a dark and cloudy night down by the docks, with a threat of rain.
a long black oldsmobile came down the street.
johnny stepped back deeper into the doorway.
the driver's eyes flickered briefly under the brim of his chauffeurs hat, then the olds was around the corner.
packy was doing the crossword puzzle in the back seat.
johnny stepped from the shadows, pulled his hat over his eyes and the collar of his cheap coat over his face, and walked across the street to ruby's cafe.
the neon dixie beer sign over the 458 club winked slowly at him.
ruby’s hadn’t changed.
ralph was still behind the counter, reading the same racing form.
maybe the horses had changed, it didn’t look like anything else had.
“help you?” ralph finally asked, after johnny had sat down at the counter and taken his hat off and put it on the stool beside him.
“coffee.”
“ten cents.”
johnny took a dime out of his pocket and put it on the counter.
ralph brought him the coffee, black. there were cream and sugar on the counter.
johnny drank half the cup of black coffee, then filled it up with cream. he didn’t touch the sugar.
ralph ignored johnny, and kept reading the racing form, with his forearms on the counter and the paper spread out in front of him.
that was ralph’s way. the way it had been six years ago, before the war, before johnny was put away in the nuthouse.
“i’ve been here before,” johnny announced.
“oh yeah?” ralph responded.
“i remember you,” johnny said.
“i don’t remember you.”
“i guess you don’t remember a lot of people.”
“i guess i don’t.” ralph turned a page of the racing form.
“some people probably come in here more than others,” johnny observed.
“that’s a fact,” ralph agreed. he had not looked at johnny throughout the whole conversation. “some people come in one time, just passing through, others come in every day. “ he finally looked up at johnny. “that’s just the way it is.”
johnny started to wonder if packy was going to show up.
“does packy still come in here?” johnny asked ralph.
“who?”
“packy. a guy named packy used to come in here.”
“could be. it’s a common name.”
“it’s not that common,” johnny insisted.
“still, there could be more than one guy with that name.”
“this packy always sat in that last booth over there. and he always did the crossword puzzle.”
ralph looked up and stared at johnny. really looked at him for the first time since he came in.
johnny heard the door open behind him and some cold air hit him in the back.
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