William Gaddis - J R

— Which the, yes sir I thought you were aware the…

— Can’t clutter up my head with a lot of damn dates what you’re paid for here isn’t it? You just keep a damn sharp eye on the fourth one, Monty goes in and tells this hearing his stock’s in a blind trust pass up this fourth dividend we’ll have Zona in there chewing up Amy here voting this preferred with these other fool trustees blind leading the blind be the blindest damn trust since Samson got Delilah by the, what’s that Amy?

— If you think I’m so stupid and, and childish why am I a trustee why do you keep…

— Damn law tells you how many trustees to have that’s why, want us to go pick them off the subway?

— You might as well, they’d know as much about what’s going on as a seven-year-old boy who’s…

— Just the titular head damn it Amy, want a course in inheritance tax law go down and see Ude got that all straightened out Beaton?

— The, what sir the…

— This Francis Cates Joubert what sir!

— Yes well it’s, the foundation ruling has been…

— What about the boy’s father.

— Yes sir of course there’s no need for him to know anything about it sir, Mrs Joubert’s the boy’s guardian in the matter duly appointed by the Surrogate and when this power is signed over she…

— When it’s signed over? Why isn’t it signed over!

— Yes sir it’s, it’s being prepared now sir we…

— Being pre, look out there! help her quick! help her… and Beaton stumbled for the falling papers, lurched back from Cates’ hand stabbing toward Mrs Joubert sitting forward just then to pick up her handkerchief.

— But, but Uncle John I…

— I, I think she’s all right sir she…

— You do do you Beaton? Had a little scare though didn’t you suppose she wasn’t, keeled over lying dead at your damn feet right now where would we be, damn Frenchman she married march in take over as the boy’s trustee guardian every other damn thing rob us all blind if this power isn’t prepared you get right out there and prepare it yourself don’t you do another damn thing till it’s signed sealed and delivered hear me?

— Yeh yes sir…

— And don’t you ever bring in another halfbaked proposition like this again, don’t you forget this Beaton.

— I, I won’t sir…

— He won’t either, Amy.

— And I, I won’t either… she brought her eyes up as though from a glimpse of herself keeled over, lying dead at their feet — and he’s, Lucien he’s not a damn Frenchman he’s, he’s not even French I don’t know why you always have to say that he’s, he’s Swiss you know Lulu is Swiss…

— He’s a lulu all right, stunt this Italian drug outfit of his just pulled on these patents tell me that’s not a lulu, any word on that Monty?

— On Nobili? I think he’s ready to make a deal, have you cleared up anything with him yet Amy?

— Think he’s in any damn hurry to clear things up? Long as they’re still married he’s got claims on the only damn things he married her for in the first place don’t he?

— He’d never heard of Typhon Uncle John, he’d never heard of us or any of it when I met him, he was just…

— Didn’t take him too damn long to find out, you don’t cut him down now Amy you’ll lose every damn thing you’ve got so will your boy, little stock deals of his we were damn lucky to get him out before he got us all put in jail.

— Oh he, he was just showing off he didn’t know it was wrong, he just thought it was smart business and he wanted to show Daddy and all of you that he wasn’t just…

— Didn’t know it was wrong, didn’t know it was against the damn law you mean using his…

— But what does it matter! We’re separated aren’t we? and he’s not even…

— Still see him don’t you?

— When Francis comes down from school that’s all he, we just do it for Francis…

— Do it for him damn it Amy can’t do things like that for him, grows up the only damn thing he’ll care about’s what you are not what you did…

— Beaton? Come in…

— It’s me Boss.

— What is it Dave.

— This press statement, I…

— Just hold it Dave, take that call Miss Bulcke. Beaton? he went on over Davidoff’s shoulder, — those papers ready?

— They were all ready yes sir, we just need her signature…

— Monty told me he’d made the soccer team. Well? Proud of that aren’t you?

She looked up to a gaze that seemed to end in his glasses where he sat hunched further, thumb plucking a nostril. — I’m just afraid he’ll get hurt, he’s so…

— Do him good.

— But he’s, even for seven he’s small and they have him playing against the…

— Let him get banged around a little now Amy he may not have to go out and bang himself up later to prove his family don’t know what’s good for him, eh? Teaching school for five dollars a week out in the damn woods someplace just to show everybody he don’t even…

— Please! can’t we ever just let, just let me sign whatever it is where should, how should I sign it Emily? Amy? isn’t my legal…

— What do they call you at school, name that French lulu gave you?

— Jewbert they pronounce it like you do, now where…

— Right there yes Mrs ah, if you’ll sign just the way it is there we won’t need…

— Not Stamper on the phone there was it?

— No sir it was a Mister Duncan sir, he said he believed his wife had discussed their wish to retire with Mrs Selk and wanted to know when it would be convenient for you to…

— Wouldn’t be, calls back tell him we’ll make the bank trustee of the stock till he and Vida decide what the devil to do about it, went to school with Zona only damn thing they studied’s lunching and the mandolin just make damn clear one business I’m not going broke in’s the book business, always thought Vida was so ashamed of all the damn money his family’d made in cement this trade publishing looked like the fastest way to get rid of it get hold of their p and I Beaton, see if they’ve got a five year consolidated statement worst run business in the country can’t run it right because there’s no damn way to budget for it, had any calls from Stamper Monty?

— Not today no, Miss Bulcke that plane time have you checked it? And call that Pentagon number about my golf date Sunday…

— Yes sir, the…

— Get Stamper on the phone there Bulcke, said he’d call me here about this Dallas mortgage deal trying to pick up an outfit called JMI paid the big stockholders a few hundred thousand for options wants to borrow the whole damn seventeen million purchase price outright, thinks he can declare a twenty million cash dividend to his own outfit use it to pay the damn corporate dividend tax and pay off the loan want you to look into that outfit Beaton, may be buying himself a lawsuit…

— Yes sir…

— What is it now Dave.

— Just this press release and your okay on this picture Boss, before it goes out with your bio… he flapped the glossy likeness at Mrs Joubert, — pretty classy looking guy…

— Yes I, I wonder if I could have a glass of water.

— Coming right up.

— And Daddy I have to talk to you about Freddie isn’t there some way you…

— They can’t reach Mister Stamper at his office sir, he’s…

— Spends half his damn time answering police calls try his car, may be out fighting Indians hear about that yet Monty? Probably get hold of you on it when you get things squared away down there, got the bank backing this pipeline consortium he’s putting together says he’s found a bunch of damn Indians camped out square in their path look into that too Beaton, here get my arm…