One night Harry and Marion were sitting on the couch listening to music, after having gotten off, going over their plans for the coffee house as usual, when Harry leaned back, with a pensive expression on his face, then nodded his head as he reached a decision, Yeah, thats what I/ll do. Marion smiled, Do for what? Or should I say whom? The old lady. Ive been thinking of getting something for her, you know, some kind of present, but I didnt know what to get, you know it aint easy to think of something for someone like that. Like what could she use or want? Every woman loves perfume. You can get her something exquisite with a crystal bottle. Naw, that wouldnt make it for her. You know my old lady. Yes, I guess youre right. But I hope you take the hint, and she chuckled. Later for you, and he kissed her on the cheek and brusquely rubbed the back of her neck. I finally figured the perfect thing. Its right there in front of my nose and I miss it the whole time. I finally asked myself, whats her fix? and I told myself, television, right? If ever theres a TV junkie its the old lady. And I figure maybe I owe her a new new one anyway with all the wear and tear her set got from being schlepped back and forth to old Abes. Dont use that word. What? schlep? Yes. It reminds me of my father and his garment center vocabulary. Harry shrugged and laughed, You sure do have a thing with him, eh? Marion shrugged it off, I can ignore it. But whats this about a television? Im going to get the old lady a new set. I figure I can go for a grand if I have to, and get her a set that will knock her out. I mean that will really spin her head. She/ll plotz already! O Harry! Marion pouted and Harry chuckled and put his arms around her, I’m sorry, but sometimes I just cant resist, you get so bugged so easy. Anyway, tomorrow Im going to get her a big, fat super color TV that will make her forget all about the times I borrowed her set. Marion tilted her head to one side and looked at Harry for a moment, then smiled gently, You really love her, dont you? Harry shrugged, I guess so. I mean, I dont know exactly. One time I feel one way and the other time I feel something else. Most of the time I just want her to be happy. You know what I mean? Marion nodded her head, a longing expression on her face. Id just like to see her happy and making it… but sometimes I just cant seem to stop myself and I want to attack her like… ah I dont know. Its not that I want to attack her so much, its just that I see her sitting there in that same old apartment that shes been in forever, wearing the same old house dress, you know even if it isnt the same it is, and I dont know what to do. When Im away from her its fine, like I love her and have nice thoughts about her, when I think about her. But when Im there, in that apartment with her, something happens and I get so goddamn irritated that I end up yelling at her. O, its probably simple. You love her and have a dependency and you dont know how to obtain your independence in a healthy manner by simply outgrowing the nest, so to speak, so you lash out and reject her before she can reject you. Its a classic case, really. Could be. Me, I dont care about all that. I just know that shes always lecturing me about being careful, youre a good boy, take care, dont get hurt… you know? like she wont let me breathe. Marion was nodding. Harry shrugged, Ah, I dont know. Its not important. Now that Im set I can take care of her and visit her once in a while an maybe now she/ll get off my back when she sees how good Im doing. Hey, maybe sometime we can take her out to dinner or something. A show, who knows what. What do you think? I/d love to Harry. Ive always loved your mother. Shes always so charming and quaint, and… and real. So unaffected. She lives in the Bronx and loves the Bronx and lives her life in the open. Not like some who look down their noses at people unless they live in New Rochelle or the Connecticut suburbs or Westchester and think theyre something theyre not while they still sound like theyre clearing their throat when they talk and slop cream cheese and bagels in their mouths in the morning and every Sunday night they go out to eat chinks. Theyre so disgusting. There is nothing worse than a cultural barbarian with pretensions. Hey, youre really cooking, and he chuckled. O, well, it really irritates me. Shakespeare said, This above all, unto thine own self be true. Polonius may have been a fool but there is a great deal of wisdom in that line. I think thats one of the problems with the world today, nobody knows who they are. Everyone is running around looking for an identity, or trying to borrow one, only they dont know it. They actually think they know who they are and what are they? Theyre just a bunch of schlepper s—Harry chuckled at the way she spit the word out and the intensity with which she spoke—who have no idea what a search for personal truth and identity really is, which would be alright if they didnt get in your way, but they insist that they know everything and that if you dont live their way then youre not living properly and they want to take your space away… they actually want to somehow get into your space and live in it and change it or destroy it—Harry started to blink and stare as the anger mounted and flared out— they just cant believe that you know what you are doing and that you have your own identity and space and that you are happy and content with it. You see, thats the problem right there. If they could see that then they wouldnt have to feel threatened and feel that they have to destroy you before you destroy them. They just cant get it through their philistine heads that you are happy where you are and dont want to have anything to do with them. My space is mine and thats enough for me. Harry looked at her for a moment. I/ll tell you something baby, Im glad thats the way it is. I sure as hell wouldnt want to have to share your space. It might catch fire. All I did was say schlep and look what happened. Imagine what would happen if I said yenta, and Harry laughed and hugged Marion and she suddenly relaxed, allowing the dope, and Harrys attitude, and her own weariness to smooth the wrinkles from her brow and she started laughing too. You know something baby, its like Confucius said to Lei Kowan before the famous battle of Wang Ton: Letim eat cake, and they both started laughing again, O Harry, thats dreadful, and Marion got up and put the Kindertotenlieder on again and then went back to the couch and cuddled into Harry as they relaxed and listened to the music, and discussed the plans for the coffee house, as the dope continued to flow through their blood whispering dreams to every living cell in their bodies.
