Lost In Yonkers

Grandma enters. She is elderly, imposing, and German, exuding authority and discipline. She issues a stiff greeting to Jay and Arty, criticizing Jay for his recent tears because boys, she says, “shouldn’t cry.” Under her questioning, Arty explains that his brother is more academic, while he is an athlete. They boys try to flatter their grandmother when she asks why they want to stay with her. When Arty says there is nowhere else for them to go, Grandma jumps into a speech expressing her displeasure at the prospect of their living with her. She is not a talkative person, she says, and she works hard every day. She knows the boys will not be happy in her home. Grandma blames the boys’ mother for her poor relationship with Eddie and for rarely bringing them to visit. She criticizes Eddie for crying during their discussion in the bedroom, saying that she has suffered a great deal but never allowed herself to cry. Finally, she announces that the boys may not stay with her. Grandma sends Bella to fetch ice cream for them. After that, Grandma says, Bella will need to massage her legs.

Eddie admits that he is weak but defends his dead wife, Evelyn. He claims Evelyn taught Eddie and the boys to be loving and caring. He apologizes for not bringing the boys to visit but suggests he was afraid she would corrupt them as she corrupted him and his siblings. As the trio prepare to leave, Bella talks to them as though they are going to stay. The others realize that she has not understood the discussion and try to explain that Grandma has refused the boys. Bella does not accept this, insisting that she and the boys will have “such fun.” When Grandma insists the boys cannot stay, Bella threatens to move to a home for people with disabilities. The others are shocked, but Bella smiles excitedly.

Some time later, the boys open a letter from their father as a train rattles by. Eddie reads the letter in a voice-over, explaining that he is traveling across the United States as part of his job. He misses home, especially the food, and has developed a heart condition. A doctor has advised him against traveling, but he needs to earn money to repay his debt. Concerned for his health, Arty and Jay plan ways to make money on their father’s behalf.

Bella enters, and Grandma appears, telling Bella off for her tardiness and for spending too much time at the movie theater. Grandma orders Bella to throw away her film magazine, and after doing so, Bella flees to her bedroom. Grandma tells the boys to turn out the light and retires to her own bedroom.

Later, the boys receive another letter, in which Eddie mentions that he has had to take a week off but insists he will make up the time. Alone in the apartment, Arty amuses himself while Jay stares out the window. He spots a black Studebaker parked in front of the building. Arty says the two men inside must be searching for Uncle Louie. Bella bursts into the room, claiming she has a secret to share. She explains that she wants to marry Johnny, an usher at the movie theater who also has “trouble learning things” (47). Together, Bella says, they hope to open a restaurant. All they need is $5,000. Bella hints that Grandma may have as much as $15,000 hidden but would never give it to Bella. The boys are surprised, and Bella swears the boys to secrecy. She tells them she plans to name her restaurant La Bella Johnnie (Italian for “The Beautiful Johnny”). She exits, and Jay tells his brother they should find the money and borrow $9,000 for their father.

Eddie’s next letter praises the politeness of the South, though Eddie writes that not everyone is as mannered and as educated as he would like them to be. At midnight, Jay and Arty search Grandma’s candy store for the hidden money. Arty urges Jay to return to bed when Uncle Louie walks in. Louie greets the boys warmly, noting that the boys have broken into the candy store as he and Eddie did when they were young. Confessing to a love of danger, Louie says that each time that he and Eddie stole candy, Eddie became so remorseful that he cried, while Louie had no such guilt. Strangely, Grandma noted and appreciated Louie’s lack of remorse, as it showed he would be able to take care of himself. Louie shares his plans to stay at Grandma’s apartment while his own home is being repainted. He takes off his jacket, revealing that he is carrying a gun, which captivates the boys. Louie briefly claims the gun belongs to a friend before admitting it is his and claiming to be a bodyguard for a famous politician. Arty suggests that he is a “henchman,” upsetting Louie. Louie offers the boys $5 a week to work for him. Earning their trust with a game that pays both a dollar, he asks if they know how to drive. He uses a magic trick to sneak $5 into Arty’s pocket. The money, he explains, is for them to be quiet. They should tell no one that they have seen him, no matter who asks.

Arty mentions the two men with the Studebaker. One had a broken nose and the other man had a tie decorated with images of Betty Grable. Louie knows them and tells the boys that certain men are angry that he has “been seein’ a lady [he] shouldn’t a been seeing” (60). Louie plans to spend the night at Grandma’s apartment. He goes into the bathroom and tells them not to look in his bag. The boys’ opinions on Uncle Louie are split. Arty likes him, but Jay is worried their father would not approve of these secrets. Bella enters, surprising the boys with a question about what she should say to Grandma. When they do not know, she goes back to bed. Louie returns, planning to spend the night in the boys’ room. He forbids them from using the toilet during the night, as he does not want them to wake him. Once Louie is asleep, Arty tells his brother he needs the bathroom. Jay tells him to hold in his need. In another letter, Eddie writes that he is happy knowing that his boys are “in good hands” (63).