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gullet," Sharkey said. He slung the jug up over his right arm and drank while pointing to his Adam's apple as it went up and down once.

  Hoey said, "If you drink more than one up and down of the ole' Adam's apple, Sharkey will stick it with his finger!"

  "Sweet Jesus!" Deacon said.

  "That's a hard way to get un-thirsty," Conductor said.

  Doc tried to push Conductor aside saying, "I need a drink!"

  Deacon raised his hands for the jug singing Sweet Jesus, Give a drink to this thirsty soul my belly button is playing tag with my liver and I'm getting' old."

  Sharkey pushed Conductor away saying, |Deacon here got priority seein' its his bottle. Get your chin in the air Bible humper!" And he put the jug to Deaons lips while the index finger pressed on the man's Adam's apple.

  Everyone watched as the Adam's apple went up the unshaven neck and down.

  "My turn! Conductor pushing Doc aside and drank with Sharkey's finger on his throat.

  "Now me!" Doc said. He held the bottle aloft with shaking hands.

  "Ya pig!" Sharkey shouted and jammed his forefinger into Doc's Adam's apple. Doc fell to the ground gasping and spitting wine all over himself. He crawled to the edge of the pier to throw up. Conductor patted his old friend's back while casting a fierce glance at Sharkey, "You going to be sorry about doin' this!"

  The Deacon sang "Sweet Sweet Jesus! You beat the man. Is that God's plan?"

  "Sharkey," Conductor demanded, "you say your sorry to Doc."

  "For what?"

  "For fingerin' his gullet and for callin us Nigger. It’s a bad word."

  ""Shut up old man," Hoey said, "or I'll feed you to the fish!"

  "Conductor," Sharkey sneered, "Conductor your the biggest Nigger here. You wear that paratrooper's patch but you a coward."

  Conductor's chin dropped onto his chest and he shrugged, "The way you talk…Shouldn't talk like that to a man."

  "You ain't no man!" Hoey scoffed.,

  "Conductor," Sharkey said, You’re a gutless wonder. I clap my hands an you piss your pants."

  Doc struggled to get up from the edge of the pier and pointed at Sharkey, "You the culprit! You hit Conductor and punched my gullet and kick the Deacon." He shook his fist at the two big men. "You can't get away with that against no citizen.

  "Stuff it!" Sharkey said.

  Doc shuffled closer saying," Now I apologize" He raised his voice, "I pologize for whatever I done. Give us back the jug, please?" He reached for the jug but Sharkey raised it to his own lips and drank. He handed the wine behind him to Hoey who drank. Sharkey grabbed Doc by his shirt front, "Get on your knees and beg and say please Mr. Sharkey can I have a drink?"

  Doc pointed at Hoey, "He's drinking the whole thing!"

  Sharkey, spun around to see Hoey with the jug upraised drinking as fast as he could. Sharkey punched his fist into Hoey's throat. Hoey gasped spat wine and the jug flew from his hands.

  "Sweet Jesus!" Deacon shouted.

  Conductor, Doc and Sharkey all lunged for the falling jug. The wine bottle flew from one outstretched hand to another and smashed on the ground.

  "OOOOhhhh! Conductor howled.

  It's broke! Doc said and began to cry. He dropped to his knees, patted the red wine puddle with his hands and licked the palms spitting out glass splinters.

  Deacon rising from his cardboard box-like throne, "Sweet Jesus, gave me a sword to fight for the Lord!" He took a fighters stance throwing a series of sharp left jabs, right hooks and upper cuts in combination. He tucked his jaw behind his left shoulder, shuffling forward punching the air. He moved toward the group of four men standing around the shattered jug.

  "Get outa' the way!" Conductor shouted, "Deacon's gone apeshit!"

  "I'll kill the bastard!" Sharkey said and whipped off his own hat and beat Deacon's whose hood fell back revealing a bald headed white man with cauliflower ears, thick, scarred eyebrows and the deepest, bluest, kindest eyes on either side of a nose broken and flattened against his face. Deacon smiled up as Sharkey beat him to his knees. The big black man became arm weary from whipping Deacon who knelt before him hummed, "Use your claw and hit me more. Yes Jesus loves you Dina blow your horn!"

  ""This crazy bastard likes to get hit?" Sharkey said.

  Deacon smiled up into Sharkey's face and sangs, "Oh yes someone's in the kitchen with Dina, Someone's in the kitchen I know. It's Jesu in the kitchen with Dinah playing on his old banjo!"

  "God damn!" Sharkey stopped beating Deacon and leaned over and resting his hands on his knees, gulping the hot air as sweat poured from his face.