Harry still remembered his plan to buy his mother a new TV the next day, and still wanted to, but somehow the thought of actually getting out there in those stores and trying to find a salesman to help you and then trying to get the sonofabitch to show you what you want rather than what hes tryin to dump is a real drag… a big, fat mother fuckin drag. Goddamn it! If only he could just call up some joint and have them send one over that would be fine, but going in a store and talking with people and everything… He brooded over it for a while then realized that all he had to jo was take a taste and everything would be alright. Yeah, a little taste and he could hack those stores and the goddamn salesmen. He didnt want to get off so early in the day, but what the hell, this was different. And it seemed right, after all he was always usin the old ladys set to get cop money so now he/ll use a little stuff to get her a set. Yeah, hahahaha, thats pretty good. I like that. Yeah… its like the goose and the gander, or some shit like that. Harry invited Marion to join him and at first she started to protest getting off as soon as they got up, but the words never came out of her mouth and so they started the day with a taste, a little more than the day before, and went shopping. Marion asked him where he wanted to go and he shrugged then suddenly snapped up, Macys. Thats the place. Why do you want to go all the way down to Macys? I like it. I do a lot of heavy business there. Especially the toy department, and he chuckled and Marion looked at him as if he were goofy, but shrugged and went along with it. I guess a cab ride through town wont kill me.
When they got to Macys Harry insisted the driver take them to the seventh avenue entrance. The driver just shrugged and looked like Harry was just another nut, Its your money buddy. Why do you want to go to seventh avenue Harry, we could get out here just as easily? No, seventh avenue. Thats the way I do it. Marion looked perplexed and Harry smiled and smirked. Marion wanted to go directly to the television department, but Harry insisted they go to the toy department first and look at the trains. Marion shook her head, again, but went along to look at the trains. When they got to the television department Harry quickly glanced around at the sets and when a salesman came over and asked if he could help Harry looked at him and spoke with selfassurance, Yes. I want a large console. Well, we have this beautiful model over here in a luxurious Mediterranean cabinet thats on sale today only. Marked down from $1,299 to onty $99999Its a complete home entertainment system with an amfm radio, a— No, no. Nothing like that. Just a television. Fine. Right this way. This is our finest model. It has— Is it the largest you got? Yes. And it is guaranteed, parts and labor, for one whole year, picture tube for five, it— Okay, I/ll take it. The salesman smiled and continued to describe all the outstanding features of the set as he wrote up the sale, then wrote a service contract for five years after the guarantee expires, and Harry paid him off in hundreddollar bills and calmly waited for his change. He continued to sit by the desk as the salesman went to the register to complete the transaction, and smiled to himself as he watched himself sitting there so calmly, taking care of business just like a real people. He smirked and chuckled inside himself as the salesman came back with his change, acting almost like a servant. Harry pocketed the money carelessly and gave the guy a nod and a wave as they left. Later that night Harry thought about being in Macys buying the set and he started to flush and get nervous and sweat started to slide down his sides. When he thought about it the guy kept asking him questions he couldnt answer and Harry continually stammered and stuttered and felt embarrassed and apologized for not wanting the complete entertainment system and the more the guy told him what a bargain it was and how his aged mother would be grateful until her dying day if he were to buy this for her the more guilty he felt until he finally realized that he would be a fool not to buy this beautiful home entertainment system and if it was too big to fit in his mothers apartment then they would make the necessary adjustments. Harry shook his head and rattled the thoughts away and he and Marion went into the bathroom and got off and got ready for another evenings work. Visiting his mother didnt seem like such a good idea when the time came to leave, but a little taste makes all things possible. He dressed in a sharp new pair of slacks and sport shirt and casual shoes. He checked himself out in the mirror again then asked Marion how he looked. Handsome. Really handsome. You look like the son every mother has been looking for. What are they doing looking in places like that? and he chuckled then checked himself out again. Okay, guess I/d better split. See you later baby. Marion kissed him, Just relax. Its going to be just fine. Your mother isnt a barracuda like mine. Maybe that would be easier. Okay, later. Harry left and stopped at a bootblack by the subway and got a dazzling spit shine on his new shoes, then gave the kid a couple of bucks and hailed a cab.