25. Stan and Brenda -
live together in Flat 2A. Brenda's mother at first thinks her daughter is just wanting to be independent. But even when she finds out about Stan she does not disapprove: He will be a gem of a son-in-law, she is thinking, and she is assured by Brenda that Brenda's maidenhead is intact and will remain intact till marriage. This may puzzle a reader today when girls lose virginity carelessly, on first dates. The actual strength of the idea is scientific. It is not the old, traditional idea that being intact means being good. One does not just mindlessly allow something one is born with to be lost for someone else's pleasure. And cherishing one's virginity will lead to less unhappy morning-after surprises. As may be shown in Brenda and Stan's relationship, the pleasure of sex may progress without a maiden losing her head.
Stan has doctor-in-clinic hours from 10 AM and his first patient is Joseph Provenzano, the Joe Pro.
"Doc I'm feelin' great since my surgery. What'd yo' put in my head? I got a case a da smarts now?" Before Stan can answer, Joe Pro exclaims. "Howzabout fishin' wit' me off Montauk Point, Sunday? My treat!"
Stan says Yes.
26. To Catch a Fish
Joe Pro rings up to the Flat 2A from downstairs, 4 AM Sunday, and takes 2 steps at a time and in 2-3-4 is at the door and meets Brenda. She is impressed by his trim torso, very well proportioned, as she can very well see through his open windbreaker and white tank-top shirt, and also by his athletic waist.
Downstairs is Joe Pro's 1936 Packard coupe he calls Betsy.
A 1936 new Packard coupe.
Brenda gets in first, as Joe pulls the backrest for her; he indicates Stan sit in front on his right.
"Cos' me a hundred bucks right after Pearl Harbor from a rich guy who went gung ho an' joina Marines t'kill Japs,"
Joe turns the ignition key and the engine starts with low-pitched rumble. "What action ! Just got a tune up an' clutch job !" He moves the stick shift on the inside of the steering wheel toward himself and downwards, letting up the floor clutch-pedal with his right foot and giving gas by downward pressure with his left. Betsy smoothly moves forward, away from the curb and Joe shifts into 2nd; then pushes the shift stick up, high as it will go, and, gives gas to accelerate Betsy to 15 miles per hour as it gets onto the Parkway; and then he shifts into 3rd by straight downwards pull of the stick and goes into cruising speed.
Montauk Point is at east tip of Long Island. Joe, driving down from North Bronx, crosses the East Bay by bridge onto the Queens part of Long Island and, after an hour, Betsy is on Sunrise Highway heading east into the brightening horizon. The straight route on a smooth road is sleep-inducing, and Brenda dozes. Stan, being a neurologist alert to the brain's sleep system, suggests, after 2 hours, a stop for coffee and he will take over driving.
At the stop, Stan has only black coffee while Brenda and Joe order: Joe tells the counterman
"Gimee hash patatas. Fry 'em brown. An' a two-egg omelet wit' sausages an' ham on a side, an' toast an' buttah - not margarine but buttah!" Joe chug-a-lugs his coffee. "Down a hatch. Gimee one mo', Chef !" Brenda orders daintily, thinking to keep her swell svelte figure from swelling: "I'll have toast and tea,"
During the remaining 2 hours to Montauk, Joe sitting with Brenda in back tells about himself.
Age 30, born in Italy, son of a soldier in the war with Austria, and his mother a 16-year-old poor farmer's 10th daughter. They came to New York City because Joe's father became disillusioned when the dictator Mussolini broke with D'Annunzio and allied Italy with Hitler.
Another child was born shortly after, in New York, Joe's small sister Anne-Marie who is retarded and then Joe's father deserted the family, making Joe sole support of a non English speaking immigrant mother and a retarded little girl. That's why he dropped out of high school and how he avoided being drafted into the Army in 1941 for World War 2.
It is a little after 7:30 AM and Betsy is parked before a dock in Montauk. Joe leads them aboard a small, not very new boat on whose side is painted The Olga in black. A middle-aged light-colored man in sea-captain hat waves them aboard saying "Be careful walkin' the plank." To the unshaven first mate, he shouts, "Hey, Carl! Give the young lady a hand." The mate assists Brenda along a narrow step-way between dock and on to The Olga with a downside view of oil-slicked water beneath.
The sun is rising dead ahead as Cap, which is what everyone calls him, sits in his small cabin and feeds gas by hand control into the boat's engine, Brenda sitting on his right. On deck, Stan, Joe and the mate get the fishing tackle ready. Joe starts off with a 100-dollar bill to Cap for the day.
Cap says to Brenda. "First, we go for some big boys - tuna fish." He glances at the sky. "Beautiful day, Miss - uh - you a Miss ain't you?"
