William Gaddis - J R

— Do what.

— This import export business right from your own home.

— Import and export what.

— How do I know but I mean that’s not the thing anyway, you know? he kicked a can up the highway’s unkempt shoulder kicking the weeds for some remnant of sidewalk, — I mean the thing is just where you get to sell something like, wait a second…

— Look I want to get home before it rains, I can’t…

— No but anyway it’s just this other selling thing I got where it says you’ll never have to clean your toilet bowl again, see they send you this here…

— What makes you think I want to go around selling things! I don’t even…

— To make some money just like anybody I mean that’s what you wait up, I mean you’re taking such long steps hey? Mister Bast? Did you ever hear that one about if you need any money just ask my father he’s got piles?

— No.

— No but wait up hey, do you get it? Just ask my…

— I get it yes, look does your father know about all this sending away you’re doing?

— What?

— I said does your father…

— No but that’s just suppose to be this here joke see, where…

— I know it’s supposed to be this here joke! it’s the, it’s one of the worst I ever heard, I said does your fa…

— No but hey Mister Bast…? he came pushing shoulder high through Queen Anne’s laces hemming him in behind, — like what business is your father in.

— Music.

— What he writes it? like you?

— He writes it and he’s a prominent conductor look, music’s not a business like shoes or…

— No I know, I mean that’s why he’s this here prominent conductor right…? he came hurrying alongside for the brief stretch of sidewalk, — I mean where he makes some money being this conductor so he can go write this here music in his spare time he doesn’t make much off, right?

— I suppose yes now look I’m in a hurry…

— No that’s okay I can take bigger steps it’s just all this here stuff I can’t hardly…

— Well where are you going, where…

— No I’m just walking you home, see I…

— Well you don’t have to it’s practically dark, doesn’t your mother expect you to…

— Her…? the sidewalk ended abruptly — no she comes in all different ow! holy, boy I almost lost my…

— Different what.

— All these different times see she’s like this here nurse could you wait up a second hey? My sneaker… he’d gone down to one knee where a pole of rust bore Doges Promenade in barely discernible letters over the rutted opening in the weeds. — Boy hey did you hear that? that thunder?

— Of course that’s why I…

— No wait I’m coming… he got across the rutted mud, — hey?

— Well what!

— Nothing, I mean what do you want to talk about.

— I don’t want to talk about anything I’m…

— How come. I mean are you thinking of a tune…? he took advantage of the broken remnant of sidewalk to hurry alongside — have you still got that master tunesmith thing I gave you hey?

— Look I’m not trying to write tunes for money, I’m…

— I know, I mean how come you’re writing it.

— It’s just what I have to do! now will you…

— I know, that’s what I mean. How come… the sidewalk remnant was gone and he plunged in behind — hey? I mean when you’re writing this here music do you need to be someplace with a piano or a horn or something? or like can you make it up anyplace. Hey? Mister Bast…?

— What.

— I mean when you make it up right inside your head do you hear it playing like? I mean if I think of some song I can like hear it playing only if you’re making up this here music which nobody ever heard it before do you hear these here instruments playing like tee, boy I’m getting out of breath, like teedle leedle leedle right inside your head then you go write down these little notes? Or, or first do you think of all these little notes which you write them down then when you read them you get to hear…

— Look I can’t stop now to explain it, I’m…

— Okay don’t get mad, I mean I just thought where you’re teaching it and all you’d…

— Well I’m not! I’m not teaching anything, now will you…

— No but how come, you quit hey? I mean how come you, boy I can’t hardly see where wait up hey, Mister Bast? I mean this opera thing which I’m being this here little dwarf in it you’re not teaching that anymore either hey?

— No!

— No but wait, see I thought we’d be…

— What difference is it, you’re just being this here little dwarf in it to get out of gym aren’t you?

— No well sure but I mean what are you going to do now hey…

— I just told you!

— No I know but like you just said you’re not writing these here tunes for money I mean if you quit teaching see all these here business oppor, hey? Where are you wait… he burst from the weeds where another agony of rust signaled ruts running in toward the dark bank of trees — hey? this is where you turn in? I mean just a second I just wanted to…

— Look don’t start to get these papers out again it’s dark! I can’t see them why do you want me to see them anyhow, why do you pick me to…

— No well I just thought maybe we can use each other you know? like I said that time? So I mean where I just gave you this here loan for these tickets I thought…

— All right! I thanked you didn’t I? I’m paying you interest aren’t I? I’ll give it to you as soon as I can turn them in and the school still owes me money for…

— No wait a second, hey? you want me to turn them in for you?

— Fine yes, here, here and look I’ll give you a dollar that should make us about even wait, here’s another one…

— No but see the dollar is…

— All right here! here I still have some nickels from that cafeteria here, now goodnight goodbye!

— No well see we’ll keep that separate because I have to like discount these here tickets, you know?

— No I don’t know! look…

— No but see that’s what you do hey, see because while you’re loaning this here money off me it’s not working for me while I’m waiting to get it back off these here tickets so I mean you just discount it like, you know? I mean like we had where this Mister Y goes in this here bank to loan this four thousand dollars off them for five years see? Only they like loan him five thousand which all he gets is this here four thousand he came for where they’re loaning him this here other thousand to like pay them back this interest for this four thousand ahead of time so I mean he never even sees it, see I mean like he loaned it off them only all they do they just take it out of this one pocket and like put it right back in this here other one I mean that’s what discounting is, see?

— Fine yes look just give them back to me, I’ll…

— No that’s okay hey I’ll do it for you and I mean we’ll make this here discount rate like ten percent okay? Like that makes it easier to figure up where you just move the dot, so that’s…

— Fine yes you move it goodbye, it’s starting to…

— No wait we have to figure it up hey seven, eight…

— There are twelve tickets they cost nine sixty, now goodni…

— Eleven, wait there’s thirteen here so that means like if twelve cost…

— Wait there can’t be, there were twelve of you on the train I bought twelve…

— There’s thirteen go ahead and count them so like if twelve cost nine sixty then one, twelve into nine wait, ninety-six no wait, seven what’s seven twelves wait seven tens is…

— Listen if there are thirteen then thirteen of you went in with Mrs Joubert and only twelve came back out now who…