William Gaddis - J R

— Oh I know darling, they ran out of electricity or something and the whole thing was canceled. Like here, you always have it so dark I don’t know how you find your way.

— I know it by heart, she led in, paused at a sofa, — do you want anything? before she sank down.

— Nothing, no, a cigarette? Oh, in your bag? Let me…

— No I’ll get it, she started up, arched over the sofa’s arm to reach for it.

— Oh and you heard his concert, did you like it?

— Yes all but the Berg, she said getting the package out, and a lipstick rolled to the carpet where she left it, snapped the bag closed and dropped it over the sofa’s back.

— Yes I can’t stand Berg too. But how nice to find you, I called and of course you didn’t answer, I was sure you are entertaining. Is this an ashtray?

— Yes, but how mean.

— Not mean at all darling, would you lie to me? The one Wednesday night at Elaine’s with all the marvelous chains…

— No please… She pressed the glasses back to her face.

— But I only wanted to see, it’s almost gone?

— I don’t want you to see… she moved her head for the finger tracing a strand fallen loose on the slope of her shoulder. — I don’t want anyone to.

— But you should know better darling, you read all the statistics of accidents in the bath, I can’t look?

— No no one, it’s too ugly.

— How can something about you be ugly?

— Even this…? and the robe fell open where she raised her throat to the light.

— Even this, this is precious! There is never such a necklace, how many times do I tell you? Wait let me show you, in pale rubies how precious…

— No… her hand came up to the pendant already half fashioned there in lipstick, — no I don’t like it touched.

— I might steal it? like Brin, what did you tell me, the name your terrible friend told you for it once?

— Bris… she caught breath as breath stirred a strand at her ear, — Brisingamen… as the lipstick lingered along her breast.

— But a goddess of love and beauty he told you? Then he was not so terrible to say that.

— He was terrible, she said, the lipstick mounting in slow circles to fleck quick as lashes where its color gathered in the pebbling peak.

— Wait be still or I spoil my work, no don’t look yet.

— Always terrible, she said near a whisper, robe fallen away now where the lipstick came down in a flourish to slow and shade a heart on the clear rise and fall of the soft swell, suddenly shot through with an arrow down, and she started.

— Now, you must see how gay, look! You must come next time like this, they will be enchanted, would you?

— Don’t be… she broke off, looking down her, — of course not, how silly you are.

— You don’t see, is it not like a cat with one large eye?

— How silly.

— No, silly no. Look, how he aims to hide deep in the bush, may I seek him?

— Silly.

— It is nice too, the lipstick. Is it Lanvin?

— Oh…? The telephone rang. — Do Lanvin make lipstick…? and she lay a hand over her darkened eyes.

It rang again, and then again, a long ring.

— They don’t answer Mister Angel.

— Hell I told you she wouldn’t Coen, even if she’s there, just forget it Myrna. I don’t know what help you think she’d be if she did answer.

— I would like to clarify her position on…

— Well she’s sure as hell not going to help you, anything you come up with she’s got so many positions she could go get a job in the carnival, Myrna why don’t you just go take a coffee break or something, I can buzz for you on the buzzer when I need you back. Mister Coen and me have to sit down to these figures for a while… he loomed behind her, pent by her short steps as far as a cabinet just inside the door. — Little bourbon here to clear our heads before we dive in.

— Oh no not for me.

— Just got these put in… he was bent over pulling at the cabinet door — pretty shoddy job too, he yanked at it, — supposed to look like this modern paneling so there’s no place you can hardly get a grip…

— Be careful the whole thing’s tipping…

— Might be better if it did, I wouldn’t have to… go through this every time I… now, where’d she do with those Dixie cups.

— You’ve changed your scenery since I…

— Well you can see we didn’t but just get started, those new drapes instead of the old curtains we had over there, I put that big old chair and that old coat rack down in the basement… he paused, bent over pouring into two paper cups, — but you know what they want now for a sofa out of leather?

— Oh, no what I meant was…

— Even thought of getting that music they play in banks and elevators piped in, he turned walking carefully and set one of the paper cups on the corner of the desk. — But you know what they want for that?

— Oh but I didn’t want any.

— What did you mean though, you don’t like those drapes?

— No I meant the young lady, you had a secretary with red…

— Terry you mean, yes, well she… He raised his cup and drank half of it off, — she got a little lonely in here I guess you’d say, I changed her around with Myrna out there in the order room. Softest berth in the place right in here but I guess sometimes they, they get a little lonely with just me to look at… and he finished off the cup. — This Myrna’s good though, you know who she almost reminds me of sometimes? You remember Joan Bennett when she dyed her hair black? I always thought it was terrible when she did that, he said back at the cabinet, bent down shaking its door again, — think a man that calls himself a big contractor could put a little cupboard door on straight now wouldn’t you, look at that. Same little Eyetalian that just gave us that sky high estimate on this new production layout, he thinks he’s doing you a favor by walking in the door. Sooner we can get that going though the sooner we…

— No but wait Mister Angel you, excuse me for interrupting you but you can’t. You can’t commit that kind of money right now. You don’t know when this estate will be settled and the government may step in any minute with a lien on the property and tie your hands. With their back tax claim against the company I don’t know why they haven’t already done it, and these estate taxes are going to…

— What’s all this then… his hand came across to sweep the neatly piled papers toward him, — is this it?

— Rough preliminary figures yes, now I think we discussed three million dollars as a conservative figure in evaluating the company which would bring the decedent’s share, the value of the decedent’s forty-five percent to one million, three hundred fifty thousand. Now anticipating the government taking four hundred twenty-three thousand on the first million, and forty-two percent on anything over that, forty-two percent of three fifty is one hundred forty thousand, add the state’s flat eight percent and you have six hundred seventy-one thousand dollars.

— I have? What do you mean I have, they have, and I have a handful of…

— Just preliminary figures yes, of course we can’t put a precise evaluation on the company until recapitalization goes through and the underwriter makes the…

— Look, God damn it now look, don’t get me started on this going public again Coen you know what I… he paused there pulling off his jacket, the shirt he tucked in behind coming back out with his hand, and he turned to drape it over the back of the chair at his desk where he sat down heavily.

— But I don’t know how else you plan to raise six hundred-odd thousand dollars Mister Angel.

— Well for one thing I told you to look into what we can get for our interest in Nathan Wise there, no reason to hang onto an outfit like that and I never did like the…