"Fif—fifty-five."

"You're goddamn right." She glowered at them both. "And what am I gonna do with you this summer if you don't gain twenty-five pounds by June?"

"Puh—put mum—me in-na hospital."

"And what do they do to skinny boys in a hospital?" she pushed.

***

Tommy stormed out of the room and a second later the bathroom door slammed. Marie forced out two funnels of smoke from nostrils taut and arched with rage. She dropped her cigarette into her coffee and started clearing the table without looking at either of her sons.

Stony nodded to Albert to get lost. Albert got up, went to his room and turned on some Sunday morning cartoons.

***

Tommy sat on the toilet lost in thought. He thought about Marie and what a vicious cunt she had turned out to be. He thought about cracking her and then remembered what happened the last time he hit her after she kicked his brother, Chubby, out of the house when he burned her coffee table with a cigarette. He remembered coming back from Banion's that night and seeing her feet sticking out of the bathroom into the hallway. At first he thought she was drunk. Then the doctors. The fucking stomach pump. Her goddamn mother (may her soul rest in hell). How many times can you say you're sorry? Tommy thought of Albert. He was so skinny that he made Tommy think of Mahatma Gandhi in those big diapers and sheets, although he wished Marie would lay off the kid once in a while. Stony. Oh, Stony. A son-and-a-half. Thomas Jr. Fuckin' A. He thought about Stony coming in with the electricians. Tommy could swing him in easy. Maybe they could even work the same job. He imagined bringing Stony into the electricians' shanty and introducing him to the guys. Stony'd do great. He was strong as a goddamn bull. Yeah. Stony. Chubby. Fuckin' jibone. Tommy laughed. Jack Palance all right. He remembered the look on Chubby's face last night when he was balling that girl. He looked like Yogi Berra in heat. That girl was a bit all right though.

***

"How come we gotta wear suits?" Stony protested.

"Just do it, awright?" Tommy said.

"Sheezus." Stony almost said shit as he took off his dungarees. "All we doin' is goin' a damn movie."

"We not goin' a damn movie," Tommy mimicked.

"Aw... we goin' visitin'?" Stony groaned.

"Just, just do what I say, hah?" Tommy turned from the door and whistled at his wife, who was wearing a hot pink pantsuit. She ignored him, still pissed off from this morning. As she walked by she laid down a cloud of perfume. Tommy loved heavy perfume. Her face was almost furry with rouge and powder.

"Hey, Marie." Tommy smiled like a little boy and stood before her with his arms extended palms up.

She exhaled heavily through her nostrils, glowered at him and shook her fist in front of his nose. The fight was over.