William Gaddis - J R

— With one share we get like one vote?

— You certainly do, and what’s more you’re entitled to…

— And like if I owned two hundred ninety-three thousand shares then I’d get like two hundred ninety-three thousand votes?

— That’s not fair! Like we get this one lousy vote and he gets like two hun…

— What’s so not fair! You buy this here one share so you’ve got like this lousy twenty-two fifty working for you where I’ve got like six thou, wait a second… the pencil stub came up to scratch, — nought times nought is…

— He couldn’t could he?

— I could so boy I could even vote two hundred ninety-three thousand times for myself for a director if I wanted to couldn’t I?

— I mean like that’s democracy? It sounds like a bunch of…

— Slow down now slow down, before a family squabble starts here let’s come to this little lady’s rescue… she cringed from Davidoff’s wink behind the sweater wad, — every shareowner wants profits whether you’ve got one share or a million, right? So you’ll all want to vote for directors that will hire topflight management like your company here’s got to keep those profits rolling in and if they’re not, this little lady with her one share has just as much right to question the directors and management as somebody with a million shares because they’re working for her too, aren’t they. If she thinks they’re not running things for her and all the other owners she can even take them to court and start a lawsuit for damages to make sure they’re obeying all the company’s rules, that’s why we put a copy of the company’s bylaws in your little kit there. Those are the company’s rules and anybody who breaks one has to answer to this little lady, like a regular club boys and girls and those are the club’s rules one for all and all for one, I think that’s a pretty good little lesson in democracy that film about ready in there?

— Could I just ask if…

— Looks like we’ve got another minute… he looked past the arm straining the sweater’s dreary pattern in front of him, — look right in the back of your Annual Report there and you’ll see the pictures of your directors, that’s Governor Cates up in the corner you can say you’ve actually met him can’t you, and the big man right under him you might have heard about in your history books about the war let’s speed it up in there we can’t take all day, General Box, he was the famous armored division commander who stopped the whole German army in the big winter Ardennes… they startled to a blare of music and he shielded his eyes, — all right boys and girls I think we’re ready to see…

— Could I just ask back here where it says eight hundred sixty-seven thousand shares…

— Turn that sound down! What is it Carol…

— These eight hundred sixty-seven thousand shares which it says here they were under option at an aggregate price of…

— of tomorrow, presented by…

— Down turn it down! Look, he seized the narrow shoulder where the sweater’s seam gaped — it would take a month to explain all that arithmetic it’s just what we call the consolidated financial statement, don’t worry about it. Now, get those lights somebody…?

— I’m not worried about it I just wondered who…

— our natural resources, and the national heritage that makes us all proud to be…

— What’s this Carol.

— The update on Mister Moncrieff’s biography before it’s sent out and Mister Eigen wondered if that press release…

— Where is he I said I wanted him up here, that press release can wait I’d better check this bio out with Monty get Eigen right up here to keep an eye on things, boys and girls? I’ve got to get on deck for a brush fire, he came on over their heads loosening his tie — oh and Carol make sure the board room’s cleaned up in there when they’re done… and his lips continued to move silent as his stride up the corridor, round an alcove, touching the doorknob his wince became a grimace associated with tightening his tie passing with a nod toward an unoccupied desk — Boss wants to see me… tapping briskly on the door ahead and opening it, slow, on Mrs Joubert sitting knees clenched reading through tortoise shell glasses, looking up just then elsewhere to ask — must I read all this now? elsewhere the weather side of Cates hunched, back to the door, reading papers with a look pinched through gold rims that rose abruptly and glanced off hers to cross the desk lusterless with — just the cobalt? where Moncrieff’s glance over heavy black half frames and the huddled permanent of a secretary had already passed them both and returned, to leave Davidoff standing like the cry of fire! in an empty theater.

— The cobalt’s what they want. The cobalt’s what they’re getting. He took off the glasses, folded in their straight black bows and sat back molding the bridge of his nose. — Why drag in anything else.

— Like to see things spelled out Monty, spell them out now you don’t end up trying to spell them out for some damn subcommittee.

A light glowed on the desk’s button-studded console and a naked arm braceleted with the time came up for the telephone. — Mister Beaton, sir.

— Just tell him… staring beyond them, Moncrieff’s finger coursed the ridge of his nose as though the face where his eyes were fixed, dropped back to profile and none of its aloofness lost, even lowered, prompted comparison. — Here… he took the telephone, — bring in everything on this smaltite contract, and Beaton? My daughter’s here waiting to sign those powers of attorney. What’s holding things up. He handed back the telephone still looking beyond where her profile broke again, turning to him, slipping off the tortoise shells, dangling them.

— Must I read all this now? The children…

— Just sit still for a minute, Amy. What is it Dave.

Davidoff came forward as though he had just entered. — Your youngsters are fine, he skirted the thrust of her ankle as she crossed her knees — in there watching the presentation we put together for the spring stockholders’ meeting getting a real kick out of it, he came rounding the corner of the desk in a generous turn that included them all in his audience, lowering his tone on arrival for the confidence — We’d better watch our step Boss, they’re a pretty shrewd bunch…

A light glowed. Up came the phone, and a murmur — the press calling for the statement…

— He’s got it right here, just read it off to them here Dave.

From the tangle of arms naked, silk-and-mohair, the acrylic sheen of Davidoff’s rose with the telephone. — Hello? You’ll have the statement first thing tomorrow, he said, and handed the phone back.

— What’s this, then. Where’s the statement.

— Being typed up sir, said Davidoff, briskly tossing the paper clip from his papers into the empty wastebasket. — This is your biography, I wanted to check it out before we release it…

— I want this press statement out today.

— Yes sir and on this bio, I thought we might want…

— Let me see that… Cates straightened up from the wastebasket to drop the paper clip into a vest pocket.

— Yes sir. Oh and Miss Bulcke, she can run off a draft right now Boss save us time, just take this… he nodded to her blank pad. — The long overdue technical readjustments taking place in our present dynamic market situation offer…

— Who the devil cares whether you played football against Brown, Monty.

— We felt sir, in creating Mister Moncrieff’s image as an aggressive competitive team player…

— Image! Cates’ laugh cleared his throat, — they ought to see you running around with that damn butterfly net Monty.

— Will you read back, Miss…