JR (36 page)

—He ahm, before you came in, he mentioned it before you came in, he ahm, I think he said Vern had sugges…

—One thing I don't trust it's a sullen black, not a word out of him just sitting there taking it all in, look at their face and you don't know what's going on inside if he's on the line past Dunkin Donuts there Whiteback I'd just let district thirteen have him, you've already got two other black families pulling into that area. Blockbusting…

—Yes well the, in terms of the ongoing situation integrationwise, that is to say, we have some Koreans, a Korean family out by Jack's Discount Appliance…

—Your Koreans aren't white blackbite.

—No the, yes, nonwhite you might say the directive is right here somewhere, in terms of structuring our district integrationwise, it refers to nonwhite, integrating them in that is to say, before we start

getting busloads shipped from Queens yes which phone is ahm, hello …

? No he's here yes but…

—That my office?

—No it's for him… Whiteback gestured the phone at the face on the screen which continued unperturbed to address a vacant confine near the door. —Hello? Not exactly here that is to say he … I'll give him the message, I'll give him the message as soon as he … goodbye. Some friend of Mister Gibbs, an accident, put his eye out with a pencil it sounded like.

—Accident? like that painter of his cutting off his ear, just listen to him…

—Do you hear this, Whiteback?

—Do you hear this Whiteback? Is he getting this out of a textbook, this strike talk?

—Yes, this strike talk, threat that is to say, Dan was going to feel his wife's ahm, feel her out on this teacher strike threat activationwise that is to …

A bell sounded silencing motion where anything moved, hurling motionlessness into activity, books gathered at a sweep, papers to the floor, a glove through the air. —Just a minute, you in the third row there.

—Me Mister Gibbs?

—No you, you read the lines about the song the Brahmin sings?

—And when he flies I am the…

—Yes, what was it all about?

—My trip, they said read a report on your trip.

—Were you on this six J field trip?

—The whose?

—What grade are you in? What class are you in?

—Isn't this Communications Skills?

—You'd better go down to see Miss Waddams.

—Your telephone Mister Gibbs.

—Thanks. Get him down to the school nurse, will you? Gibbs … for me? Be right there…

—Mister Gibbs could you just look at …

—Not now I'm sorry, I'm in a hurry … he came through the door, down an up stairway two at a time.

—Oh Mister, yes Gibbs, you had a call, an emergency I just wrote it down somewhere, somebody…

—Yes Schramm you said, what happened?

—Here somewhere, he …

—Put out his eye with a pencil look Gibbs, I want to know where you got your material for this lesson on …

—Wait what's, what is all this.

—This lesson of yours on Governor Cates, I want to know…

—Yes here it is, Schramm, a Mister Eigen called…

—And where you get the material to justify telling these youngsters about a church squatting on …

—Just a minute, this is important.

—Well so is this important, Gibbs. I want to know if you're using regular textbooks for your sources of …

—Listen this is an emergency I've got to …

—And while we're at it I want to know how much truth there is in reports you're starting class without the proscribed openings, the Pledge of Allegiance or the Star Spangle…

—Listen I, Whiteback if this idiot will shut his mouth for a minute I, this is an emergency I've got to get to New York…

—Yes well of course if you ahm, if you're taking the train that is to say I have some tickets here one of the youngsters turned in yes they re right here somewhere, if you could ahm…

—He can really pick them can't he … came from the arm of the sofa where Hyde had sunk slowly restraining his chest by folded arms, his collar ridden up hollow behind —his friend here with the pencil…

—Here they are yes if you could turn them in for us Mister Gibbs, on your way to the…

—Sounds like that painter that cut off his ear, what did he do Gibbs? sent it to somebody in a …

—Wait wait… !

—Mister Gibbs! here, now…

—Don't try that again Gibbs.

—No come with me Major come see him! Schramm come see him you'd be a real tonic Major you know why, Major? Because he feeds on outrage that's what keeps Schramm alive, just his rage over the mean insensitive stupid you, you'd be the biggest God damned inspiration I could bring him with your proscribed op …

—Just, just stay away from me after this Gibbs just, just keep away…

—Yes well let's ahm ahm let's all ahm, these tickets yes here Mister Gibbs if you'd turn them in on your way to the train yes ten forty, not the train no the ten forty that is to say you've missed that of course yes the ten dollars and forty cents we reimbursed the boy who turned them in from a field trip of Mrs ahm ahm, Bast yes I was told Mister Bast helped out but no one's been able to ahm, seen hide nor ahm…

—Can't waste any more company time like this Whiteback, I'm due over at …

—Of course yes after you Major ahm, hair that is to say hair nor hide you were going to see Sister Agnes cut up a frog I think you said we all have somewhere to go, Dan? Let's ahm, have somewhere to go I think Coach wanted to discuss your wife's ahm of course he can't discuss anything like that now he has a gym period yes I have to get to the nurse's office, the fourth graders there they seem to be conducting a sitdown or ahm, in is it …

—Mister Gibbs you, are you all right?

—What? oh Dan, fine yes I …

—You look white your, here…

—Fine I said! I just, just mad as hell at myself losing my temper at that God damned…

—Yes well you shouldn't have tried to pull his …

—First God damned rule never hit somebody you don't like, you

coming out?

