He Nodded I Guess Yeah He Nodded Again
The Last Spin
by Evan Hunter (1926-2005)
Guess Word Count: 2901
The boy sitting opposite him was his enemy.
The male child sitting opposite him was called Tigo, and he wore a green silk jacket with an orange stripe on each sleeve. The jacket told Danny that Tigo was his enemy. The jacket shrieked, "Enemy, enemy!"
"This is a good slice," Tigo said, indicating the gun on the table." This runs you lot close to 40-five bucks, you endeavour to buy it in a store. That'due south a lot of money."
The gun on the table was a Smith & Wesson .38 Police Special.
It rested exactly in the middle of the table, its sawed-off, two-inch barrel abruptly terminating the otherwise lethal grace of the weapon. There was a checked walnut stock on the gun, and the gun was finished in a flat blue. Alongside the gun were three .38 Special cartridges.
Danny looked at the gun disinterestedly. He was nervous and apprehensive, but he kept tight command of his face. He could not testify Tigo what he was feeling. Tigo was the enemy, and then he presented a mask to the enemy, cocking one eyebrow and saying, "I seen pieces earlier. There'due south cipher special about this one." "Except what we got to exercise with it," Tigo said. Tigo was studying him with large brownish eyes. The eyes were moist-looking. He was not a bad-looking child, Tigo, with thick black pilus and possibly nose that was also long, but his oral cavity and mentum were good. You could usually tell a cat by his mouth and his chin. Tigo would not turkey out of this particular rumble. Of that, Danny was sure. "Why don't we start?" Danny asked. He moisture his lips and looked beyond at Tigo.
"You lot understand," Tigo said, "I got no bad blood for y'all." "I sympathise."
"This is what the gild said. This is how the club said we should settle it. Without a big street diddlebop, you lot dig? Only I want you to know I don't know you from a hole in the wall-except you lot vesture a blueish and gold jacket."
"And yous vesture a green and orange one," Danny said," and that'due south enough for me."
"Sure, just what I was trying to say..."
"Nosotros going to sit and talk all night, or we going to get this affair rolling?" Danny asked.
"What I'm tryin to say," Tigo went on, "is that I just happened to be picked for this, y'all know? Similar to settle this thing that'southward betwixt the two clubs I hateful, y'all got to acknowledge your boys shouldn't take come in our territory final dark."
"I got to acknowledge nothing," Danny said flatly.
"Well, anyhow, they shot at the candy store. That wasn't correct. There'south supposed to exist a truce on."
"Okay, okay," Danny said.
"So like... like this is the mode we agreed to settle it. I mean, i of us and... and ane of you. Fair and square. Without any street boppin', and without any law trouble."
"Permit's get on with it," Danny said.
"I'yard trying to say, I never even seen you on the street before this. So this own't nothin' personal with me. Whichever way it turns out, like..."
"I never seen you neither," Danny said.
Tigo stared at him for a long fourth dimension. "That'south cause yous're new around here. Where you from originally?"
"My people come downwards from the Bronx."
"You got a big family?"
"A sister and two brothers, that'south all."
"Yes, I only got a sister." Tigo shrugged. "Well." He sighed. "So." He sighed again. "Permit'southward make information technology, huh?"
"I'g waitin'," Danny said.
Tigo picked up the gun, and and then he took one of the cartridges from the table top. He broke open the gun, slid the cartridge into the cylinder, and and then snapped the gun shut and twirled the cylinder. "Round and round she goes," he said, "and where she stops, nobody knows. In that location's six chambers in the cylinder and only one cartridge. That makes the odds five-to-one that the cartridge'll be in firing position when the cylinder stops whirling. You dig?"
"I dig."
"I'll go first," Tigo said.
Danny looked at him suspiciously. "Why?"
"You want to go first?"
"I don't know."
"I'm giving you a break." Tigo grinned. "I may blow my head off get-go time out."
"Why you giving me a break?" Danny asked.
Tigo shrugged. "What the hell'southward the difference?" He gave the cylinder a fast twirl.
"The Russians invented this, huh?" Danny asked.
"Yeah."
"I always said they was crazy bastards."
"Yeah, I always..." Tigo stopped talking. The cylinder was stopped now. He took a deep breath, put the barrel of the .38 to his temple, and so squeezed the trigger.
The firing pin clicked on an empty chamber.
"Well, that was easy, wasn't it?" he asked. He shoved the gun across the table. "Your plow, Danny."
Danny reached for the gun. It was cold in the basement room, but he was sweating now. He pulled the gun toward him, then left it on the tabular array while he dried his palms on his trousers. He picked up the gun and then and stared at it.
"It's a not bad piece," Tigo said. "I like a good slice."
"Yeah, I practise too," Danny said. "You can tell a good piece just past the mode information technology feels in your hand."
