William Gaddis: J R

— Want to hold that door for us there? That’s it, little wider can you get it any wider?

— It’s no, no this is as far as…

— Wait just lower your end a little Jim, should have used the window sling on this one.

— Only four stories of rope how could we.

— Mister?

— That’s it a little harder now, that’s it…

— Mister could I ride to the hospital with you Mister?

— Not going to no hospital, that’s it, there. Got it now?

— But my vife Mister, I could ride with her where you’re going?

The doors clattered. He held the cold metal of the newel and then climbed hand on the rail a step at a time to the top and the turn for the end of the hall, where the door stood leaning free against the wall there. — Hello? he knocked on it — is, oh Mister Eigen hello is Mis…

— Christ where have you been come in, I’m on the phone.

— I just got out of the hosp…

— What…?

— Out of the hos…

— Look I’m not trying to rewrite the God damn agreement, I just asked if it would be convenient for me to come up and see him tomorrow afternoon instead of today, I’ve been… no I know he does but… Not used to what…? No now wait listen, do you think you’re granting me a privilege letting me see my own son? Do you ex… all right why shouldn’t he have told you where we’d been, she’s a perfectly nice woman who… he what…? Look of course I never told him if I marry somebody else now and have more children that you’ll get them too, now… Because I’ve been helping her clean up some of the details on Schramm’s estate that’s why! She’s a perfectly ni… No, where… no I don’t, look if he wanted it why didn’t you just take it like you took everything el… yes Bruckner and the double God damn boiler I know it! Look if I find his crèche I’ll bring it up whenever I… Well Christ I know he wants it there for Christmas don’t I? What… because that’s what the God damn court order says doesn’t it? that we all have to spend Christmas together doesn’t it? Now listen is David there? can I… Well can’t you call him in for a minute…? All right! Look will you just tell me what time to call so I can… Because I won’t be at this number no, I just came up here to straighten some things out and get my papers as soon as this delivery service gets here to… well can you just tell him I called? I’ll try later if… all right I’ll just keep trying! Goodbye! Christ…!

— But Mister Eigen who…

— Bitch.

— Yes but I mean who, who’s that man in there staring at me and that, that Chinese girl sitting on the box with the…

— Well who the hell is she! She came in from Hong Kong with a shipment of sweaters for that company of yours no return ticket no papers she can’t even speak English, Immigration’s sending somebody up to take her in as an illegal alien I mean do you know what’s been going on here Bast? U S marshals postal inspectors IRS agents arguing jurisdiction over every scrap of paper I haven’t been able to take anything of mine out till right now, valuable manuscripts all over the place just lucky as hell they didn’t all go up in smoke these God damn matchbooks of yours dumped everyplace look at them! Five summonses from the fire department they brought in the public health people took one look in the refrigerator and…

— Yes but, well they’re not really mine the matches I mean, they…

— They’ve got this God damn J R thing all over them same company you’ve been working for isn’t it? He’s been calling here too hardly hear him look get the corner of this box here will you? Just push it past the tub there, sounded like he said he had a cold couldn’t meet you but he got some school to mail you a check you expected asked if you’re mad and what the hell happened to you no wait, push it a little further so I can tape it closed can you? Lawyers reporters executive placement agencies civil liberties union some drunk general somebody trying to reach you I mean do you know what’s been going on here Bast? Indian legal aid fund, some God damn television talk show civil beautification committee in some town where you painted their water tower want you at their award banquet? Somebody named Crawley who keeps calling and the phone company, I mean do you know this God damn phone bill’s over eleven thousand dollars?

— No but wait, wait this Mister Crawley was it about a check he…

— Just said some slides he lent you sounds affronted as hell you haven’t returned them look hand me that folder on the tub, finally found it stuffed under some boxes I’m not going to look no the one with stains all over it listen, where you going from here are you in a hurry?

— Well, no well no place exactly no I just came up to see if my…

— Fine then look there’s something you can do, can you just get Freddie where he’s supposed to go as soon as I get this call? There was an ad in the paper his sister’s been looking for him for Christ knows how long I’ve got an attorney checking the details how, I’m just waiting for him to call me back I’d do it myself but I’m waiting for this messenger service to, help me get this box up here will you?

— Well yes but I mean who’s, is that Freddie in there on the…

— Yes he’s fine look there’s nothing to worry about, once we got the bulb out of that lamp flickering on and off in there he thought it was his mother sending him messages, just hold this closed while I tie it can you? Been fine ever since they shot the God damn radio didn’t even bother him when the Jones boys had a fire in their clubhouse down there, the only thing that’s upset him was the drowned cat they found in the tub when they came in to turn off the water look, can you pull that box out while I hold back these film cans? This pain I’ve been getting it starts here and goes right down to my knee I don’t want to make it any worse.

— Well yes but, I mean Freddie where did he come from who…

— Pull it out a little further can you? Jack brought him in here out of the rain one day knew him in boarding school, he’s been here ever since can you hand me that roll of tape? They found a practice golf course someplace it’s laid out all over those books and boxes in there, Jack’s been teaching him golf eating these freeze-dried chicken Marengos drinking that God damn grape drink I just want to get him back safe to his family before Jack starts wait, just hold this down so I can tape it closed and, who…

— Yes but where’s Mister Gib…

— Ello…?

— Good God, who…

— Is Mister Grinspan ere? General Motor ave buy im a…

— He’s not no but come in, come…

— I ave a busy schedule. Wen e’s ere?

— Look he’s not here he’s gone he’s dead but come in, I…

— E’s dead? That’s not nice no, I don do that. Goodbye…

— Good, God where did she come from…

— I don’t know but I mean what happened to Mister Gryn…

— Too much damn trouble Jack just fixed up a nice obituary on him and look, hand me that box on the tub maybe we can get these into it, Britannica finally caught up with him worked his way through up there selling them for twenty dollars a set Jack had us taking turns on his exams to get him through with a summa they’ve been after him for twenty years finally just more God damn trouble than he was worth, Edison Company finds the meter bypass wants him on fraud the IRS shows up with his track winnings list as long as your arm some old woman after him for a concentration camp reunion, even had the Connecticut State Highway Department building a road they stumbled on a family grave wait look out, let me get the phone maybe the call I’ve been, hello…? Yes, yes fine… fine yes there’s somebody here now who can bring him right down, did she say whether… Sitting in there peaceful as can be look there wasn’t any violence just grabbed the inspector’s gun when they broke off the Minuet in G for an aspirin commercial fired it down there till the thing finally… that’s what I mean once he’s in his sister’s custody yes, he… Right now yes somebody here who can bring him right down, hold on a minute. Look can you take Freddie down there right now? Somplace in the Seventies…