William Gaddis - J R

— You tell him about Leo?

— I started to no, maybe when he gets back, you want your sugar?

— Here. I swear if Leo tries that with me he’ll go out with a hole in his belly. So how long’s he gone for.

— A couple of days he said, he’s stopping in Dayton I think he’s after Kenny’s ass.

— That Kenny he gives me a big pain you know where, you got an emery?

— Here… a drawer rolled open between their crossed knees, — you want the radio? No just move your coffee…

— You still using his apartment?

— No his kid’s still home sick we been using this friend of his, Kenny said he’s a musician someplace I think he’s a fag the way the place is decorated, you know? It’s real nice.

— I can’t make it like that, like that time with Ronnie I’m always scared somebody’s going to walk in right when you’re wait is that all the pink polish?

— We made it four times up there Monday before he went, I’ll get more at lunch you want to go shopping? I saw this like silky yellow blouse over on Steinway it would go real nice with your coloring turn it up a little…

— and save four dollars on genuine leath… your gospel station. And ye shall… motion to dismiss a class action suit by… viernes sabado y domingo, el… market is down sixteen cents. The… for tomorrow, partly sunny windy and coo…

The voices met, parted, rose over the scratch of emery boards, dropped for the sound of the phone — no he went out of town for a couple of days Mister Shapiro, could I do something for you…? no come on now don’t get fresh… paused to dial, — yes I’m calling Mis… no ma’am no I’m not the lady selling the free dance less… no for Mister Bast, is he… he’s where…? answered again — that last order I got the order right in front of me it says twenty pound stock yeah… and silence, finally, with — wait out here for me, I forgot to turn off the lights…

— inbound traffic on the Gowanus Exp… favor, send your mouth on a vaca… and rain, the present tem… no tiene nada…

— Turn it off I swear, if he wasn’t so cheap we’d have Muzak. How come you came in so late this morning.

— I got the worst cramps I been, wait. Hello…? No he’s out of town, he went yesterday Mis… tomorrow I think, I’ll tell him to call you okay? Goodbye now…

— I got to get back out there, those new forms Mrs Krauer’s having a hemorrhage.

— Wait lend me a Tampax, I thought I had some here. Kenny didn’t call?

— Him? I told you he’s bullshitting you I swear, he’s a worse bullshitter even than Ronnie you going shopping at lunch? I’m taking back that yellow blouse I got yesterday my mother said it will shrink.

— I thought maybe I’ll get a plant.

— For here?

— One yeah mainly just leaves, I mean I’m spending half my life here you know…? the drawer rolled open — how the days go by you can’t tell one from the next one sometimes… she studied her nails turned in on her palm and then studied them the length of her hand. — I mean sometimes I get real bored… and the emery board took up, the phone, the typewriter, voices meeting and parting.

— Yeah I know, he’s supposed to be back yesterday he had to stop off at Dayton… no I told him you called Mister Shapiro, he… thank you that’s very nice but I can’t, no, my sister’s having a…

— active issues. I T and T thirteen, up one eighth. Diamond Cable, seventee… revised forecast continued rain and… join the biggest savings bank fam… do your mouth a favor, send… four dollars on genuine leather work boots, come in now and…

— How come you go out this way now, it’s so dark.

— Just not to pass the shipping room, you know? Those boys with their cracks.

— That one Jimmy’s nice.

— Nice yeah, he’s hard up like all of them in there…

— were killed when a taxi went out of con… sunny and colder, with temp… in next year’s pennant race. The… of famous maker sheets and… to be expected.

— Hello…? It’s me yeah who did you think it… yeah what are you doing up so early I been trying to call you every night since… big order I bet yeah, I bet you’re sacked out with this big order right now you… Yeah I bet listen you think I never saw you talk on the phone while you’re in the saddle? don’t… I heard it yeah don’t tell me it’s the television like that time you came back from Cleveland for two days you couldn’t even… When yesterday? No… no he just called in he didn’t say… Okay I kept telling you didn’t I? What did he… yeah okay what am I sup… by talking to him yeah about what, you think I can save your ass now by telling him you… I bet… yeah I bet… I bet yeah, you… yeah okay you do that Kenny you can kiss my… you can kiss that too yeah, good… I bet you would, goodbye.

— He’s fired?

— Yeah now he’s telling, he’s telling me will I ask the boss if, wait hello…? Oh hi Mister Co, Coen they let you out…? No he, he said sometime today, he’s… no I, I guess I got a cold…

— Use my, wait here’s a napkin…

— Yes I’m, okay go ahead Mister Coen I got my pad…

— I swear, didn’t I tell you?

— revised forecast, partly cloudy with…

— Like I was saying in his car that time where he already had about ten daiquaris so I finally just tell him look, I don’t go down unless I really like somebody, you going shopping at lunch? I saw this black wig…

— Okay just move his chair back so if he comes in wait, hello…? Gee no he still didn’t come back yet we… Sure yeah I’ll tell him you wait, wait hold on a second, he’s just walking in the office, Mister Angel? It’s your wife calling…

— Well just, here. Hello, Stel… just walked in this minute yes, what… yes well fine you go ahead then I’ll just fix something when I come in, are there any eggs…? Don’t do that no I’ll find something, you didn’t hear from our boy Edward while I was gone did you…? No wait a minute, Terry? did you ever get hold of that Mister Bast at that Long Island number I gave you?

— No I called but they said he went abroad someplace accepting some award so…

— I guess not no unless Coen… that’s all right you go ahead yes, goodbye… he dropped the large envelopes under his arm to his desk, took off his hat — you girls just going out to lunch?

— If that’s okay Mister Angel, we just waited till late because it makes the afternoon shorter you know? Here’s all your phone calls, this Mister Shapiro called about ten times and Mister Coen called this morning about this whole tax thing I wrote it all down…

— That’s fine Terry… he came round behind his desk getting out of his coat, — ought to keep me busy till you get back.

When she did he was pouring bourbon into a paper cup. — Gee we didn’t expect you to be gone so long Mister Angel, I mean even being gone the whole weekend and all, you notice any changes?

He put the bottle back into the file cabinet drawer. — I guess that looks like a new…

— No not about me I mean, that. The plant.

— Yes well, where’d that come from.

— I got it a couple of days ago gee it looks like it’s wilting already, they had big ones too only they were a lot more, you know?

— Yes well it’s, it’s just fine Terry but you shouldn’t spend your own money like that on something for the office.

— No that’s okay, I mean like you said once we spend half our life in here… she was squaring papers on her typewriter, turned thrusting red hair back. — This letter to Dayton, you want carbons to anybody Mister Angel?

— One for the file’s all it’s just confirming that order, I just scribbled it on the plane can you read it?