In New York in late December, Jack Walker makes a phone call. "Hi, Uncle Lew, it's Jack. When can we get together?"
“We can’t. I’m too busy with the play. Didn’t Cliff tell you?”
“No, he’s too involved with his new chick.”
Lew knows better. “Look, Jack, I got a room for you if you want it. It’s not the Waldorf, but it’s clean.”
“I’ll take it.”
Lew gives him the address and hangs up.
Two days later, Lew gets a call from the police who inform him that Jack has been arrested.
“What did he do?”
“Your nephew was drunk and assaulted a young woman at the 422 Club on the West Side. He damn near wrecked the place before we got there.”
“Anyone hurt?”
“The woman was roughed up a bit, but she seems all right. We’ve booked the guy on assault, and the manager plans to press damages. What do you want us to do with him?”
“Keep him on ice until I can contact his father, who lives in Virginia. Give me your name and precinct and I’ll have him call you.”
Lew wrote down the information and hung up. He explains the problem to Phil and says, “Hell, I don’t know his father’s phone number. I’ll have to call Cliff.”
When Cliff answers his office phone, Lew says, “We’ve got a problem, big brother. Young Jack’s in jail.”
“That’s just what you need. Tell me about it.”
Lew gives Cliff the details and asks him to call Matt. “It’s his son and his problem. Even if I bail the kid out of jail, I don’t know what to do with him.”
“Nothing, Lew. I’ll tell Matt to handle it.”
“Thanks, Cliff. Let me know what he decides to do.”
Cliff hangs up the phone and looks up Matt’s number. This is one call he doesn’t want to make. He knows that Matt will be outraged and put the blame on him or Lew. Young Jack can do no wrong. Cliff slaps his desk and says, “Why did I ever agree to help the kid?” He picks up the phone again and calls his older brother.
“Matt, it’s Cliff. Brace yourself for some bad news. Jack is in a New York jail and needs your help.”
“Jesus, what happened?”
Cliff describes the problem and gives Matt the arresting officer’s name and phone number.
“What am I supposed to do?”
“Get Jack out of jail and back home.”
“I thought you and Lew were going to take care of him.”
“We tried, but the kid has refused to listen to us. If I were you, I’d fly to New York today and talk to your son.”
“Why don’t you and Lew do something?”
“Lew is busy with his play and can’t take time to get involved. Even if he did get Jack out of jail, what then? He can’t spend his nights trying to chase down the kid in all those New York bars. Matt, the best thing is for you to fly to New York, bail Jack out of jail and take him home--that is, if the police will permit him to leave town.”
“You do it, Cliff. You know how to handle these things.”
“No.”
“I can’t do it alone.”
“Then take Art or Frank with you, and maybe a lawyer.”
“Good idea. And Cliff?”
“Yeah.”
“Don’t ever ask me for a favor, you bastard.”
Cliff hangs up the phone, takes a minute to cool down, then calls Lew to tell him the results of his call to Matt.
“The guy is scared.”
“I guess so, with his son hundreds of miles away in a Yankee jail. Should I try to bail him out?”
“What would you do with him?”
“Good question, no answer.”
“Stay out of it, Lew. If either of us is going to get involved, let it be me. But first, let’s see what Matt does.”
“Right, Cliff. We’ll wait, but I don’t feel good about it.”
“Me either.”
On the morning of New Year’s Eve, Matt’s attorney calls a lawyer friend in New York, who bails Jack out of jail with the instructions to keep him in the city until he appears before the court. Jack immediately skips town.
At ten o’clock New Year’s Eve, Cliff and Marie arrive at his Mount Adams home to be greeted by Sally and Judd.
Sally says, “Cheer up, Dad. You look like bad news.”
Cliff, daring not to tell his daughter about Jack, says, “Blame it on the traffic .”
“Well, on a night like this, all the crazies are on the road.”
“Yeah, it’s good to be home. Sally, meet Marie Manning.”
“Welcome, Marie.”
“Thanks, Sally, I’ve been waiting for this moment a long time.”
“Me, too. You’re even more beautiful than I expected. Dad always did have good taste in women.”
