JR (23 page)

—Where did, that in this damn kit too Dave?

—Must have, one of the girls must have dropped it in we, boys and girls? That's just a, it's what we call a news release it's just a story about something that's going to happen and we write it to help out the newspapers so that when the…

—Like you get to write this here news which it didn't even happen yet?

—Well that's not exactly what, what I mean boys and girls a story like this we haven't told anybody yet because Mister Moncrieff's appointment hasn't really been made yet ofiîcially so let's, yes let's

keep it like a club secret shall we? One for all and, and I think I smell those box lunches…

—All right everyone no more questions, let's…

—No but I just wanted to go to the boys' room.

—Here I'll take him while we see about these box lunches… Hands went up everywhere.

—Two at a time then, two at a time…

—Here, here this way … he caught the bowl of a cropped head in one hand, the sweater's gap at the narrow shoulder in the other steering an abrupt turn up the corridor, stopping to rattle keys.

—How come you lock up the toilets.

—It's the executive washroom now just hurry up in there, come back and join the others…

—Wait can we get out all right? Let's see hey…

—Try it see if it opens from inside.

—Okay it turns, they must be scared somebody's going to steal their toilets look at this hey.

—Push it, didn't you ever see one?

—All this hot air's coming out hey look out, somebody's in that one

… they came up the row of metal doors stooped hands to calves, looking under. —These two…

—Somebody forgot to flush mine. Shhh…

—What.

—Shhh, somebody just came in …

—Damn fool don't have the sense to avoid taxable income like the plague what the devil'd he think would happen… black shod feet crowned by gray cuffs shuffled up the rank of doors, —obsession he's got about running low-cost operations didn't even look at the damn tax angle did he?

—I thought Wiles handled the whole thing for him… burnished bluchers followed, drawing heads down to rest on dropped wales of corduroy where they peered under the doors.

—Damn it Monty think Frank Wiles would have let that happen? Situation like that got out and spent something could have turned his whole damn tax picture around let the damn government's money work for him for a change how the devil's he think the damn phone company got where they are … a urinal flushed emphatically and one black shod foot rose in a brief glimpse of hornpipe. —Don't know the first simple damn rule there is buy for credit sell for cash now he wants the bank to step in and bail him out? Had any damn sense he would have taken what he could borrow against those assets when he had them, used that to build up their value where he could have borrowed enough to pick the whole damn thing up he'd have it to borrow against now … A toilet flushed. —That you in there Beaton?

—Yes sir.

—What's the latest on Diamond.

—Twenty sir.

—Get Wiles tell him to buy at nineteen.

A urinal flushed long and patiently. —I just don't want any repercussions when this tender comes up, if …

—Being sold on the open damn market isn't it? Company buying from its own assets no damn legal question till its capitalization's reduced by a third no need for any damn press statement on it either, make sure that what's his name knows it where the devil'd he come from Monty.

—Dave? He's all right, goes off half cocked sometimes but he works hard even puts in Saturdays…

—So do the damn cleaning women keep an eye on him hear me Beaton?

A restrained trickle of water sounded behind them. —Dave? that you in there?

Black, burnished, black, the shoes turned to point toward the ranked metal doors as one came slowly open, then the other, with a cinching of belts. —Well by, what the devil are they doing here, get an earful did you boys?

—No we didn'f even…

—Why not … he tore off a paper towel and blew his nose, —hear more straight talk in the washroom than you will at twenty board meetings … and he held the paper towel off to look into it before he wadded it up. —Anything else we can tell you?

—Well I just wondered what you said about…

—Are you a millionaire?

—Millionaire? What would you do with a million dollars, you tell me that.

—Me? First I'd get this great big place with like these electric fences and…

—Be a damn fool too wouldn't you, he muttered as the carpeting swallowed their footsteps in the corridor. —You in this class of Mrs Joubert's are you? Mean she's never told you the only damn time you spend money's to make money?

