William Gaddis - J R

— No but what do you mean exploded like they couldn’t even do it? I mean we have to go spend all this here money learning them how to row these canoes and shoot off these here bow and arrows like they can’t hardly do anything for theirself? Like we’re trying to help them out to like rekindle this here tribal spirit and defend their hunting grounds and all only they’re so dumb they don’t even know their own history so then we have to go pay this here topflight writer to fix them up with one so they can have this here dram…

— He did that all right he rekindled their tribal spirit that’s what I’m telling you, when they read it when they read about the rapes and famines their forefathers forced off their treaty reservation marching a thousand miles barefoot in the middle of winter to the one they’re on now the hum of arrows I wished Davidoff was there to hear them, these stoves and washing machines and the rest of that junk pieces of it spread all over the…

— No but wait hey wait hey wait a second holy, I mean like that inventory was worth like holy shit I mean one washing machine retails at a hundred nine, ninety-sev, they couldn’t of I mean they, they couldn’t of…

— Well they did nobody ever thought of finding out if…

— No but wait a second I mean, I mean just because they get mad about these here forefeathers marching around in the snow in these here bygone times so they go wreck up this whole tremendous gift which we’re trying to help them out like what did we ever do to them! I mean no wait a second like it says down here look, forging this here human betterment wait a second here, cause of human betterment to forge a two edge sword severing past from future at one fell swoop in the un un, unprecedented gift of a full range of modern electrical appliances from the Endo subsider, sidiary of the worldwide J R Cor…

— That’s the point they don’t have electricity! Nobody ev…

— What?

— Electricity they don’t have electricity! these Indians the reservation there’s no electricity nobody ever thought of finding out if…

— How can’t they have electricity I mean everybody’s got electricity, I mean you just turn on the…

— That’s what that Hyde idiot that Mister Hyde you sent out with your appliances that’s what he thought, the little talk he wrote bringing them civilization he even sent you a copy in this mess somewhere do you want to read it? Markets production lines what America’s all about till they came after him with…

— No but, no but wait a second was he…

— He was out there waving a hair dryer at them shouting come and get me they did too when that awful kid of his started…

— No but wait Bast wait wait was that wasn’t this same Mister Hyde that’s holy, this kid was he…

— Up there with his knives and coils of rope blowing the Call to the Colors on his bugle he would have been scalped if he’d had enough hair to…

— No but I, not this same kid I, this same Mister Hyde at the school? How could…

— Well you hired him didn’t you?

— No I mean, like I mean how did I know that’s where he works I thought…

— This kid of his you knew he was going didn’t you? he’s a friend of yours isn’t he?

— No but, no I mean he just said he’s getting this special permission to go on this here very important trip with his father so he’ll write this here essay what America has to protect and all where, but what happened where…

— Somebody finally got him with a shovel they’re holding his father till you give them this thirty million dol…

— Dollars? thirty million dollars for him? I mean what do they think we…

— The thirty million you already agreed on for this twenty year lease they want it now in cash, Charley Yellow Brook drove me to the bus in that smashed up Cadillac they…

— No but wait a second I mean we already agreed we’ll give them it in these royalties out of earnings I mean why should they get it off us now before we even get to…

— Because this here neat history you fixed them up with, it got them so upset about that thousand mile winter hike they’re afraid the government will send them back to that original treaty reservation and put this one up for sale they want the money to buy it that’s all, just give them the money and…

— What do you mean just give them the money! this old man Hyde you think he’s worth like thirty mil…

— I don’t think he’s worth a nickel no! but if they have to buy something that’s already theirs you’ve got what you wanted haven’t you? these leases? You’ve already agreed to thirty mil…

— No but that’s different than like getting it all at once…

— Where do you ever get it borrow it, that’s all you ever talk about building these here assets so you can borrow another three five ten what’s the difference it’s just numbers isn’t it? Just numbers on paper half the time you don’t even know where the dot goes you don’t even…

— No but you didn’t already tell them we’ll do it did you? I mean like give them this here whole lump thirty mil…

— Of course I did, Charley Yellow Brook yes I gave him my word we’d…

— No but look hey…

— Look hey nothing all you’ve done from the start is whine about what I don’t do I don’t take an interest don’t take responsibility well this time I have, I gave him my word I expect to live up to…

— No but anyways that’s okay you don’t have to live up to anything see because you didn’t have this here arthurization to…

— Why didn’t I have it I’m supposed to be executive officer of this whole, this whole mess nobody has to give me authority to…

— No but see that’s the thing you’re not.

— What do you mean I’m not that’s all you’ve been…

— Because you got fired that’s what I been waiting to tell you, I mean after how you loused up everything like I mean I try to fix everything up for you and I mean if it’s just you you’re lousing up but like you go lousing up everything for everybody what do you…

— Stop no stop of all the, get your foot down what do you mean, you’ve been waiting to tell me you fired me while I was gone? Waiting to see if your Indian deal worked out now you think I loused everything up so you decide I was fired before I ever went out there so you won’t have to part with this thirty mil look don’t start getting out these torn up newspapers I don’t want to see them just tell me, is that it?

— No wait a second see it’s not even…

— I mean don’t misunderstand me being fired nothing could be better nothing could make me happier, this helping you out again just this once if I’d never…

— No but it wasn’t me Bast I didn’t fire you they did, you…

— It’s never you it’s always they who’s they, if you’d…

— These here lenders that got pissed off when you sold your stock and screwed up everything that’s what I’m trying to tell you, these here banks and…

— What do you mean when I sold my stock, all I…

— I mean boy you can even ask Nonny if there’s this one thing I always said it’s to keep this here whole thing exactly legal and I mean with all these here option terms and bylaws and all if there’s this here one thing I thought you wouldn’t do it’s that, I mean after I go fix everything up so you don’t get screwed by these income taxes and you go sell it off so it’s taxed like this here straight salary I was saving you from? Like this here suit says you sold at eleven and a half that’s like fifty-seven thousand five hundred I mean that’s over fifty-four thousand dollars, that’s this fifty-three percent rate that’s like they’re taking like twenty-seven thousand just the government that’s not even the state which they’re these real shits boy and I mean that’s not even…