Tigo looked surprised. "I mentioned that to ane of the guys yesterday, and he thought I was nuts.
"Lots of guys don't know about pieces," Danny said, shrugging. "I was thinking," Tigo, said, "when I go old enough, I'll join the Ground forces, you know? I'd like to work around pieces."
"I thought of that, too. I'd join now just my onetime lady won't requite me permission. She's got to sign if I bring together now."
"Aye, they're yet," Tigo said smile. "Your erstwhile lady born here or the old country?"
"The old country," Danny said.
"Yeah, well yous know they got these old-fashioned ideas."
"I better spin," Danny said.
"Yeah," Tigo agreed.
Danny slapped the cylinder with his left hand. The cylinder whirled, whirled, and then stopped. Slowly, Danny put the gun to his caput. He wanted to close his optics, but he didn't dare. Tigo, the enemy, was watching him. He returned Tigo'southward stare, and then he squeezed the trigger.
His heart skipped a beat, and and then over the roar of his claret he heard the empty click. Hastily, he put the gun downwards on the tabular array.
"Makes y'all sweat, don't information technology?" Tigo said.
Danny nodded, saying nil. He watched Tigo. Tigo was looking at the gun.
"Me at present, huh?" Tigo said. He took a deep breath, then picked up the .38. He twirled the cylinder, waited for it to cease, and then put the gun to his head.
"Bang!" Tigo said, and then he squeezed the trigger. Again the firing pin clicked on an empty chamber. Tigo let out his breath and put the gun down.
"I thought I was dead that time," he said.
"I could hear the harps," Danny said.
"This is a good style to lose weight, you know that?" Tigo laughed nervously, and then his laugh became honest when he saw Danny was laughing with him. "Own't information technology the truth?" You could lose ten pounds this way."
"My one-time lady's similar a business firm," Danny said laughing. "She ought to try this kind of a diet." He laughed at his own humor, pleased when Tigo joined him.
"That's the problem," Tigo said. "Yous see a nice deb in the street, you call up it's crazy, you know? And then they get to exist our people'southward age, and they turn to fat." He shook his head.
"Yous got a chick?" Danny asked.
"Yeah, I got i."
"What's her name?"
"Aw, you don't know her."
"Mayhap I do," Danny said.
"Her name is Juana." Tigo watched him. "She'southward well-nigh five-two, got these dark-brown eyes..."
"I think I know her," Danny said. He nodded. "Yeah, I retrieve I know her."
"She's dainty, ain't she?" Tigo asked. He leaned forward, equally if Danny's reply was of great importance to him.
"Yeah she'southward nice," Danny said.
"Yeah. Hey peradventure erstwhile we could..." Tigo cutting himself brusque. He looked down at the gun, and his sudden enthusiasm seemed to ebb completely. "It'south you turn," he said.
"Hither goes nothing," Danny said. He twirled the cylinder, sucked in his breath, and then fired.
The emptily click was loud in the stillness of the room.
"Man!" Danny said.
"We're pretty lucky, you know?" Tigo said.
"And then far."
"We better lower the odds. The boys won't similar information technology if we..." He stopped himself again, and then reached for one of the cartridges on the tabular array. He bankrupt open the gun once again, slipped in the second cartridge into the cylinder. "Now we got 2 cartridges in here," he said. "Two cartridges, six chambers. That's four-to-two. Split it, and you lot go two-to-ii." He paused. "You game?"
"That's... that's what nosotros're hither for, ain't it?"
"Sure."
"Okay then."
"Gone," Tigo said, nodding his head. "Yous got backbone, Danny."
"Y'all're the one needs the courage," Danny said gently. "Information technology's your spin."
"Tigo lifted the gun. Idly, he began spinning the cylinder.
"Y'all live on the adjacent block, don't you?" Danny asked.
"Yes." Tigo kept slapping the cylinder. It spun with a gently whirring sound.
"That's how come nosotros never crossed paths, I guess. Also, I'm new on the scene."
"Yep, well you know, y'all get hooked up with one club, that'due south the way information technology is."
"Yous like the guys on you gild?" Danny asked, wondering why he was request such a stupid question, listening to the whirring of the cylinder at the same time.
"They're okay." Tigo shrugged. "None of them really transport me, merely that'southward the club on my block, so what're y'all gonna do, huh?" His mitt left the cylinder. It stopped spinning. He put the gun to his head.
"Await!" Danny said.
Tigo looked puzzled. "What's the matter?"
"Nothing. I just wanted to say... I hateful..." Danny frowned. "I don't dig too many of the guys on my society, either."
Tigo nodded. For a moment, their optics locked. Then Tigo shrugged, and fired.
The empty click filled the basement room.
"Phew," Tigo said.
"Man, you can say that again."
Tigo slid the gun across the tabular array.
