William Gaddis - J R

— Hey! Women wrestling in a tub of eels hey.

— Look at this one what they’re doing. What are they doing?

— Karate.

— Naked?

— They may not let you take them in.

— Here? Oh, no I wasn’t, we were just looking for…

— There’s a Western up in the next block, want to take them to that? I’ve got to kill some time till four o’clock anyhow, maybe I’ll remember where I know you from…

— We’re not seeing these women wrestling these eels?

— Wait for the light…!

— Where we going now? I thought we’re going to the movies.

— That one Mister Bast? His soul seared by the flames of passion, his eyes scorched by the fires of hell…

— Seven, eight, nine, stay in line now.

— Seven eight nine, stay in line, it rhymes. Seven eight…

— Quietly!

— Didn’t you pay for me? Gall pursued.

A child fired a derringer point blank in their faces. Flames climbed curtains and drapery.

— Quick her tit! Did you see it?

— That’s her elbow dopey.

— Shhhh…

Unmade beds, plates, broken glasses, bottles, chairs tipped and candles flaming haphazard, underclothing and sequined smalls, feather boas, a bearskin blanket snatched away.

— Look!

— That’s just her under of her arm.

— Shhhhhhh…!

Dawn, finally, and church bells faded under the hollow clop, clop, clop of horses entering the empty street. Dinner by frontier candlelight, moans and petting in the pea patch, gunfire, the fluttering pennon of the cavalry troop, sunlight, darkness, bonfires, gunfire, crowds filling the streets, milling toward the platform hung with flags and bunting in red, white, and blue.

— I’d shoot him down myself but I ain’t carrying a gun.

— What time is it!

— Please, it’s almost over…

— Mister Bast please just till he shoots him, please…?

— Shhut up down there!

— Please…?

They stumbled into each other looking back over their shoulders, erupted into the lobby in a crash of gunfire, the street on a gust of wind. — So when this one guy shot at this other guy this first guy thought he was shooting at him so he shot him.

— Who.

— Who shot him.

— Shot who.

— We should have went to see those women wrestling those eels.

— Wait for the light! Here stay together now, this way…

— Look out hey quit pushing…

— Straight ahead, watch those stairs…!

— Wait up hey my shoelace is…

— I said hurry!

— No but can I just get a newspa…

— Can I get a candy bar Mis…

— No! I said watch the stairs…

— But where we suppose to…

— Anywhere just get on the train! six, seven how many, I said stay together!

— Boy I almost lost my sneaker back there you sitting here Mister Bast?

— Look just find a seat anywhere and, there’s one over…

— No that’s okay just let me get my stuff up on my, could you move your foot a second? Just so I can get my knee, there. Who was that guy we took to the movies, is that some friend of yours?

— I’ve never seen him in my life no, now…

— Boy he squeezed right in like he’s this real old friend of yours what did he…

— I said I don’t know! He thought he knew me and wanted some help with a book or something, now…

— Okay don’t get mad, I just…

— And look, haven’t you got a handkerchief?

— Me? sure just a second… he wedged a sneaker into the seat ahead burrowing the sweater’s burst elbow into the ribs beside him, coming up with a discolored wad — here.

— No I mean you. Use it.

— Oh. He blew his nose hard and then wiped the back of his hand across it. — Are you a college graduate Mister Bast?

— I went to a conservatory.

— Oh… he looked up from the handkerchief’s contents and wadded it back. — What did you learn there, how to be this forest ranger?

— This what?

— I mean like now this is all you do is teach?

— No, no I have my own work.

— What, like you said before you’re going in the city on business? I mean what business you in.

— Look I’m not in, what…?

The conductor’s punch tapped the rim of the seat ahead. — These kids all with you?

— Yes they, here get your tickets out…

— You got them.

— Didn’t she give you them, Mrs Joubert? Like she kept them so we wouldn’t lose them.

— But she, no, no you mean nobody has a ticket? But does, did any of you bring any money?

— Six, seven… the punch counted over their heads, — eight…

— That’s all you’ve got hey? a dollar? Wait a second… the handkerchief wad surfaced again bringing with it a tangle of bills, paper scraps, a pencil stub — five, six, seven how much do you need hey… the bills came up damp and separate, — that’s nine is that, no you take the change that makes it easier to figure when you pay me back, okay?

— Well thank you yes but, but is all that yours?

— What this money? Sure why, you want one more to make it ten even? A single came off freed in a wad of its own — I mean that makes it easier to figure up the interest and all, you know?

— Yes but, all what I…

— No I just mean the interest like, I mean that’s what we’re having now these percents could you move your knee a second? I mean this here portforlio the zipper never hardly worked right even when I first got it you know? he tugged at the battered thing — holy shit look at that it’s already ripping, I mean that’s why I need this here professional carrying case you know…? he got it opened on his lap extended now with both feet dug into the hinge of the seat ahead, — see? I mean like here it costs thirty-four million dollars to equip this armored division and it costs like ten million dollars to equip this here infantry division see so what you have to find out is…

— Yes well look I don’t know anything about armored div…

— No that’s okay see it’s just about equipping them like you’re equipping anything just to figure up these different percents, I mean here’s this Mister A with this here business which he owns thirty percent of it see it doesn’t matter what business it’s just this here business, see so anyway it says he sells this forty percent of his thirty percent for fifteen hun wait, thousand I mean, fifteen thousand one hundred twenty dollars so you have to find out how much is the whole thing worth see?

— Fine yes, now I…

— No but see I wanted to ask you…

— Look if you need help with this you should talk to, to Mrs Joubert or…

— No that’s Glancy, I mean this is just our math homework where you wanted to know about these percents see but I got this other real stuff which wait a second… he tugged at the heap, — holy…

— Here be careful you’re spilling the whole…

— I know boy this train it’s like you’re riding some rolycoaster how it stops could you pull that corner sticking out there?

— What this, fingerprint and identi…

— No that’s just crap for trading see I had this thing about import export where you get to wait hey could you hold this stuff a second till I, see this here proxy thing we got today I wanted to find out where it says what’s that wait…

— Unretouched pages in swinging color, finger licking good look will you get all this off my…

— Wait no his crap’s always getting mixed up with mine there’s this thing where I wanted to ask you here, look.