of the receipts were in.
Helen and Molly were very eager to get the hell out of here.
Molly wanted to hurry home to her husband and three kids.
Helen wanted to hurry over to her boyfriend’s apartment. He had told her he’d bought some very good coke that afternoon.
‘What’s keeping the rest of them?’ she asked.
* * * *
‘Mr. Drits, I want to thank you personally for the splendid job you did for Gruber’s,’ Aronowitz said. ‘Your warmth, your patience, your obvious understanding of children—all added up to the best Santa we’ve ever had. Would you care for another drink?’
‘Yes, sir, thank you,’ Drits said.
‘It was my hope, Mr. Drits, that you would come back to work for us again next year. Frankly we have a difficult time hiring convincing Santas.’
‘I’d be happy to come back next year,’ Drits said, accepting the drink.
Provided I’m not in Castleview, he thought.
* * * *
In the locked stall in the men’s room Charlie looked at his watch again.
Six-thirty.
Fifteen minutes before he made his move.
He was beginning to sweat behind the fake beard.
* * * *
On the sidewalk outside the store the Deaf Man looked at his watch.
Twenty-five minutes to seven.
‘Four dollar!’ the Puerto Rican yelled. ‘Bran’ new washes!’
‘Silk scarves, all of them silk, two dollars apiece, four for six dollars!’ the other man yelled.
‘Si-uh-lent night,’ the cassette player blared, Mio-uh-lee night...’
* * * *
The man at the rest room sinks was singing ‘Silent Night’ at the top of his lungs.
In the locked stall Charlie looked at his watch again.
Six forty-two.
‘Allllll is calm,’ the man sang, ‘alllllll is bright...’
* * * *
In the cashier’s office Helen looked at her watch and said, ‘So where’s Better Dresses?’
* * * *
It was six forty-five.
Charlie had to make his move.
The man at the sinks was still singing.
‘Round yon vir-ih-gin, mother and child...’
Charlie waited. The man stopped singing. Charlie heard the sound of the water tap being turned on. He looked at his watch again. He couldn’t wait a moment longer.
He came out of the stall.
He was looking at Santa Claus.
Santa Claus was washing his face.
His beard rested on the sink top.
Santa turned from the sink.
Charlie was looking at Arthur Drits, who’d served time at Castleview when Charlie was also a resident up there. A short-eyes offender.
‘Hey, man,’ Drits said, looking surprised.
Drits was surprised because he was looking at a Santa Claus just like himself. He hadn’t known there were two Santas in the store. Charlie, forgetting he was wearing a beard, thought Drits looked surprised because he’d recognized him. Charlie ran out of the men’s room before Drits could take a better look.
* * * *