The International Writers Magazine: Life Stories

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Canned • Martin Green It was a spring evening in San Francisco in the 1960’s.   Paul Weiss had gone back to his guesthouse room after dinner, intending to work on his resume, but the sight of his cramped room seemed to drain all his energy and instead he went down to what was called the recreation room. This was a room with a few overstuffed chairs scattered around and an old pock-marked ping pong table. Two of the other boarders were playing.  One was a husky fellow named Rudy, handsome in a coarse way, with black hair and brilliant white teeth.The other was a short brown-haired girl, Lois, who was a nurse.

Paul sat in one of the sagging chairs to watch them play.  Rudy looked over his way and said, “You still unemployed?”
 
“Yes,” said Paul.   He’d been fired from his job at an advertising agency two months ago.  He’d moved from his one-bedroom apartment into the guesthouse, a boarding house by another name, as an economy measure.   Guesthouses were popular in San Francisco then; a young man could stay there and get two meals a day as well as a room at a fairly reasonable price.   This guesthouse was in a ramshackle building near Golden Gate Park and had only a dozen or so boarders.   Paul had an idea it wasn’t one of the city’s best, but it was the cheapest he could find.   He’d also found out that there were no secrets in such a place.   He’d never mentioned his unemployed status but everyone knew about it.
 
In due course Rudy won the game.   Paul stood up to play, but Rudy said, “I’ll beat you another time, man.”  He went around the table and, putting his arm around Lois, suggested they go out for a couple of beers.
 "No, thanks," said Lois.
 "Aw, come on, baby," said Rudy, flashing what he undoubtedly thought was an irresistible smile.  "I hit a long-shot at the track today.  Let me show you a good time."
 "I said No," replied Lois, trying to disengage herself. 
 Instead of releasing her, Rudy said, "Hey, I like you spitfire types."
 
Paul normally would have stayed out of such a situation but he found himself advancing toward Rudy, saying, "You heard Lois.  Get your hands off her."  It was funny, he felt strangely reckless.  Would he be doing something like this if he was still a gainfully employed member of society?  Well, for one thing, he wouldn’t be here at this guest house. 
 Rudy turned, with a mildly surprised look.  "Now don't you get mixed up in this," he said to Paul.
 But Paul kept on coming and took a swing, hitting Rudy a glancing blow.  Then he felt something like a sledgehammer hitting him and he was on the floor trying to get his head clear.
 
Lois was kneeling by him and asking him if he was all right.
 
"Sure," said Paul.  "Only the room seems to be going around and around."
"You'd better come with me," said Lois. "Come on, help me get him up," she ordered Rudy. "Okay," said Rudy.
"Look, man, I didn't mean to hit you like that.  It's just that you were coming at me, you know what I mean?"
"You got in a lucky punch," Paul assured him.
 
In her room, Lois made Paul lie down on the bed while she made up an ice pack.  "Here," she told him.  "Put this on your face.  It'll keep the swelling down."
 Paul grimaced as he felt the cold.  "Okay, if you say so."
 "Thanks for coming to my rescue."
 "Well, if I had to come to anybody's rescue I'm glad it was a nurse."
  "How's the job hunt going?   Any prospects?"
 "I have a couple of leads.”
 Lois gave him a searching look.   “Really?”
  “Well, really, I haven't been doing much looking." 

The truth was that he hadn't been doing any looking at all.
 
"Why not?"
  "Well, it's pretty depressing when you've been fired.  They call it being canned, as if you’re a piece of garbage being thrown out.   It makes it hard to get going again."
  "You shouldn't worry about that.  Everyone gets fired sooner or later.  I got fired from my first job.  It was at a soda fountain.  Mr. Hemet said I was giving too much ice cream to my friends."
  "Oh, yeah.  Where are you from?"
  "Nebraska.  Some little town, you never heard of it.  You're from New York, aren't you?"
  "Yeah, the Big Apple.  I came out here to make it on my own.  Now look at me."
  "Come on, don't get down on yourself."  She sat down on the edge of the bed.  She wasn't really a pretty girl but Paul became aware of her nice clean smell and then of her rounded breasts, which had evidently also provoked Rudy.  "Let me have a look at your eye," she said.
 Paul lifted the icepack.  "Wow," she said. "You're going to have a shiner."
  "Great.  Just what I need.  You're a sweet girl, you know."  She was, Paul thought.  There was something about her face, serious with occasionally a little self-deprecating smile, that was appealing.
  "Sure, I'm known for my sweetness all over Nebraska."
  "No, I'm not kidding."  Paul sat up, put one hand on her cheek and kissed her.  She kissed him back, then pushed him away.   “That’s enough for now.   You can go back to your room.   Work on your resume.”
 
    
Paul was walking hand in hand with Lois in Golden Gate Park.  It was a month after the incident with Rudy.  Not many other people were in the park.  It was during the week; she had the day off from her hospital.
"Are you excited?" she asked him.  Paul had an interview at an advertising agency the next day.
  "No, of course not.  It's just a job."
  "Ah, come off it.  You need a job and you know it.  Do you have your new resume ready?"
  "Yes.  Don't worry, I'm all set."  She'd made him revise his resume, telling him he had to brag on himself more, and then had typed it up for him.
  "You're smart and capable and they'll be lucky to get you."
  "Okay, I'll tell them you said so."
  "Don't be funny, this is serious.  And remember, getting fired from your old job wasn't your fault."  She was looking up at him with her earnest little face.  He bent down and kissed her.
   
