William Gaddis - J R

— No but that’s one of them hey I mean that’s what I been trying to tell you! This El Paso Natural Gas I got you it cost like twelve fifty see that’s the…

— You mean you spent, why didn’t you just give me the money! What good one share of…

— No but then you get taxed like this regular income and I mean it’s not just this here one share, I mean I’m getting you this bunch of different ones like this here bonus see so…

— But why! If I just have to turn around and sell them what…

— No but you can’t Bast I mean that’s what I’m trying to tell you! I mean if you’d read up these here booklets where I find out all this stuff see if you go right and sell it you get taxed like this salary where you’re some dumb teacher or bus driver or something you know? Only with this stock this here whole first hundred dollars of dividends is excludable see like El Paso, they pay twenty-five cents a quarter wait… he was sifting the heap on the radiator — look, International Paper they pay fifty cents, U S Steel sixty cents see you get to add these all up to this hundred dollars that’s excludable, see like Disney pays…

— But from what! excludable from what! Fifty cents sixty cents what are you buying one share of this one share of that what…

— No but look hey listen, I mean like if we went and got one bunch of shares like U S Steel see then you just get this here literture off U S Steel like this one annual report and quarterly report and proxy statements and like where they’re in some law thing and all, see but if you own this here one share of all different places they still have to send you all this here literture see so I was thinking, I mean see you could read up so if one of them was like screwing up someplace maybe we could get this here stockholder suit going like at Diamond Cable I mean like Disney boy wouldn’t that be neat hey? I mean if we could get them by the short hair and…

— Look I don’t want to get them by the short hair! can’t you understand that? And reading all these things I couldn’t understand them anyhow don’t you understand that? I’m just…

— No but look Bast I mean that’s why I been sending away for these books and all for you, like Understanding Financial Statements I mean it tells how to read a balance sheet and all didn’t you get that? and like Statistican something of the United States and this here Moody’s something, didn’t you get them?

— I got them yes! What do you think I…

— No but I mean they really cost plenty, like you didn’t even read them hey? Like this here Moody’s something manual I mean it cost like…

— Of course I haven’t read it it would take a month just to, look that’s what I just said who asked you to! The Statistical Abstract of the United States Moody’s Industrials who asked you to buy them! What…

— No but look hey I mean holy, I mean where we said we’ll help each other out like and I mean all I said is will you read up this here literture and…

— Will you stop saying literture! Look I said I’d help you out once just this once, and you…

— No but I can’t help if that’s what they call it! and, and I mean holy shit like you’re getting lo keep all these here dividends which they’re excludable and all I mean I just thought you could like read up this here, this here stuff in your spare time like where you said once you can compose this music where you’re doing something else like you’re going for a walk or on the train and all see so I just thought where you have all this here spare time to do your own work like you’re always…

— To do what work! what spare time! watching a bunch of idiots play softball listening to them bray God Bless America do you think I look, look these expenses let’s just clear up these expenses and whatever you owe me and…

— Okay don’t get mad I mean see that’s what I mean about this here operating cash on this here loan you know? See we…

— I don’t know no! I don’t want to I just…

— No but see it’s all wrote out there from Mister Piscator this here loan off Hopper’s bank to Eagle management see so we have some opérât…

— Look will you look at this? Just…

— And I mean this here whole fifty dollars I gave you at the boys’ room at school for like expenses and…

— Well that’s what this is! You wanted me to write it all down didn’t you? every nickel I spent so I wouldn’t cheat you out of…

— No but wait hey wait! Who said you’ll cheat anybody, I mean see what it is it’s this whole thing where you get to deduct all these here business expenses like riding around and eating you get to deduct them off taxes and all see that’s the whole thing of it hey, I mean see I was reading in this little booklet I got where this here corporation tax it’s like fifty-two percent after you take off these expense deductions and all, see so that means for every dollar you spend it’s only costing like forty-eight cents see? I mean that’s the whole thing of how it all works see so where I said will you write down…

— All right! look, bus fare nineteen eighty, hotel three nights seventeen sixteen, three breakfasts one twenty, two lun…

— I mean you didn’t charge that turkey dinner and all did you hey? Because like it said in the paper where they’re the host and all see like if they’re deducting it too we’d be…

— No! and I, look I didn’t charge the quarter I put in the radio either will you just…

— No I mean I just wondered… he had one leg up on the radiator working with the pencil stub — because, I mean how come it has like two lunches a dollar forty then there’s this here sandwich a whole dollar I mean how come…

— Because lunch in Union Falls is cheap and this bus stop sandwich was two pieces of dry bread with a piece of dry cheese…

— No that’s okay I just wondered twenty, three, four, carry two and one is three, four, forty-four twenty-one then you still have this here ninety-four cents so that’s eight, five… somewhere a urinal flushed — wait, four from nought borrow ten, five, I mean then you already spent like your pay you already spent five dollars forty-two cents from it so I mean even with what I still owe you minus that and like minus this here ten dollars from that field trip I mean that doesn’t hardly leave…

— Look it doesn’t matter! Just give me whatever you…

— No but see how it comes out there’s still most of this ten dollars from that field trip I loaned you and I mean you’ll need more for bus fare and all later anyway where you’re taking this guy to dinner see so…

— Look I’m not taking your Mister Piscator to dinner don’t…

— No not him hey it’s one of these here old brothers this Mister Wonder, see…

— No.

— No but wait a second see he’s only here this once see and…

— No!

— And I mean you have to eat anyway see so I just thought wait, wait where you going hey! What’s all that stuff wait…!

— It’s music what does it look like, I’m…

— No but you wrote all this here music hey?

— Of course I did, now…

— No but I mean how come you’re just yelling about you don’t get a chance to do your own work and you write this whole pile of…

— It’s not my own work! I just wrote it for some dancers to make enough money to…

— No but hey Bast? I mean, I mean where I said maybe we can use each other so you can do this here work you’re always yelling about you can’t get it done holy, I mean is it my fault you go write all this music for these here dancers instead? I mean…

— Look I just told you I did this to earn some money so I can do my own work. I’m taking it down there now to get paid and I can settle things with you and get that check the school owes me and get out of this mess that’s all, now…