He dropped his hands and stared at her for a moment then slammed back into his seat. O for Krist sake. Whats wrong Harry? Nothings wrong, goddam it. Nothing. Why don't you just leave me alone…

I dont want to talk about it anymore Harry.

What do you mean you dont want to talk about it anymore? Just like that the discussions over, wham, goodbye?

Her expression was stiff; her body as rigid as her attitude. She held the phone a few inches from her mouth and closed her eyes slightly and looked across the room at the wall and spoke very matter-of-factly. I see no reason to continue talking. You absolutely refuse to see my point of view and are unreasonably arbitrary about having your own way.

His eyes snapped open as wide as possible and he twisted and turned and paced back and forth as his arms flew in all directions forcing him to almost pursue the phone from time to time to be sure he could be heard. My way? Whatta you talking about? Ive taken you to see Star Wars twice already and now youre bugged because I dont want to see it again tonight. How in the hell does that make me arbitrary? Im willing to do anything you -

You see—her expression frozen in sternness—there you go again, trying to put the blame on me, trying to -

Blame, blame—he spun around and leaned so far back that he was looking at the ceiling over the mouthpiece of the phone -whats this blame? Im not looking for blame. Im just trying -

Youre just trying to make me feel like a fool for wanting to see the -

No no, I dont care how many times you see the goddam flick, I just want to take you -

You dont have to swear at me just to prove youre a man.

Prove Im a man?—shaking his head and rolling his eyes—all I wanted to do was take you to a party and you come on with this crazy bullshit about Star Wars and -

O now Im crazy. Thank you. Thanks a lot. Whats the matter, I attack your male ego?

I dont believe this—slapping his head—I dont believe it. Having the rag on is one thing but this is ridic-

Thats right, lets hide behind that and try and make me feel guilty or ridiculous or -

Holy Krist, every time I talk to you lately its the same thing, the same nonsense.

O now its nonsense if I dont want to constantly give in to you and your whims -

Whims? What kind of whims? I just want to take you to a party and you -

Harry, I dont want to talk about it further. You absolutely refuse to see my point of view.

Refuse to—CLICK—What? What?—staring at the phone, holding it at arms length—whatta ya doin? Youre out ya head you crazy bitch, you… you… ah, who needsya. He slammed the receiver on the cradle and then slammed the phone on the table and left the house.

He stomped his way up the street trying to pound his anger into the pavement, clenching and unclenching his jaw and fists, shaking his head and almost yelling out loud as his head continued the battle, trying to force a semblance of sense into Marys head with the sheer energy of his anger because it didnt make any sense. No matter how you slice it it just doesnt make any sense. She must have some kindda bug up her ass. I call and ask her if she wants to go out to dinner before the party and she suddenly says she doesnt want to go—his mind assumed a falsetto voice—I want to see Star Wars. I mean whats with this Star Wars? and whats with all this contrary shit lately? starting arguments over nothing. Make a date and then cancelling at the last minute or complaining about where we go and what we do after I ask what do you want to do???? If you dont like this and you dont like that then what in the hell do you wanna do?—the falsetto again—O you decide Harry. I cant make up my mind. Yeah, an everything I decide is no good. We go to a restaurant and all of a sudden the lighting is no good. The lighting, right? Who cares about the food? all of a sudden its the lights that are important. You hungry go to Nathans, they got nice lights. We go to Fire Island for a weekend and its too far to the beach. Can you believe it? Too far to the beach!!!! The whole fucking island is only 3 feet wide and its nothing but beach. Its crazy, crazy. I dont get it. All she wants to do is break my balls—falsetto squeaks in—If I break them its because you put them on the chopping block for me. Harry started waving his hand then selfconsciously stopped and jammed it in his pocket. Eh, who needs it. I need this like I need a hole in the head. I must be crazy to bug myself over that broad. How did I ever get hooked into her anyway???? Forget it. Who needs it. Almost a year. One broad. I must be nuts. Harry quickened his pace even more to outdistance any reply his mind might make, falsetto or otherwise, and continued to try to outdistance his head as he automatically eased his way between the traffic as he crossed the avenue, then started to slow his pace as he neared STEVES, a neighborhood bar where his friends hung out.

It wasnt until he stopped, just inside the door, and felt the wave of cool air that he realized he was hot and flushed. He suddenly became aware of the sweat rolling down his sides and back and burning his eyes. He wiped his face quickly with his handkerchief as he looked around for a second, then walked toward his friends.

Hey Harry, whatta you doin here?

Whatta ya say Ron—he looked at Larry and Kelly—whats happening? Larry shrugged, Wanna beer? Sure, why not. Larry leaned over the bar, Hey Bob, give lover boy a beer. They all chuckled.

Kelly drained his glass and put it on the bar, May just as well put a head on this. He turned to Harry, How come youre here? Its—squinting at the clock on the wall—about 8:03 and its Saturday night.

Yeah, wheres Mary?

Harry tossed his head back, Eh, forget it.

What happened man, she split?

Dont ask. You wouldnt believe it—Harry grabbed his glass and gulped half of it and sighed as he put it down.—Krist thats good. I didnt realize how thirsty I was. He finished his beer and put some money on the bar, Hey Bob, giveus another round.

The door opened and Wally, Artie and Matt came in and stopped halfway down the bar. Harry barely noticed them out of the corner of his eye, and then Wally put his hands on the bar and Harry frowned and turned his head and looked at the cast on Wallys thumb and around his wrist and the wire going across the tips of his fingers. What happened to Wally?

O man, it was somethin else. His brother.

Mikey no legs?

Yeah. Drunk outta his mind. You know how he gets.

Yeah—nodding his head.

It happened just a coupla hours ago. No legs comes in an hes bouncin off the walls and knockin people all over and Wally tries to takeim outside and Mike is blitherin about the Nuns and arithmetic—they all start chuckling and nodding their heads -You know, when he goes off he goes off. He dont know nobody.

Yeah you aint kiddin. Hes really fuckin crazy when hes bombed.

So he suddenly grabs Wallys thumb and just bends it back, real quick, and you could hear it snap a block away.

It was really weird because he looked like he was pushin down on a lever or somethin. I mean you could see that he didnt know what he was doin.

Or who Wally was. Just a quick snap. And he just walks out and Wally and Matt and Artie are staring at Wallys thumb, an then everybody in the joint is staring at it until Bob pours him a good stiff shot and after he drinks it Wally almost falls on his ass. He grabs his wrist and starts rockin back and forth and Matty runs out and grabs a cab and they went down to the emergency.

I guess it wasnt too crowded, they got back pretty fast. At least for that joint.

Yeah, well its early yet. The night is young. And youre so beautiful. Kelly pinched Larrys cheek and they all chuckled and reached for their beers.