CHAPTER 10 A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE:
We settled into the little room. "What would you like to drink Baltimore?" I asked.
"That be some real good Scotch there. I don't get a chance to afford that. " Baltimore pointed to the bottle of Cutty Sark. The old man knew his liquor. "Let me pour one for you my friend," I said.
"Thanks sir" Baltimore replied.
"You don't have to call me sir. Just call me Nick, and this is Beverly," I said as we reached for some glasses.
Beverly and I sat at the little table while Baltimore sat on his bed. I poured three Scotches and passed one to Beverly and one to Baltimore.
Beverly began, "So tell me Baltimore, you was the shoeshine boy at the hotel? "
"Yes Ma'am I was just a little boy then," the old man replied.
"Go on Baltimore. Tell us all about it because Nick and I are very interested to know what it was like back then," Beverly encouraged the old man. I sat back in my chair, and I began to listen.
Baltimore began to talk,"Ummm well, I was just a little boy. I never knew my papa, and my mamma she worked in the pleasure house. That's when I remember there was a lot of gentlemen that came around to meet the ladies. They were fine gents in fine clothes and with money. The gents they give me a dollar to shine their shoes. That's when I learned to do the shining. That's the time when my mamma she got sick. Then she died. Some of the ladies at the pleasure house they take care of me. Then one day, they get one of the gents to give me the job at the hotel. They give me this room, and I come and live here. That's when I was eight years old. Those were fine days. This hotel was something then. The gents they come here with their ladies and they have a fine time. Those gents they give me big tips. They send me on little jobs and such. Then that day they give that thing there to me," Baltimore pointed to a wall plaque.
Beverly and I turned to look.
Hanging on the wall was an ornate plaque, which read, "To Baltimore the best shoeshine boy in the land"
It was a square wooden plaque. Its' face was covered by a thin sheet of gold. It was about twelve by twelve and about one inch thick.
"You must have been very good at your job to get that?" Beverly remarked.
"Yes Ma'am I do a good job," Baltimore replied.
"Baltimore, tell me about the gentleman that came here", I asked.
"They was fine gents. Some from the city and some from other places. Most they was rich. Then there was gambling and women too. Booze then was against the law. But they could get those things they wanted. There was music and dancing and lots of good times. Back then nobody talked about it. It was all shush be quiet nobody say nothing. There were all kinds of things that go on here then," Baltimore sipped his drink. "You mentioned about things which went on here? What about the people? Who was the boss here?" I asked.
Baltimore continued to speak, "Oh there was all kinds of things that happened here. The Bosses they were mostly those Italian fellows. They was big shots. They rode around in the big black cars and such. More than one time somebody get in big trouble. There be fights and somebody he get shot. Then nothing happen everything goes back to the same like before. "
"The bosses, do you know their names?" I interrupted.
"Everybody was my boss! I be just around here and I mind my own business. That is why I am still here and they be gone," Baltimore insisted.
I could understand the concern of the old man. The Royal was a bad place to get into trouble considering who ran the place.
"Have another drink my friend," I poured Baltimore another Scotch. "Tell us about some of the things that went on here. I mean some of the wild things. This must have been a wild place. Am I right?" I tried to draw Baltimore out and put him at ease.
"Yes there was that, but I can't say them in front of the lady," Baltimore explained.
"Don't you worry about anything Baltimore. I have heard it all before. You just tell us the whole story and just relax," Beverly said.
The old man finished his drink, and I poured a third Scotch. I was pouring doubles, and Baltimore did not mind. After a while, the old man started to loosen up a bit.
"Why do you want to know about those old days anyhow?" Baltimore asked.
Beverly interjected, "Nick and I are thinking about writing a book about old hotels. During our research, we found this old hotel, and this is why we have come here. "
Baltimore looked at Beverly and smiled, "The book learning I never had much of that, but the ladies at the pleasure house they learned me numbers and reading and to write. They learned me to count the money. They always say, ' Remember Baltimore, it's the money that is important. '. "Baltimore sat back on the headboard of his bed and sipped his Scotch and said, "Well, in those days β¦ "
The old man began to talk. He began to tell us things that you couldn't get out of books. He told us tales of how the rich came to the Royal Hotel to party. He described the men and the women. He described how they dressed and how they drank and had sex in the rooms.
"There was pretty boys, you know those men who don't like women. Umm Then many times men be with other men's wives. A bunch of them go all together in the same room. Some of the men who didn't have a gal, they could get one of the gals from the pleasure house. Oh, I don't even want to remember. It was so bad. That time with my sweetheart. Maybe sometime a gent he get a little crazy and he want to beat up the gal too much. This what happen to my Elly May. Mister Nick it was that time when my Elly May was forced to go with the rich gent. She didn't want to go, but they make her. Elly May she be my gal. She worked in the pleasure house cleaning up and such. The rich gent, he get crazy and Mister Nick he beat my Elly May real bad! I tried to help her, but he tied me up on the chair, and mister Nick he made me watch while the gent he do his crazy thing. "