Danny hesitated an instant. He did not desire to selection upwardly the gun. He felt certain that this fourth dimension the firing pin would strike the percussion cap of one of the cartridges. He was sure that this time he would shoot himself.
"Sometimes I think I'm turkey," he said to Tigo, surprised that his thoughts had found phonation.
"I feel that way sometimes, as well," Tigo said.
"I never told that to nobody," Danny said. "The guys on my club would laugh at me, I ever told them that."
"Some things y'all got to keep to yourself. In that location own't nobody you can trust in this world."
"There should be somebody you can trust," Danny said. "Hell, you tin can't tell goose egg to your people. They don't understand." Tigo laughed. "That's an old story. But that's the way things are. What're you gonna do?"
"Yes. Nonetheless, sometimes I think I'm turkey."
"Sure, sure," Tigo said. "It ain't only that, though. Like sometimes... well, don't you wonder what you lot're doing stomping some guy in the street? Like ... y'all know what I mean? Like ... who's the guy to you? What you got to beat out him up for? 'Cause he messed with somebody else'south girl?" Tigo shook his head. "Information technology gets complicated sometimes."
"Yeah, but ..." Danny frowned over again. "You got to stick with the club. Don't y'all?"
"Sure, sure ... hell yes." Again, their optics locked.
"Well, hither goes." Danny said. He lifted the gun. "It's just ..." He shook his head, and then twirled the cylinder. The cylinder spun, and then stopped. He studied the gun, wondering if one of the cartridges would roar from the barrel when he squeezed the trigger.
And then he fired.
Click.
"I didn't think you was going through with it," Tigo said.
"I didn't neither."
"You got heart, Danny," Tigo said. He looked at the gun. He picked it upwardly and broke information technology open.
"What you doing?" Danny asked.
"Another cartridge," Tigo said. "Six chambers, three cartridges. That makes it even money. Yous game?"
"You?" "The boys said... " Tigo stopped talking. "Yeah, I'thou game," he added, his voice curiously low.
"It's your turn, you lot know."
"I know," Danny watched as Tigo picked up the gun.
"You ever been rowboating on the lake?"
Tigo looked across the table at Danny, his optics wide. "One time," he said. "I went with Juana."
"Is it ... is information technology any kicks?"
"Yep. Yeah, its grand kicks. You hateful you never been?"
"No," Danny said.
"Hey, yous got to tryin, human being," Tigo said excitedly. "Y'all'll like it. Hey, you effort it."
"Aye, I was thinking maybe this Lord's day I'd ... " He did non complete the judgement.
"My spin," Tigo said wearily. He twirled the cylinder. "Hither goes a skilful human," he said, and he put the revolver to his head and squeezed the trigger.
Click.
Danny smiled nervously. "No balance for the weary," he said. "Merely Jesus you lot've got the heart. I don't know if I tin go through with it."
Sure, you tin can," Tigo bodacious him. "Heed, what's there to be afraid of?" He slid the gun across the tabular array.
"We keep this up all dark?" Danny asked.
"They said ... you know ... "
"Well, information technology own't then bad. I mean, hell, we didn't take this performance, we wouldn'ta got a chance to talk, huh?" He grinned feebly.
"Yeah," Tigo said, his face splitting in a wide grin. "It ain't been then bad, huh?"
"No, it'southward been ... well, you know, these guys on the guild, who can talk to them?"
He picked up the gun. "Nosotros could ..." Tigo started.
"What?"
"We could say ... well ... like we kept shootin' an' cipher happened, so ..." Tigo shrugged. "What the hell! We tin can't do this all night, tin can we?"
"I don't know."
"Let's make this the last spin. Heed, they don't like it, they tin can have a flight leap, y'all know?"
"I don't remember they'll like it. We're supposed to settle this for the clubs."
"Screw the clubs!" Tigo said. "Can't we pick our own ..." The word was hard coming. When it came, his eyes did not leave Danny'due south face. "... friends?"
"Sure we can," Danny said vehemently. "Certain we can! Why not?"
"The final spin," Tigo said. "Come on, the last spin."
"Gone," Danny said. "Hey you know, I'm glad they got this idea. You know that? I'm actually glad!" He twirled the cylinder. "Look, yous want to go on the lake this Sun? I mean with your girl and mine? Nosotros could get two boats. Or fifty-fifty one if you want." "Aye, one boat," Tigo Said. "Hey, your daughter'll similar Juana, I hateful it. She's a neat chick."
The cylinder stopped. Danny put the gun to his head chop-chop.
"Hither's to Sunday," he said. He grinned at Tigo, and Tigo grinned back, and and so Danny fired.
The explosion rocked the modest basement room, ripping away half of Danny's head, shattering his confront. A small cry escaped Tigo's throat, and a look of incredulous stupor knifed his eyes. And then he put his head on the table and began weeping.
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