JR (109 page)

press reading them statements on these oil and gas leases you're securing on some Indian res… Well damn it Bast I wouldn't have either thought you were just sitting up here writing music can you tell me what the hell is … explain it all someday fine meanwhile how the hell shall I… Bast damn it look how the hell can I use my own judgment if I don't even know the… I'm not angry at you no damn it look you're welcome but can you … my work? Been on it up here all day yes going fine going pretty well I… of plastic what? Hardly hear you… wait get to whose funeral at noon, Bast… ? She's not here no wait get to whose… I will yes but damn it wait she… what? Wait wait what bus is leaving, Bast? Bast… ? Good, Christ! He came down, a film can followed to crack open on the floor and send the roll merrily unfurling before him, came to grief at H-O where he sank for a moment—get it done Christ could have cleared up that whole first part tonight… and he reached under the dark of the punctured shade, made the sofa and pulled the blanket up, crooked an arm over his head against the torrents beyond and, nearer, the trickle of
——treasured heirlooms, many were from the finest…

Light came finally separating the blind as though cautious what it might disturb, broadened as though emboldened where nothing moved but the second hand spanning the arc alone till the long hand rose from NO DEPOSIT and, after repeated tries, came up dragging the short behind.

He came up on one elbow —who the, who is it!

—Got a delivery…

—Just wait a minute … he came fighting the blanket, got the door

opened —stuff from downtown? Just bring it in and, here close the tub cover just pile it here.

—What you talking about pile it there.

—What the hell's the problem just bring it in and pile it here … he clattered the tub cover down passing, —busy with some work I can't stop to …

—Take a look out your window there.

—What that truck? Biggest damned truck I ever, look who's this for.

—Mister Bast J R Corp whole fucking truckload here's your invoice, shipment three five nine seven…

—That's absurd here let me, look you can't bring a hundred thousand plastic flowers up here good God, what…

—What I'm telling you, so where do you want them.

—I don't want them look take them back where they came from or, wait drive around the block while I call…

—Came from Hong Kong take me an hour to get that fucking rig around the fucking block what do you…

—Good great take two hours ride around the block go back to Hong Kong look God damn it don't give me … he caught the door, left it hanging till he was back from the dim recess of plumbing in the hall examining a square of tissue in the light —business is very good where the hell this came from, can't be Bast must be Bast … it dropped crumpled, —God damned morning half gone not even a chance to get started here…

He came in with a red cup floating a teabag, set it beside the red cup submersing a teabag on Moody's —run right through it today Christ got to get it done, another day like yesterday and I, where those matches … he drew the enchilada can in reach —where was I, where John Dewey came groping wait, damn it, well God damn it missed a whole page… He picked them apart —groping for the pages stuck together with this God damned cheese, close and intimate acquaintance got with nature broke off in the middle of this Dewey quote didn't even notice it, intimate acquaintance got with nature at first hand, with real things and materials, with the actual processes of their manipulation, and the knowledge of their social necessities and uses most awkward writer in the God damned language, break off in the middle of one of his clumsy God damned sentences don't even notice it. Now. In a Cambridge house where William James was busy pasting up a collage of what worked into a philosophy, E L Thorndike emerged from actual processes of manipulation in the cellar with his book Animal Intelligence to lay foundations for modern public school testing in terms got from nature at first hand in the intelligent

behavior of chickens, terms irrefragable enough to be measured and compared as time and motion were currently being strait-jacketed by F W Taylor in a Bethlehem steel plant, to be sorted and evaluated as readily as the nickel and dime items on Frank Woolworth's expanding counters, ingredients of the tangible world Mary Baker Eddy was

profitably demonstrating could be classified and organized in unruffled confidence that it did not exist while, as profitably confident it did, the shoe machinery trust was showing such organization to be as vital to the prospects of the shoe machinery industry as shoe machinery itself. Disappointed with Niagara there, follows beautifully reads God damned well out loud too…