“Thanks again. I see that Cliff has good taste in daughters too.”
“Hey,” says Judd. “Isn’t anyone going to introduce me?”
Sally laughs. “Marie meet Judd Willoughby, the love of my life.”
“Glad to meet you, Marie.”
“Ok,” says Cliff. “Now that everybody knows everybody, let’s get on with the party. I’m thirsty.”
“Right,” says Judd. “What’ll you have, Marie?”
“Martini, please.”
“And scotch for Cliff.”
When Judd goes to the kitchen to fix the drinks, Sally says, “Excuse me while I make a quick phone call to San Francisco. I want to wish Mom an early Happy New Years before she goes out.” She walks to the den.
Marie says, “Everything is going well so far.”
“Of course,” says Cliff. He kisses her just as Judd returns with the drinks.
“Sorry to interrupt.”
Cliff takes his scotch and hands the martini to Marie. “Cheers, dear.”
“You promised not to call me that again.”
He blows her a kiss. “It slipped my mind, sweetheart.”
“What mind?” To Judd she says, “Cliff tells me that you and he are doing a book together.”
“Yes, though I had to talk him into it.”
“Not exactly true ,” says Cliff. “He’s doing the work. I’m going along for the ride.”
“That’s not true , either,” says Sally as she returns to the living room. “Dad supplied most of the research.”
“Sally’s right,” says Judd. “All I have to do is string the words together and we’ve got a best-seller.”
“Dream on, young man,” says Cliff.
“Dad is too modest.”
Marie laughs. “I never noticed.”
“Let’s talk about something else,” says Cliff.
“Yes, let’s talk about you and Marie. How long have you known each other?
Where did you meet? When are you getting married?”
“Hey, Sally, not so fast. We have to remove one or two hurdles first.”
“Don’t worry about Mom. I just told her about Marie and she approves. I asked her to attend the wedding.”
“What was her reply?”
“She said she’d be glad to come to the wedding, but that she’d skip the opening of Lew’s play.”
“What wedding?” says Marie. “You father hasn’t asked me yet.”
“Well, Dad?”
“Let’s have another drink."
"You're a fast drinker tonight," says Sally.
"Well, it's almost 1972."
“What a wonderful time to propose.”
“Sally, will you and Judd go fix the drinks, please?”
Sally pulls Judd toward the kitchen.
“I didn’t expect this,” says Marie.
“Me either, but a lot of things have happened this week I didn’t expect.”
“So, Cliff, what are you going to do?”
“I’d like to go back to your place and welcome the new year properly.”
“Me too, but first things first.”
“I don’t have a ring.”
“Dad, I was kidding,” says Sally as she returns with the drinks. “I’m sorry if I embarrassed Marie.”
“Don’t worry about me, Kiddo. Your father is the one who’s squirming.”
“Oh, the hell with it. Marie, shall we get married?”
“It took you long enough to ask. Kiss me, it‘s midnight.”
“Happy New Year, Sweetheart.”
Sally runs from the room, apparently in tears.
“I’ll go see what’s wrong,” says Judd.
“No, I’ll go.”
Cliff follows Sally to her bedroom where he finds her on the bed sobbing.
“Don’t cry, Sal. You know I’d never do anything to hurt you.”
“It’s not me I’m crying about. It’s Mom.”
“But I thought your mother said the marriage was a good idea.”
“She did, but I don’t believe her.”
“Why not?”
“She was crying when she said it.”
“Happy New Year.”
On the drive to Marie’s condo, Cliff pulls over to the side of the road and takes Marie in his arms.
“I do want to marry you, Marie.”
“But there’s a problem?”
“Yes, Sally.”
“She hates me.”
“No, she loves her mother.”
“But she said her mother approves of the marriage.”
“Sally doesn’t believe her.”
“Do you?”
“I don’t know, but it doesn’t matter.”
“What about Sally?”
“I’ll make her understand.”
“Be gentle with her.”
“I always am.”
Marie kisses him and he begins to unbutton her coat.
“Hold that thought, Tiger, until we get home.”
“Let’s not waste a minute.” For the first time in days, Cliff had erased young Jack Walker from his mind.
