William Gaddis - J R

— Come on Tom be Mister Grynszpan just for tonight? Backward turn backward oh time in thy flight, make Tom Mister Grynszpan just for Christ wait what time is it!

— There’s a clock right under you Mister Gibbs, under the sofa there but it…

— Look out Jack damn it you’re spilling that will you…

— Fine only two thirty plenty of time, have to meet a lady Bast great admirer of yours have to talk to you sometime, got a lot of great admirers you…

— Jack listen you’re not going anyplace like this will you just sit, here bring that bottle back!

— What the hell’s keeping them over there! he was past the fleet of cartons and over the film cans, up 24-One Pint Mazola New Improved across bales of the Morning Telegraph toppling a peak of lampshades to mount Appletons’ Cyclopaedia of American Biography at the sill of the window to the rear where light squared the window across the airshaft, — Christ…

— Jack? What’s…

— Like a, like a sack of potatoes…

— Just come back in here and sit down will you? Not a damn thing we can do yet, you didn’t find any glasses here did you Mister, Mister Bast?

— No but I’m finished with this cup and there’s a…

— Wait give me the bottle Jack here, take this cup in and rinse the, what…

— Just brought the mail see what Grynszpan’s up to.

— Well don’t just dump it on the…

— And Mister Gibbs could you save that teabag? I’ve only used it twice oh and there’s a tomato soup can in there if you…

— Where the hell all this mail’s coming from, Jack?

— Yes well I was just going to say Mister, Mis…

— Eigen sorry, my name’s…

— His name’s Eigen Bast, Thomas Eigen wrote an important novel once I think you’re sitting on it he…

— Look just sit down Jack give me the cup no here, let me pour it you’re…

— No no here you take the cup Tom, I’ll…

— Well damn it give it to me then!

— Sorry Bast here, like some Old Strug…

— No, no no thank you but the mail I was just going to say maybe some of it’s…

— Mail yes see what’s, good Christ looks like Grynszpan’s enrolled in Dale Carnegie poor bastard no God damned friends he, wait get that one Tom says on it important open immediately, better open it immediately…

— Mister Eigen I was just going to say this mail I think maybe some of it’s…

— Looks like a, El Paso Natural Gas looks like a stock certificate how the…

— God damned shrewd Grynszpan take a flyer in El Pas…

— What do you mean a flyer it’s one share what’s, wait I’m sorry let me see the envelope it’s made out to, here I’m sorry Mister Bast. I didn’t even look at the envelope…

— No well that’s all right I, I mean I’ve been getting some mail here if it’s all right but I don’t know what this…

— God damned shrewd Bast move in on El Paso gas, lone star bastards get the hell out of the United States set up their own God damned country real lone star democracy, million dollars get a million votes thousand dollars gets…

— Jack be quiet, look…

— Fifty cents skin the wrong color gets half a…

— Shut up! Look if Mister Bast wants to buy a share of…

— But I didn’t Mister Eigen, I don’t even know what it’s…

— Look Mister Bast you don’t have to explain anything sit down Jack, if you said he could come up here and work he wants to get mail here what the hell’s the…

— Try to help andcourage him Tom shows up here on a business trip writing somebody else’s opera what…

— Watch that lamp!

— Halte là…! pages came swept down from 2-Ply Facial Tissue Yellow — qui va là! Tavern where Carmen’s hiding with the smugglers old Don José comes marching up, how’s that.

— Well yes but that passage I was just, I mean this is just music I wrote for those dancers but now she wants to sing too, I scored the instruments for the key of C but she can only sing in the key of G so I have to score it all over again tonight to take in tomorrow and get paid so I can…

— Look Jack stand that lamp back up straight and sit down!

— Wait I can reach it Mister Eigen, if…

— Just helping him with his libretto Tom, need a libretto don’t you Bast?

— Well I, for what I’m working on myself I’ve sort of started with Locksley Hall and tried to…

— Locksley Hall Christ, next thing you’ll shock us with a novel call it the Sorrows of Young Werther.

— Well I, if you could just move your foot Mister Gibbs I could reach the…

— Wait what’s he stepping on damn it, pick that up will you Bast? before he…

— Get to wed some savage what’s, where’d that come from…

— It’s mine I just brought it from Schramm’s, look put it up on that box before it gets…

— Ever see this Bast? Schramm’s girl Irma rendered in the altogether by Lucas Cranach where…

— Look it’s not Cranach it’s a sorceress by Baldung, now just give it to me will you?

— Surprised they didn’t confiscate it God damned indecent, little bush there ever meet her Bast?

— Who no I, I mean there was a girl I, I saw a girl once with Mister Schramm but…

— Nothing to be embarrassed about Bast, stand her up here all enjoy her how’s that. Book I read once the girl had breasts like warm duck eggs Cranach must have read the same God damned book, missed the spirit here with what’s her name, Irma? More like ostrich eggs up front.

— Rhoda.

— That’s it Rhoda, should have brought her back with you Tom have a little wake.

— They were getting ready to take her away why the hell would I bring her back, she look out! Damn it Jack what are you…

— See out the God damned window that’s all, Christ what, never seen so many flashing lights real mixed media show down there really got their hands full with her, ought to get yourself one Tom wed some savage woman let her rear your dusky…

— Look just sit down and be quiet will you Jack? She’s, if she’d been here when he came back that’s why he came back here God damn her, if she’d been here it wouldn’t have happened she…

— Kept him at your house till I got there wouldn’t have happened either, he…

— Jack God damn you! you, where have you been, all this time where the hell have you been!

— But, what happened has something happened? to Mister Schramm I mean?

— Two or three things Bast didn’t even know you knew him.

— No well I really don’t, I mean he comes in sometimes and talks about things like writing and my, this work I’ve been trying to do helping me with some of the…

— Schramm? Never knew a God damned thing about music.

— But he really does, he…

— Never could read a God damned note, tone deaf too couldn’t even tell the…

— Jack look you’re spilling that all over the…

— I’m not spilling, it’s spilling. I’m not…

— Damn it just let me pour it will you!

— But about Mister Schramm is he, he’s all right isn’t he? I mean, where is he…

— Down the hall there look, he had an accident Bast he…

— I know it yes I was, you mean another one?

— Yes he, wait listen don’t go in there now!

— I’m just going back here… he was already through and past the torrent at the sink, over the Morning Telegraphs — but that, on the bed is that…

— Will you come away from that God damn window!

— Yes but he, they’ve got a canvas bag they… the shade tore down in his face, footprints on it ascending from sill to molding.

— God damn it just, just let them do what they have to do…

— Tom? Leave him alone, come back in have a drink Bast.