Ma Belle laughed again.
—You’re even worse than your father.
When everyone was quiet for a moment, Emmett took hold of Duchess by the elbow.
—It’s been nice to meet you all, he said, but Duchess and I need to be going.
—Not so soon, said Charity with a frown.
—I’m afraid we have some people waiting, explained Emmett.
Then he pressed his fingers into the soft spots of Duchess’s joint.
—Ow, said Duchess freeing his elbow. If you were in such a hurry, why didn’t you say so? Just give me a minute to talk with Ma Belle and Charity. Then we can go.
Patting Emmett on the back, Duchess went over to confer with the two women.
—So, said the redhead, you’re off to Tinseltown.
—What’s that? asked Emmett.
—Duchess tells us you’re all going to Hollywood.
Before Emmett could process this news, Duchess turned and slapped his hands.
—Well, ladies, it’s been divine. But the time has come for me and Emmett to hit the road.
—If you must, said Ma Belle. But you can’t leave without having a drink.
Duchess looked from Emmett to Ma Belle.
—I don’t think we have time, Ma.
—Poppycock, she said. Everyone’s got time for a drink. And besides, you can’t head off to California without letting us toast to your good fortune. It’s just not done. Isn’t that right, ladies?
—Yes, a toast! the ladies agreed.
Giving Emmett a shrug of resignation, Duchess went to the bar, popped the cork from a bottle of champagne that was waiting on ice, filled six glasses, and handed them around.
—I don’t want any champagne, Emmett said quietly when Duchess reached him.
—It’s rude not to join in a toast on your behalf, Emmett. And bad luck to boot.
Emmett closed his eyes for a moment, then took the glass.
—First, Ma Belle said, I’d like to thank our friend Duchess for bringing us these lovely bottles of bubbly.
—Hear, hear! cheered the ladies, as Duchess took a bow at every point of the compass.
—It is always bittersweet to lose the company of good friends, continued Ma Belle. But we take heart from the fact that our loss is Hollywood’s gain. In closing, I would like to offer you a few lines from that great Irish poet William Butler Yeats: Through the teeth and over the gums, look out stomach here she comes.
Then Ma Belle emptied her glass at a throw.
The ladies all laughed and emptied theirs. Having little choice, Emmett did the same.
—There, said Duchess with a smile. Was that so bad?
As Charity excused herself from the room, Duchess began going from one woman to the next in order to express a farewell in a predictably wordy fashion.
Given the spirit of the moment, Emmett was trying his best to maintain his composure, but he had nearly run out of patience. To make matters worse, what with all the bodies and cushions and tassels, the room had grown overly warm, and the sweet smell of the women’s cigarettes off-putting.
—Duchess, he said.
—All right, Emmett. I’m just saying my last goodbyes. Why don’t you wait in the hallway, and I’ll be right with you.
Setting down his glass, Emmett gladly retreated into the hallway to wait.
While the cooler air did provide Emmett some relief, the hallway suddenly seemed like it was longer and narrower than it had been before. And that there were more doors too. More doors on his left and more on his right. And though he was looking straight ahead, the arrangement of the doors began to give him a sense of vertigo, as if the axis of the building was being tipped and he might fall the length of the hallway and break through the door at the opposite end.
It must be the champagne, thought Emmett.
Shaking his head, he turned and looked back into the living room, only to see that Duchess was now sitting on the edge of the redhead’s couch, refilling her glass.
—Christ, he said under his breath.
Emmett began walking back toward the living room, prepared, if necessary, to grab Duchess by the scruff of the neck. But before he had taken two steps, Ma Belle appeared on the threshold and began walking in his direction. Given her girth, there was barely enough room for her to fit in the hallway, and certainly not enough room for her to get past Emmett.
—Come on, she said with an impatient wave of the hand. Clear the way.
As she barreled toward him, Emmett, who was backing up, realized that the door to one of the rooms was open, so he stepped inside to let her pass.
But when she came in line with Emmett, rather than continuing down the hall, she paused and shoved him with a fleshy hand. As he stumbled back into the room, she pulled the door shut and Emmett heard the unmistakable sound of a key turning in a lock. Bounding forward, Emmett grabbed the knob and tried the door. When it wouldn’t open, he began banging on it.