William Gaddis - A Folic Of His Own

— Yes and if they lose, if they lose they appeal and…

— If we lose, what we're talking about here if we lose. See they've assigned this case to this brand new district court judge, no track record you can't tell which way shell go, the ABA sits real hard on these appointments and she's got a real high priced reputation as a negotiator, can't tell which way she'll go then what. Say she finds for the defendant and throws it out, then what. Maybe that's good Mrs Lutz. You take how many cases lose in the district court and win on appeal because that's where this Second Circuit Appeals Court's got a real appetite for cutting down the court below so maybe you play to that. Maybe that's how we play it.

— I honestly don't know what you mean, to lose? You plan to lose?

— Plan to win, win or lose. See I'm telling you we've got a real strong case here, win in the lower court and fight their appeal or lose and fight it out on our appeal I'm telling you, won't go into all the legal niceties of it they call them but the long view, taking the long view they win all pleased with themselves and we'll take them in the higher court win or lose, we'll take them on appeal.

— I see. I mean of course I don't see, it all sounds rather risky. Oscar?

— What? Oh. Yes it's probably ready, lunch is probably ready.

— I'm not talking about lunch! Have you been listening to what he's said?

— Of course I've been listening!

— Well? What are you going to do, accept their, where are you going.

— To see about lunch!

— Can't you simply blow your little horn? Let her call us when she, my God. I'm not sure what you're in for Mister Basic, what you smell may be a warning.

— Didn't count on lunch Mrs Lutz, afraid I got to pass it up, get back to the…

— Hell be terribly disappointed, he's sounded like it's the only reason you came all the way out here.

— Didn't count on it, see we could have done all this on the telephone but he insisted, thought the two of us should sit down together coming down to the wire here, go over the whole case, why he had me to bring out the whole file, see all this? riffling through papers in the attache case opened on his lap, — brought the whole file I would have needed a trunk I just brought out the latest hey, look. Look, see this? flourishing a streamer of newspaper, — brought this out to you, thought maybe you missed it, piece in the paper on your hairy Ainu you were talking about?

— Well I, no I didn't see it, I…

— Where they think now how the samurai, this fancy top elite warrior class way up there in the nobility that's like it says here the epitome of everything Japanese in their Kabuki and all the rest, how these samurai are really descended right down from your primitive old hairy Ainu they've been treating like dirt over there for a thousand years like a field nigger down here in Fayette County, have to say I got a kick out of it.

— Yes I, I can see you might I, thank you.

— Never would even have noticed it there in the paper but I remembered you talking about your hairy…

— Yes I, I'm sure you do yes thank you for thinking of my, of me, Oscar? Mister Basic's afraid he can't stay for lunch.

— But we, I thought we could talk some more about the…

— Got it all talked out Oscar, talk any more we'll just get confused.

— But I, maybe I can call you later or, tomorrow if I call you tomorrow we can…

— May not be a tomorrow, we're right down to the wire here, the judge sitting on those papers right now. It's real simple Oscar. You take their settlement and I'll pick up the phone. You want to go on with it, we'll hold our breath for the decision.

— Then I, I'll hold my breath.

— Hey!

— Oscar you're, do you know what you're…

— I know what I'm doing Christina. I'm going on with it.

— Hey, Oscar! and a clap on the sagging shoulder there, — that's it!

— My God. Wait, I'll see you to the door Mister Basic. I just hope you're right, I know you've worked awfully hard on it and, and I know you're not foolish. Harry's told me you're very much in demand.

— How's he doing?

— Harry? If he comes through this case alive I suppose he can come through anything.

— You want to see legal bills take a look at those. Thanks Mrs Lutz, you give him my best?

— Yes and, thank you… She stood there until the slur of tires on the gravel turned her back into the house and that lunch — and Ilse? That Pinot Grigio, bring it in to the table, did you hear me? And over the cold corn soup, — what's this floating in it. You don't plan to hoard that whole bottle of wine over there do you? I only hope your Mister Basic is as brilliant as Harry thinks he is oh, they're scallops aren't they, I mean if you have anything left once you've paid his bar bills buying drinks for his old buddies at the Beverly Wilshire? and over the carrots — you can start thinking about that seventy five hundred dollars for that ambulance chaser that blonde plaything of yours dug up I'm sure you still give her money? over the poached salmon — her divorce is probably as far off as ever thank God let me have the salt, I mean I hope she didn't find these new lawyers you've got that you're so secretive about, and the wine please? Of course it was quite senseless of that law clerk of Father's taking him to the movies in the first place but it may all blow over when you lose your lawsuit which Mister Basic seems to be planning on but I mean that should convince them that your play wasn't worth anyone bothering to steal so it's all just as well isn't it? her chair scraping the floor as she pushed the emptied wine bottle aside — here, let me help you. You're aware that you're putting on weight aren't you, whatever these rubdowns this woman is giving you if that's the word for it, handling things I won't ask exactly what it is she's handling but your body really never has been your friend has it, because you never learned to play. I mean you never really learned to play did you.

— To play what! he muttered, making their way back to the empty room already falling into shadows.

— No I mean, I just meant like other boys with…

— What other boys! You mean out playing baseball? There were no other boys, I used to play all the time I didn't need other boys, right down there by the pond I used to play all the time didn't I? By the shores of Gitche Gumee?

— Stood the wigwam of Nokomis, my God no I didn't mean that, where she stood now looking out over the pond, looking out where dark beyond it ose the black and gloomy pine trees and the firs with cones upon them — it was all just too heartbreaking, by the shining Big-Sea-Water where a tall and stately birch tree once had rustled in the breezes, where he'd cleft its bark asunder just beneath the lowest branches, just above the roots he'd cut it down the trunk from top to bottom, stripped away the bark unbroken for the birch canoe he'd made there puffed with pride at his achievement turning turtle when he'd launched it, filled with terror when his father saw the great birch torn and naked till its sap came oozing outward and the swift Cheemaun for sailing floating upside down and sideways through the reeds and tangled beach grass come to rest there in the mud — and it should have been a warning that you could never please Father.

Out there now the rising west wind rushed the surface of the pond toward the sea like a spring freshet, a flash flood, — look! he whispered, — how it's tossing up the branches of the pine trees like some wild saturnalia, flinging up their skirts all lust and rapine ravished like the Sabine women, like the…

— Like the beautiful Wenonah. I think it's a time for Hiawatha's nap, I'm going up for a bath. I mean if there's any hot water of course.