At dinner, all the other boarders wished him good luck.  Somehow they all knew about his interview.     Afterwards, Lois took Paul back to her room.  "I have something for you," she said. They went inside and Lois gave him a package.  It was a necktie, a too bright red with a florid pattern.
  "Very nice," said Paul.  "Thanks."
  "It's for you to wear at your interview."
  "Sure.  With a tie like this, how can I miss?" 

Luckily, Lois would be leaving early for the hospital the next morning and wouldn't get to see him.
 
"Don't forget . . . "
 "I know.  Be positive."  He moved closer and took her in his arms.  They kissed.  "Can we?" he asked.
 "What?"
 "You know."  He looked toward her bed.  "It would really help for tomorrow."
 "Are you sure?"
 "I'm positive."

 He was interviewed by the head of the media department, a tall, blonde woman in her thirties, attractive and self-assured.  They talked for a while and then she suggested that she show him around the shop.
  "Sure," said Paul, standing up.  He followed her down the hall, admiring her long slender legs.  He didn't know if he'd get this job but he felt confident again.  So what if he'd been fired.  He belonged in a place like this.  The problem was, when he did get a job what was he going to do about Lois. He'd been thinking about this the last few days.  Lois was a great girl and he realized how much she'd done for him.  But he had to face it.  She was a small-town girl who'd barely managed to finish high school.  How could he take her to a cocktail party with the kind of people who worked in advertising?  She didn't read books; she'd never seen a play; she liked trashy movies.  And look at that horrible tie she'd bought him.   Then there were his parents.  What would they say about her.   No, it was impossible.
 

That night he had to tell Lois all about the interview.  "So, what do you think?" she asked him.
  "Well, I think I made a good impression but I don't know.  We'll have to wait and see."
  "I don't know how long I can wait.  Do you want to go to a movie?  Maybe it'll take my mind off it."
  "Well, uh, I don't think so.  I'm kind of tired.  I also have a few letters I have to write."
  "Okay," she said.  "You've had a stressful day.  Get a good night's rest."
 
During the next week Paul tried to gently disengage himself from Lois.  When she wanted him to go back to her room at night, he suggested they go out with some of the other roomers for a couple of beers.  When nobody else was around, he told her he had to do some reading in case he got the job.
 
The day he heard that he did get the job Paul decided he had to tell Lois point-blank.  It wouldn't be fair to her if he didn't.  They were in her room.  "Lois," he began, "I'm really grateful to you but I wonder if we shouldn't stop seeing each other the way we, well, you know, the way we've been seeing each other?"
 
"You got the job, didn't you?"
  "Well, yes.  I just heard today.  I was going to tell you."
  "So now that you're a big-shot adman again you don't think I'm good enough for you."
  "No, that's not it at all."
  "Oh, I know you've been trying to avoid me.  I may not be educated but I'm not stupid."
  "Look, Lois, I . . ."
  "That's all right.  You don't have to explain.  Just go away."
  "But Lois . . ."
 
She picked up a small vase which was on her bedside table and drew her arm back as if she was going to throw it at him.  "Go on, get out of my room.  Now."
 
The next day all the other roomers at the guesthouse gave Paul cold looks, as if he'd done something horrible.  It was the right thing to do, he reassured himself.  It was for her own good.  It would have been dishonest to string her along.  He busied himself with his new job, working late at night to avoid going back to the guesthouse as long as possible.  And he began to make plans to move.  Once he was out of there, he'd forget Lois and she'd forget him.
 
Then one night when he returned late he found Lois and Rudy playing ping-pong in the recreation room.  "Hi," he said to her.  She glanced at him briefly, then resumed playing.  He started to climb the stairs up to his room, then he hesitated and turned around.  The ping-pong game was evidently over because Rudy had come around the table and put his arm around Lois. 
"How about going for a beer?" he asked.
"Sure," she replied.  "Why not?"

Damnit, thought Paul, what's the matter with me?  I can't just throw her away, let her go off with someone like Rudy.  So what if she didn't go to college.  She was worth ten times any girl at the agency.  He went back into the rec room.  "Wait a minute," he said.
 
Rudy looked at him.  "Hey, man, you had your chance with her."
 
"I know.  And I blew it.  Lois, I want another chance.  Please."
"Come on," said Rudy, propelling Lois out of the room.  "Let's go get those beers."
 
Paul grabbed Rudy by the shoulder.  Rudy cocked his fist.  "No," cried Lois, jumping in between them.  "Don't hit him.  Although he deserves it."
"I do deserve it," said Paul.
"What am I going to do with you?" she said.  She stepped into his arms and they kissed.
 Rudy shook his head in disgust.  "Aah, you're both crazy," he said.  "I'm  out of here."
 
After a few minutes, Paul said, "Poor Rudy".
  "Yeah," said Lois.  Then she suddenly drew back her little fist and hit him squarely in the eye.
  "Hey," said Paul.  "Why'd you do that?"
  "Because you deserved it.  Come on, we'll go back to my room and I'll put some ice on it."

©  Martin Green March 7th 2007
mgreensuncity@yahoo.com

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