—She did too hey I mean that's what we're having where she said your money should work for you or it's like this here lazy partner which you …

—Think she's pretty smart do you?

—Sure she's real smart, like…

—Real smart is she? She ever teach you what money is?

—Like anybody knows that I mean, wait, here like this here quarter is…

—What most damn fools think, next time you just tell her money is credit, get that?

—It's what?

—Tells you your money should work for you you tell her the trick's to get other people's money to work for you, get that?

—Sure but…

—There they are… Davidoff rounded a corner ahead, —oh and Carol…

—Dave, that press statement…

—All squared away Boss … Davidoff hurried the boys ahead of him,

—we had to clear them out of the board room Boss I think a pipe in the ceiling went, oh Carol… they rounded the corner behind her, — that press release I want to see it before it goes out, just a few word changes…

—But it went out already, you said…

—You mean it really went out? Well get the, get them on the phone. Wait. Get a pad. Got a pad?

—Hey wait all my stuff in that room hey that stock we bought's in there wait…

—It's all right your teacher got it hurry up … he pulled a door and they broke out on the hard floor to round the corner on a massive panel of black on white stroked with a mad reserve, —Carol? In the first paragraph for attributing the stock's activity just read attributing the activity in nickel futures trading … he swerved them toward the elevators past a man balancing the huge canvas, —And in the second paragraph, for…

—Hey buddy where do you want this thing.

—Just, just lean it there don't drop it get into the, wait I'll have to show you where the board room is, Carol? he got the elevator button with a stab as one behind him ejected a figure hung with bags and

cameras pursued by a cartload of white boxes —wait here's the pho, doesn't matter look Carol get these kids over to the automat with the others where's…

—I got the wrong subway.

—Never mind forget it just get me proofs of the pictures you got downtown here get those box, wait… he came on empty hands fighting his tie, —Gov…

—This it?

—This is yes sir this is the painting Governor, the one we …

—Don't match the carpet don't match the walls don't match a damn thing, what's all that.

—What sir the oh, the box lunches yes sir these are the box lunches but the class Mrs Joubert's youngsters had to leave because of the leak in the board room we'll have to throw them out, there's no …

—Throw them out? What's in them.

—Ham and cheese sandwich, banana, cupcake potato chips pickle wedge…

—Don't throw out good food, who ordered them.

—I did yes sir but…

—You ordered them you eat them… he bumped the surge of yellow where she backed the boys into the elevator, —hear me? Waste shows an undisciplined strain of mind, Mister what's your name…

They descended to Country Gardens, pressed out ahead of her —hey aren't we going to eat?

—You're going to the automat instead… she held the yellow skirt against a gust of wind, —see over in that next block?

—Hey look…

—Come on boys, don't stop…

—Boy but wouldn't you think the police wouldn't just let him lie there hey?

—You coming with us to eat?

—Did you see all that blood hey?

—No I have to go right back to work, there's your friends… she gained the glass, pointed in over beans mounting a withered frankfurter remnant charred en casserole. —Come see us again now…

—Who's that with Mrs Joubert hey… they burst from the revolving door.

—That guy Bast, she better have my stuff boy…

—Boys? No running… she called seated near bread and rolls, an elbow on the table and her fingers, curved as fingers curve on a violin's fingerboard back on the heel of her hand where her chin rested, quivered there as though bringing the tremolant tone to her voice. — Not at you no, no I was laughing at myself when I was young, at what I thought all composers were like I'd read something about Wagner somewhere, about how he couldn't stand books in a room where he was working and how he stroked soft folds of cloth and scent, he liked attar of roses and someone sent it to him from Paris, that's what I

thought it was like all silk, silk and attar of roses…

—Is this here all my stuff Mrs Joubert?

—How we suppose to eat.

—Yes I think if we can borrow another dollar from, thank you Mister Bast just take it over there boys, she'll change it into nickels for you I'm sorry Mister Bast, I don't know what we would have done if we hadn't run into you again.