"Yes, Cap, that's my guy." She points at Stan who is sitting with Joe on the ledge that is part of the rear middle of the boat and borders the deck walkway on the railing.
"Ever run a boat, Miss?"
"No."
"Here!" He stands and indicates they should change places. "S'easy. You want to speed up, just pull out the throttle." He points to a knob on a thin cylinder coming out of the control board below on his left. "And steering is like a car. Not as quick action but you don't really need it. Mind if I smoke?"
"Not at all Cap."
"The Coast Guard pays me to search the waters for German submarines. So I'll do that now and you enjoy yourself. We go straight into the sunrise and get there in 10 minutes." He starts scanning the ocean with binoculars.
The first fishing begins. The tuna fish swim near the surface and the Olga trolls for them from the rear at slow speed. The mate has fitted 3 fishing rods with the bait 5-inch live sardines caught by tail. The rods are spaced at the flat back of the boat and not held individually because the fish are too big and a strike could catapult someone holding the rod into the ocean.
Brenda is sitting in a deck chair drinking a Dr Brown's Celray Soda and, suddenly, a loud snap! Everyone looks. Brenda's rod has broken in half.
"A big boy!" The mate shouts and runs to Brenda and with his gloved hands grabs the line and starts pulling in.
Cap shouts from his top cabin, "Give the lady a feel of the action, Carl!" Brenda has donned heavy gloves as advised and under Carl's close supervision she grabs the jerking line and is thrilled by the fighting action of what seems a gigantic fish. She tires and Joe takes over and then he gives Stan a chance. Finally they get a glimpse of the fish. And Carl who is standing by with a hooked pole to land the fish shouts "It's a shark, snagged by the tail!" As Stan with Joe's help pulls what looks like a 4-foot blunt-nose fish alongside, Carl hooks it in its side and together they pull it onto the deck, flipping and jumping.
"Watch out, it can bite!"Cap shouts. And Carl holds the fish's head down on the deck waiting for Cap, who comes down and bangs a hammer on the fish's head.
At that moment, Brenda decides she does not like fishing.
She goes back with Cap to his cabin. He let's her run the boat again. He scans the surrounding water with his binoculars.
Five minutes have passed.
Cap suddenly says. "Miss, let me take over. He stops the engine and calls. "Carl! I just spotted a swordfish. Get the harpoon."
To Brenda: "A swordfish, Miss. They like to bask near the surface. Can't catch 'em with a hook because mouth too soft and body too heavy so they tear loose. Gotta harpoon 'em."
Everyone watches Carl on the bowsprit crawl face down, in front over the water as the boat moves forward silently. He holds a sharp-tip, arm-length harpoon poised for throw. Close ahead they see barely under water a vague white body flickering from reflected sunlight. The boat is heading for it and as the bowsprit tip passes over it, Carl's right hand comes down in short, sharp jerk releasing the harpoon, which is connected to a rope tied to a big can on the deck. Instantly, the harpoon disappears into the water and its trailing rope shoots forward and down unwinding its deck coil. Now, Carl quickly scrambles back onto the deck and picks up the big can and throws it into the sea.
Cap says "That fish weighs maybe three-hundred pounds and is fulla verve now and if we try an' pull it in it'd tire us out. So we'll do bottom fishing and watch 'im pull the can and when the fish has got tired, we pull 'im in." Turning to Carl, he says, "Good job," and climbs back into his cabin and heads the boat for a bottom fishing spot while the big can pulled by the harpooned swordfish makes big circles on the surface of the sea.
Two hours later they have caught a few flat flounders. The big can meanwhile is making smaller and smaller circles. Now, it is almost not moving - just floating with the tide. Cap toots the boat horn signaling end of the fishing day and heads the boat for the can. As it comes alongside, Carl catches it on his hooked pole. Then they take turns pulling in the gigantic fish, which still has fight left in it. Finally it breaks the surface "Wow!" Brenda shouts at the sight of a 7-foot sword fish. Cap comes down to help Carl and warns Joe and Stan: "One swipe a that sword cuts to bone!" He and Carl pull the fish onto the deck and Carl smashes its head with a hammer.
Brenda says to herself "No more fishing. I hate to see these helpless, harmless animals murdered
By the rules of sport fishing, a harpoon catch belongs to the boat. Cap directs Carl to cut out two 50-pound chunks with choice steaks, one for Stan & Brenda and the other for Joe to take home.
Later as they drive back to the Bronx, she wonders about Joe Pro, thinking He is quite a guy. I wonder if he is teachable - And then a daring addition to her thought - Or touchable.
For next now, click 13.27 Psychoanalysis Explained
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