Foot tapped foot on Thomas Register as he dug for matches, — follows so God damned well though how can I leave out a whole page never miss it, skipped a whole God damned page never even missed it probably ought to take it right out speed up the Christ… his feet came down —start thinking that way be nothing left of it but the God damned title right back where I started … He came forward, picked up the roll of film —end up reduce the title to a God damned period give an intelligent reader the essence of the whole God damned thing… he stretched an arm's length of film up to the light —incredible, look at this German footage think they staged the whole God damned war for their combat photographers … and another arm's length of film came up, another, it rose in coils at his feet —Huertgen Forest must be Schramm's didn't know he, damn it just let the God damned thing ring try to get anything done here no … he was up, —might be …

Film trailed him through in a tangle caught on his foot mounting 24- 12 Oz Btls Fragile! —hello… ? Mister Bast no he's… who? Leva? Not the B F Leva … ? he settled back. —Quite an honor Mister Lev… right number yes Mister Leva Mister Bast said you might… this morning's paper haven't seen it no, anything interesting … ? Erebus yes of course Mister Leva, all America knows your… Ad offering sixty dollars a share? Why no, thought I'd suggested eighty-five or ninety Mister Leva they must have … my idea yes just helping out here I… pardon? Why of course I do, all America knows the name B F Leva Mister Leva, whole world… joke no certainly not Mister Leva, whole thing's on the… Sorry you're taking it this way Mister Leva we thought you'd be delighted, all America knows your reputation for cheap … no no I meant cheap ideas Mister Leva, wouldn't think of implying… pardon? the tub… ? Oh you have a picturephone too … ? No, no you just happened to catch me on location here Mister Leva, making a little film ourselves story about an Estonian refugee family, father's a blind diamond cutter daughter's just lost her … oh you did? Yes, yes I see your fat face up there now always wondered Mister Leva, are you German? Hungarian … ? No no didn't mean that no just the general level of vulgar stupidity you… Don't know why you'd say that Mister Leva really thought we were helping you out, got a lot of confidence in your… Sixty dollars a share yes look Mister Leva afraid you're putting the wrong interpretation on the whole … confidence yes real God damned vote of confidence Mister Leva, company's looking for a good solid dependable long-term tax loss proposition really confident you'll always find the sleaziest best seller pay the highest price for it and keep on turning out big budget money losing flops consistent tasteless stupidity God damned valuable asset B F

all very complimentary, don't find too many real professionals like you around any… pardon? Didn't think you'd take it this way B F, after all it isn't if you win or lose it's how you played the game isn't it, thought you'd … What I mean yes B F yes we're playing dirty, don't mind if I call you B F? Always thought of you that way connotation in England you probably … no bloody fucker, thought you'd… pardon? Oh, it's Grynszpan yes, g r y… that nobody ever talked to you like this? Well now you… come out there to work for you? God damned kind of you B F but… working on something here I have to finish up yes… yes any time B F any time … He came down kicking free of the coils of film — day's really getting off to a good, what was that somebody out there?

Who's out there … he got the door on the sound of footsteps down the dark stairs, the mail still settling at his feet —God damned coward come back here… !

The door banged below and he stooped to sweep it in with the rest

—rain nor heat nor gloom of night can't stop them get a God damned bear trap … he scooped it up, —sort it out while there's still room here to move … and he came leaving a trail to the sofa where he let it go over the armless end —whole pile already here where the hell did all this come from. Ace Hand Laundry, two twenty West Eighty what the hell they're delivering this here for, Miss Olga Krupskaya four thirteen West start a pile here for the West Side. G Berst this address who the hell, Grynszpan pile for Grynszpan, Thomas Eigen Author of God still girls around who dot their i's with circles, send him her picture naked he'd be there return mail. Bodega de West Side pile, Grynszpan Connecticut State Highway Department sounds good, Edwerd Bast Esquire from Beaton, Broos and Black sounds like the God damned Spanish Main, telephone company, Grynszpan Britannica still after him, Bast return envelope Henry Street Settlement, somebody so God damned cheap they cross that out address it to him in pencil, phone company, E Gerst new pile…

The long hand drove the short higher, dropped toward NO return. — Señora West Side pile, Thomas Eigen Family Court better call him,

there. Now. Try to get anything done here where was I, millions yes. And while those millions so God damned many piles no place left to sit down, millions, those one eyed, that one eyed wait God damn it had it last night when that God damned lamp went one eyed no, that, that, well God damn it! He whispered into hands pressed against his face — why the hell I'm trying to do it this way anyhow should have gone right into those God damned notes, get going on it Christ have to get going on it find those God damned notes… He got a foot on 24/One Pound

