William Gaddis - J R

— Why hell you never saw her naked like this neither did I Leo, hell. She might, it might be just somebody’s trying to get her in trouble, she…

— Like she didn’t know they was being taken? Look at this, no this here one with the three of them in it she’s twisted around him looking right in the camera having a whale of a time, look at that.

— Well you can’t just, unless it’s a hundred percent certain you can’t just go around and, hell there’s things they can do now with doctoring pictures that you can’t hardly tell it.

— That’s some doctor then is all I could say. You mean like pasting on somebody’s different face? Look at this here, you’d have to have a picture of her eating a cucumber to paste onto this one, that’s some doctor.

— Well just right now let’s just…

— Wait, wait, that there one spread-eagled over the chair look at it, don’t that look like that old leather chair right there in your office? all them little brass studs showing out of under her knees?

— Well, it…

— And the corner of this here curtain showing you can almost make out the little design, see it?

— Well it, it sure as hell does but we’re just going to wait and don’t say anything till…

— You think them boys in the shipping room ain’t saying…

— You just tell them to do what they’re paid to around here and any that don’t understand that get out, that’s the first God damn rule right down the line produce or get out and something else, you know that big old Welte piano down there in the basement? Go down and take a look at it, see what shape it’s in.

— I used to play on that Mister Angel, the old man had it right up in the…

— Well go down and see what shape it’s in, we might clean it up and set it up out here in the front.

— All right but all them tubes and bellows, that’s all probably cracked and…

— Just do what I’m asking will you Leo? and he turned down the wall of porous green tapping the soiled envelope against his leg out of sight as he came in behind his desk.

— Oh Mister Angel Kenny just called from Dayton on that order and those people in Chicago called again they said they’re up against the wall on these specifications, it’s that letter I put right on top there…

He looked down where an ellipse had already taken shape under his blunt pencil in the margin. — Same story isn’t it, want something done right you have to do it yourself.

— You have to go out there again? I’ll call about your tick…

— That’s all right no I’ll just pick it up at the airport, just call them up and tell them I’ll be out there this afternoon… but all that moved about him was his hand laboriously blacking in the shape in the margin there until she pushed her chair back from the typewriter.

— I’m just going for coffee. You want your regular?

— I don’t want any, no.

— Gee I never heard you turn down coffee, you okay Mister Angel?

— I’m fine Terry… he watched her turn for the door and then sat back staring at the worn leather chair near the coat rack, and then he came forward to open the soiled envelope down in the shelter of his desk, looking up from its contents to the chair, working his mouth and swallowing with apparent difficulty, finally pulling open the desk drawer and thrusting the envelope to the back of it, reaching forward to dial the phone and sit staring as it buzzed at his ear. When she came through the door balancing a cup he was sitting back as though studying the curtains.

— You going home and pack first Mister Angel? or…

— I’ll just buy a shirt and a toothbrush when I get out there… he stood tightening the knot at his wilted collar, brought a wallet up from a hip pocket to thumb through bills and double it back, reaching his jacket and pulling it on. — When Coen calls tell him if he gets out before I get back tell him to go ahead and get me everything he can on that old lawsuit over holes with that jukebox company tell him I heard they’re changing hands, tell him I couldn’t make any more sense than he did out there with this estate situation you got that number for them I gave you? Try and get hold of this Edward Bast out there try and get him and Coen together yes and wait, tell Coen the boy’s just not quite, just say he’s kind of hard to get to I couldn’t get to first base with him myself… by now he was in his coat, reached up for his hat — and see if you can get hold of my wife Terry, just tell her I’ll try to call her tonight.

— I can’t usually reach her Mister Angel, should I say how long you think you’ll be gone?

— I know I just called there just keep trying, shouldn’t be more than a couple of days unless I stop off there in Dayton to give Kenny a push I tell you, when I was on the road here if old Mister Bast would have had to come in and check my territory I would have been out on the street the next morning, used to be all you’d think about’s your commissions now all these salesmen think about’s their expense accounts, his wife called here lately?

— No sir only that nurse where she’s…

— I’d just hate to be the one footing those bills that’s all… he was standing in hat and coat over his desk turning up the pile of letters there, — if that finance company he got himself mixed up with calls again just have to tell them we’ve gone as far as we can now here’s these Triangle paper people again, just hold up on this payment you tell them it’s the third time they’ve come up short on their shipments, they keep up that way we’ll all be out of business here and look at this Terry… he pulled a page from the pile he was stuffing in a manila envelope, — this last letter you typed to Ardo looks like you left off the s there, see right here… she was up, thrust her hair back brushing against him — where it’s supposed to say metal scrap see it looks like…

— Gee! she snatched it up, pressed against him there — wouldn’t that have been awful if it went out like that? I’m sorry…

— No well that’s, no harm done… he cleared his throat in the wave of unconcealing scent, swallowed — I already signed it, you just, just squeeze a little s in there and no harm done… he stood as though waiting for her to move, and then came after her.

— No but I could type it over, gee it’s very embarrass…

— No harm done Terry, one more thing… he’d turned abruptly back to his desk, — I told Leo to get me some cost estimates you keep after him on it, I want them waiting here when I get back.

— Okay but, Mister Angel if you got a second, it was just about Leo…

— No go ahead Terry… he straightened up from locking the drawer.

— That day I stayed late typing up all those tax forms? Well anyway, wait excuse me… hello? Oh hi look I’ll call you back the boss is just leaving…

— Well go ahead… he stood over her.

— No that’s just my friend Myrna out in the order department, is it okay if I take my typing out there sometimes while you’re gone? It gets sort of lone…

— Fine sure but… he cleared his throat again, — what’s that about

Leo.

— No that’s okay Mister Angel I don’t want to keep you, I mean when you get back…

— You suit yourself Terry… he stood there for a moment, — second thought Leo he can be a funny old geezer maybe better just leave him be, I’ll talk to him on the way out here.

— Have a nice trip Mister Angel don’t worry about anything, gee I wish you had one of those nice cases like they carry instead of these old envelopes you use…

— What’s in it that counts, keep an eye on things Terry…

— So long have a nice trip Mister Angel, don’t do nothing I wouldn’t do… she looked up at the clock, down at her watch, studied her nails the length of her hand and then turned them in on her palm and studied them that way, picked up the phone and dialed — hi, he just went yeah bring in your coffee, you got any Nail Mender…? Bring it yeah I just broke one… she hung up, dialed again, — hello? Mister Mullins’ office…? Hello? Yeah this is Mister Angel’s office in New… oh hi, yeah would you tell Mister Mullins he’s on his way out there? He just left… this afternoon sometime yeah, he’s… okay yeah, goodbye now… she hung up. — Wait put your coffee here, drag his chair over.