  "Who takes the name of the Lord in vain!?" The little black man who roared the challenge appeared from behind the trash pile and fence. The sound of his voice and his size were a mismatch. His voice was far larger than he. He wore an old New York Yankee baseball cap, oversized trench coat, both splotched with pigeon shit. The bottom of his coat brushed the tops of a ragged pair of tennis shoes. They had holes cut in the top of the front so his big toes could curl up and out to freedom.

  Frightened by the loud commanding voice, Sharkey spun around pulling a butcher knife from his belt. He pointed it at the bedraggled figure.

  Who the hell are you? What you want!"

  "I come for the Christmas party," the little man gave a gaped toothed grin and flapped his arms while doing a l dance. He came closer, rolled his eyes and asked, "Is this where I get the Christmas bonus check?"

  Sharkey waved the knife blade glistening in the sun, "Fool I'll check your balls into the river."

  "Don't you ree-cock- a-nize me, Sharkey? I'm the man what am, an the man what can,"

  "Can you ass!" Hoey shouted. "Who the hell are you?"

  "Maybe it's my new Salvation Army suit what got you dis-com-bob –u-lated?" He pirouetted, giggled and tapped his chest saying, "They had a double breasted barf-bag I coulda' wore. But didn't like the cut."

  "I'll cut you asshole to belly button if you don't shut up and get over here "

  "Yes suh! Yes suh! "The little man shuffled forward smiling and nodding his head, "We good people, we do good work, everything's going to be alright."

  "That's Top Shelf!" Conductor said. "He's one of us."

  What you doing out here?" Sharkey demanded.

  Top shelf cocked his head to the side, smiled up at Sharkey and said, "I looking for da commode?"

  "What's a commode?" Hoey demanded.

  "That's the shit house," Sharkey said. He threatened Top shelf with the knife, "Well ain't it?"

  "Yeah suh! I got to go to the commode cause my back teeth are floatin!"

  "You smart ass me," Sharkey growled, "and you'll be floatin' in that river!"

  "You got money!" Hoey demanded.

  "Money?" Top Shelf said. "What's that?"

  "Something to dirnk?" Hoey demanded.

  "My doctor said drinkin' is bad for my sarcophagus."

  "Not hav'in a drink can be worse," Sharkey said. Search the little bastard!"

  Sharkey and Hoey each grabbed an arm and a leg turning Top Shelf upside down and shook him. Toilet paper, a can opener, a yo-yo, comb and pair of soup spoons fell to the ground.

  Hanging upside down top Shel smiled up at the two big men, "Told you! I got no money no nothin'"

  From off the river came a loud metallic voice. "This is the New York Harbor Patrol." A uniformed policeman stood on the bow of a speedboat with a bull horn. "You people on Pier 52. Clear the area. I repeat leave the area immediately."

  "Who's that?" Hoey asked.

  "Police-boat on the river," Doc said.

  Lets get the hell outa' here," Sharkey said. They dropped Top Shelf on his head and ran off to disappear in the shadows between the warehouses."

  Top Shelf watched Sharkey and Hoey running away, "I'm glad we got rid of those two low-life's. They nearly shook my brains out.

  "Sweet Jesus," Deacon sang.

  "Not yet," Doc said, "It's the cops."

  "What about the policeman's navy?" Conductor pointed
to the boat on the river holding its place against the swift current.

  "Follow me!" Top Shelf said and led the group behind the fence and trash pile. When deacon dragged his box behind the fence all four men lay on the trash peering through the broken slats at the Police boat.

  "Those policemen don't threaten us like that in the winter." Top Shelf said. "They know we lookin' for a dry jail cell wit hot food."

  I'm glad that Sharkey's gone," Conductor said "He spit on me."

  "Sweet Jesus!" Deacon sang.

  "Yeah, he's a mean masturbator," Conductor said

  Deacon raised his fists to threaten Conductor.

  "Quiet there," Doc said patting Deacon's broad shoulder. Conductor meant Sharkey!"

  "Police boat's gone," Top shelf said. "You fellas come out and we catch the river breeze." He pointed to the broken jug and puddle of wine at the end of the pier drying in the August sun. "How did that happen?"

  Sharkey and Hoey stole our only wine," Doc said. "Then they broke the bottle!"

  "How can God make a human being so un-human," Top Shelf said.

  He makes a lot like that. God don't give a fiddler's damn!" Conductor said.

  Why you three guys drooping so much?" Top shelf said.

  "We're thirsty and its hot."

  Top shelf leads the group to the end of the pier saying, "It's a good thing that Sharkey don't mess wit' me!" He twirls around flaps his arms and throws a couple of weak jabs into the air. "I Walk in close to that big sucker and Whomp him good!" He stops in front of the three, You fella's know I'm half bear and half billy goat. If I don't butt that Sharkey to hell, I hug him to death."

  "I iintended doin' that," Conductor said. "Somethin' got in the way.

  "Top Shelf," Doc said. I've been wathcin' your tongue flappin' all these nice words. Your tongue ain't white an