H-O —Tootsie Roll, remember the box it said Tootsie Roll Twelve Count… he pulled himself up to Won't Burn Smoke or Smell —hell's all this…

Letters, string, shoe polishing cloth, glue, a Liberty head quarter — Christ might be worth something… cigarette lighters, view of the Ghiralda, snapshots —think she was ever that small… undeveloped film

rolls, clippings, typed pages held together with a rusty clip —How Rose Is Read, God forgot I ever started this published it five years ago it would have been … he stretched back up there head resting against NO DEPOSIT. —Rose, young but no girl, beautiful out of context and aware of that, stayed out entirely or until her late presence merely confirmed one she'd established of her own where she'd sit quietly and watch as though she'd never been elsewhere, and though it must have been one young man's persistence after another that drew her to say she always understood people's motives but sometimes not their

words, she'd go on appearing to take each at his own evaluation and let that build without her interference out of all proportion till when she sidestepped, and it fell, it came from such a height there were a good many pieces and time, too much of it, to pick them up in and examine for their delicate contrivance. And there were pieces everywhere. Mention her name and you'd see them, or their sharp edges, surface briefly in the young men's eyes dropped quickly elsewhere once they'd learned how many times she'd read Go lovely Rose, in how many different hands, forcing her door with flowers, fleeing it home to books to flee her there. Elena in Turgenev's On the Eve flung down at two am as elsewhere pages feverishly turned to find her serving tea to friends by one gone back to bed to toss alone till dawn came in another part of town where someone else gave up importuning her shade through Gluck's underworld with a twist of the dial to study in his own unsteady hand of the night before beware women who blow on knots and then take all of an hour to find perhaps it was right to dissemble your love, but why did you kick me downstairs? No book heroine as they wanted, this crowd who would not understand how much more human she was, like old Auda after battle and murder, heart yearning God damn it just get through one sentence in this, just one simple God damned sentence…

He was down brushing himself—filthiest place in the, hello … ? No, who's … called last night from Ohio yes said you might call about a tape he … no Ohio Akron Ohio, something about a tape you… No I don't no look Mister Crawley I don't know what anybody's doing in Ohio, said something about a funeral guess they all just go there to … Didn't mention any margin money no he just said there was a tape he wants to be sure you … just helping out up here yes got some work I

have to get right back to, now… Who this Leva? called this morning yes sounded damned excited about the whole thing, got on a first name basis reassured him about the company's confidence in his… Piscator said what… ? No wait my idea but not my decision look … no what president, president of oh you mean the company Bast's company hasn't been in no just… hasn't called no, just… bring what lenders down on him look Crawley I don't know the company's cash position don't even know the… didn't know the stock opened off two points this morning no, look I… wait listen, I … Listen I don't know where the hell he is no, don't know a God damned thing about these statements

he's calling in to the press gas exploration pollution suit mining claims voting trust margin money or anything else no, I told you I'm working on something important up here and… Look if he calls I'll tell him to call you tell him you're being pressed hard by these commodity exchanges for margin on … should have seen it coming laid out your supply and demand curves bigger the gaps get just watch the whole God damned cobweb develop pick a point anyplace on it you know where the… watch your corn sales, price of hogs a hundred pounds goes over eleven times corn a bushel they'll feed the corn to the hogs, goes under eleven hell with the hogs sell the corn should have kept an eye on the … Can't no look I told you working on something here that's… no just this tape Mister Bast wanted to be sure you … oh you did? Fine I'll tell him you got it goodbye, I… what? No just give me the message sure I can remem… captures those soaring tones that evoke the vastness of the plains, the purple mountains' majesty certainly won't forget no, good … sonorous tones of horn and kettledrum evoking the majesty of another kingdom won't forget that in a hurry no, good … what? Tell him you've had disappointing news on the film but you're a man of your word sending him his fee anyhow sure he'll be God damned glad to hear that yes, good … Thanks yes very flattering Mister Crawley just not looking for a job right now really not my field anyhow, good … no just, put it this way just happen to be friendly to bellies in the long term, now goodbye…