Babayaga

Oliver, folding up the tinfoil again and putting it away in his pocket.
    “Well, there generally isn’t a lot of talk when a user kicks,” said Red.
    “That’s true too,” said Kelly. “Though word tends to get around to those who need to know. Good time for caution and all that. One other interesting piece of news these days is that lots of people who shouldn’t have any coin at all have been flashing some pretty serious money. I only mention it because I hear they found a whole bundle of franc notes in that window jumper’s wallet. And he was an absolute nobody.”
    “Right,” said Oliver, looking at his watch, “very enlightening. Quite helpful, thank you for your time, gentlemen. If I do get myself hired as a stringer for this story, I will make sure to pass along your cut.” He stopped as if a thought occurred to him. “Also, one other thing: we’re looking for Ned. She been around?”
    The men shook their heads.
    Oliver leaned over and crushed out his cigarette in the bright-orange ashtray. “Well, there’s some money in that for you too, if you can find her.”
    “We’ll ask around,” said Red.
    “Wonderful. Give me a call if you have any luck,” said Oliver, handing Red his calling card. He looked at his watch and hopped up out of the booth. “Oh, you’ll have to excuse me now, I’ve got to find a phone. I’m supposed to call an ex–merchant marine who’s got a duffel full of poetry he wants me to look over. Word is it’s hot stuff. Take your time, Will. I’ll meet you outside in ten minutes.” He tipped his hat and headed toward the service doors.
    Will felt a little uncomfortable being left alone with the three strangers. He didn’t know why. They seemed like perfectly nice men. “How long you been in Paris?” Red asked.
    Will shrugged. “A couple of years.”
    “Quite a while, then. You like it?”
    “Sure. The music is great, the art, you know, there’s a lot to like…” His answer trailed off as he realized it was nothing more than their blackness that was making him uncomfortable. He could have easily talked about how much he enjoyed this town, he could have spelled out the specifics of all the things he loved, from the thyme- and sage-scented smells of the coq au vin that spilled out of so many kitchens to the buzzing sounds of the Vespa scooters whizzing by to the chiming of the bold church bells through the days and nights, all of this had been top of mind of late as his looming departure from the city made him sensitive to how much he adored being here, like a man with a death sentence painfully aware of the final moments of life. But he felt tongue-tied in front of these dark men who sat patiently staring at him, waiting for a response. It wasn’t that he felt superior in any bigoted manner, but rather because in all the time he had spent growing up in Detroit, he never mixed much with its Negro population, sizable though it was. Even when he was out on the town, exploring the different scenes, hanging out at bars and clubs that had a mixed clientele, he still rarely found an occasion to mingle with them. In fact, he realized he had never sat at a table and talked with three Negro men before in his life.
    Flats seemed to sense his nervousness and gave him a reassuring grin. “You know what I like most about this city?”
    “What?” Will asked.
    ‘The tubs,” Flats said.
    “The tubs?” said Kelly.
    “Yeah, the bathtubs,” said Flats. “See, when I was growing up down South, we didn’t have any kind of proper tub or shower or bathroom, we were, you know, what’s the word for it?”
    “Poor,” said Red.
    “That’s right. That’s the word.” Flats smiled. “We were poor. Dirt poor. So I won’t even tell you how we washed up back then. But in the army, they put us in those big shower rooms with all the other men. It was all right, but it was the military, so how good could it be? But now, here, in my little flat, I have got this white Parisian-style tub, and I tell you, it fits me like a glove. I dig getting in there, crouching down and scrubbing in all my nooks and whatnot. I tell you, it keeps me familiar and intimate with every bit of myself. You take a shower, your head is up, far away from everything, lost in the clouds, but down in the tub, man, you know who you are.”
    Red and Kelly both chuckled, Flats grinned, and Will smiled too. Thinking Oliver was probably finished with his call by now, he started to get up to leave, but Red