—Yes well I'd hoped…

—I don't know how I could have left without money, I'd barely enough for their train fare and their lunches were supposed to be …

—No it's all right… he'd brought his eyes up sharply from the loose collar of her blouseless suit, more the appeal of asking a favor than granting one in his tone —that was when he was old though, Wagner I mean, when Wagner was old and…

—Yes but that's what you meant isn't it, about creating an entirely different world when you write an opera, about asking the audience to suspend its belief in the…

—No not asking them making them, like that E flat chord that opens the Rhinegold goes on and on it goes on for a hundred and thirty-six bars until the idea that everything's happening under water is more real than sitting in a hot plush seat with tight shoes on and…

—Mrs Joubert could I have a dime?

—I think you've had enough to eat Debby, we're…

—It's Linda.

—Linda yes I'm sorry, where's your sweater.

—Over on the table, I don't want to eat they said it costs a dime to go to the toilet here, you have to put a dime in to get in the…

—Yes yes all right if, oh thank you again we must be taking every penny you…

—No no it's all right I've, I'd put some aside for the union and when they wouldn't take me, when you say you're a concert pianist they give you as hard a score as they can find there was a drummer there and all they asked for was give us a paradiddle…

—But why must you join at all, if you simply want to compose…

—No well since this teaching was, since it didn't really work out too well I thought if I could find some work playing I could keep on with my…

—Mrs Jou…

—Here …! he thrust a dime at the figure shifting rapidly foot to foot beside her, —that I could keep working on my…

—But couldn't you earn something writing music for, I don't know but there must be somewhere you could…

—Yes well that's what I did, what I'm doing I mean somebody I met there, a bass player, he was on standby he's getting paid not to play at a Broadway show they say is a musical just because it …

—Mis…

—Excuse me, boys please! You've just had a dollar J R you don't

need…

—No I know, I just wondered if Mister Bast wants me to change some nickels from a dollar for him.

—Not, no but if you'd like something?

—Some, just some tea I think, I don't feel awfully well…

—Yes wait, here … he peeled away a bill under the table.

—And he found you something? this bass player?

—No well yes sort of indirectly, he said he wanted to help me out and sent me to a place over on the West Side where they said they wanted some nothing music, three minutes of nothing music it's for television or something, they said they had three minutes of talk on a track or a tape they needed music behind it but it couldn't have any real form, anything distinctive about it any sound anything that would distract from this voice this, this message they called it, they…

—But of all things how absurd, paying a composer to …

—Yes well they didn't, I couldn't do it I mean, they were in a hurry they would have paid me three hundred dollars and I tried and all I could, everything I did they said was too…

—And that's hardly what I meant, someone being paid not to play who sends you somewhere to write nothing mus…

—Well what do you think I…! he caught one hand back with the other, —I'm sorry I, three hundred dollars all I could think of was that concerto of Mozart's the D-minor, that's more than he got paid for the whole series and I couldn't even…

—But I think it's marvelous, that you couldn't write their nothing music? I mean just because you can't get paid to play Chopin or even write music that's…

—No but I am though, I didn't finish … he looked up from her fingertips touching his hands clenched there, —when I left somebody else there said he'd like to help me out and sent me downtown to see some dancers who want their own music for …

—Boys… ! her hand was gone, —settle down! she called after the collision at the marbled cashier's cage —I'm sorry, we …

—Do you like Chopin?

—Oh of course I do yes, that ballade the Ballade in G? it's simply the most roman…

—In G-minor yes that's on the program if I could get tickets would you, it's next week would you like to go if I can get the tickets it's a recital by…

—That's awfully sweet Mister Bast I …

—No well I guess I, I mean you're married I didn't think of that I just…

—That's hardly the reason no but, I'm just afraid I can't, I'm…

—No that's all right I just, I just thought you, you wanted some tea yes I'm sorry I'll get it …

—Thank you I'd, oh be careful! she'd seized his wrist.