—Yes, yes I… he stood there tugging at the glass door that never yet had opened in, and then stepped through the one held wide beside it

—I could ride you to the station…

—Thanks no I'll walk, I have to stop at the Post Office…

—That's yes that's where I'm going I'm expecting something from an executive placement ah, place I hoped I could talk to you about this sometime, I thought I saw you in the station in New York I thought I could ride out with you but you were meeting a, a young lady I guess you were going to ride her someplace so I didn't want to wait where's my car … he sought down the row of stares leveled in chromed grimaces for the familiar ptosis left from a jump up a curb into a fire hydrant, —down there yes where those boys, where are they going…

—Choir practice, that's Hyde's share in America the urchin with the head like a toothbrush, nothing pansy about him is there looks like something from a God damned German vintage orphanage…

—But they shouldn't be going off the, boys… ! Oh but wait aren't you…

—Thanks no I'm in a hurry Dan, I'll walk…

—Yes but, but, well, boys… ! Where are you going… !

—Come on don't stop hey, this way… they made for the reek of asphalt clouding Burgoyne Street, —so then what happened…

—Nothing he just said if they catch me in there again using the telephone they'll have to resort to these here disciplinary measures, I mean what am I sup…

—Okay but if you do what you said boy are you going to get in trouble, I mean that's forgery boy.

—What do you mean forgery I just scribbled this here name which it's nobody's down at the bottom where it says arthurized by, I mean you think the telephone company goes around asking everybody is this

here your signature? All they care it says requisition order right across the top so they come stick in this here telephone booth.

—You'll find out boy you think Whiteback won't be pissed off when the school gets this bill for …

—That's how much you know they don't pay them they pay the school, the telephone company pays the school like this here commission to have this phone booth in there so I'm like helping the school out, I mean like the more calls…

—How do you know, I mean boy what a bunch of …

—I called them up what do you think, I mean what am I suppose to do run over to the candy store all the time? Or like home I mean suppose I get some deal going where they call me up so they get some lady that says yes this is J R's mother could I help you? I mean what kind of …

—Look out you want to break the door? That's U S government property boy…

—So what they got plenty of money.

—You'll find out boy look, didn't you ever see this little sign? Penalty for theft is five hundred dollars fine or one year in prison that's for stealing this shitty little ballpoint pen boy you bust a door and they'll…

—That's a bunch of crap they're like nineteen cents, I mean who wants to steal it anyway move your elbow, I just want to use it… he bent to the minuscule effort of lettering Investors Fullfilment Corp on a money order blank.

—You'll find out boy, what did you get let's see hey, I mean where's this big check you been yelling about.

—That's my business, come on you're dropping all the…

—Inventors Information Kit boy what a, record of invention look. Be it known that I residing at state of have invented certain new and useful I mean you couldn't invent shit, you want to trade it hey?

—For what, move will you? I'm trying to …

—I mean what a bunch of, look. To the individual inventor the world is his oyster, what good is that I mean somebody already invented one. You want to trade it?

—Okay for what! The silent defender, made of lightweight

aluminum look hey your crap's even getting mixed up in the stuff in my portforlio here, coitus splint made of finest spring steel will you…

—Give it here then I mean go ahead invent an oyster if you think you're so, wait hey look you got a package, if it's this clock I get it this time okay? I mean if it says class six J and all why shouldn't…

—Okay! How do I know what it is look I'm trying to do something!

—Go ahead and do it, you want me to get the pack…

—Go ahead … ! he dug among paper scraps and envelopes for a letter four lines long of skips and smudged erasures, licked the ballpoint to grind in initials, pounded a stamp on US SAVings and loan

Ass R eno Nev and came in a turn for the Money Order window digging for the wad of bills with a sudden stoop after a penny rolling toward Parcel Post.

—Look out!

—Holy…

—It's not my fault look, the box was already bust…

—Okay! just help pick them up …

—Look the whole end's busted, what's, what are they sup…

—Nothing! just these here little cards will you help pick them up before somebody…

—No but what do they, wait a second is …

—Look you don't need to read them! just, just pick them up!

—No but, him… ?

—What's so funny!

—He's your business representive, Edwerd Bast?

—What's so funny about that!

—I mean he doesn't know shit look he can't even spell his own name Edwerd look, e d…

—I said quit laughing! How do you know so much anyway and I

mean he didn't even spell it, he …

—Because I got this here Uncle Edward that's why, it's w a what do you mean he didn't spell it, I bet he doesn't even know it …

—So what! boy if you don't quit laugh…

—Then how do you know he'll even do it, he doesn't know…

—Because he will that's why!

—He doesn't know shit about business how can…

—So what! I'll give him these here same little books to read up come on just pick them up …

—Then how come you even put this little telephone number he's not even around anyplace, he …

—That's my business look shut up will you, Mister Gibbs just came in you think I want to broadcast the whole…

—Okay but he's not even around anyplace, my father said…

—That's how much you know boy he has to come by the school to pick up this here check they owe him doesn't he?

—Yeah well my father said he said s, h, i t on the tv he better not show his face…

—Yeah well your father he's full of …

—Yeah well you better watch out boy, if he ever finds who got that whole mountain of dirt out front of our house hauled away you're going to be in …

—So what you said he's always yelling he wants to get rid of it practically since you're born didn't you? I mean it already had these little trees growing in it look be careful how you're picking them up will you? I mean you can't give somebody this dirty business card when you go in some office and…

—So throw away the dirty ones who needs all these, I mean it looks like there's a thousand…

—So what you had to order a thousand if you want this here free wallet gift so …

—Look there's a couple over there hey, he's stepping on …

—Holy … he came on at knee level, —excuse me could you move your foot Mis, oh hi Mister Gibbs…

—What?

—Hi… came from down there, —I just wanted to ask you…

—Wait a minute, what … ? he ground a foot turning back to the window, —probation, it's made out to the Department of Probation p, r, o… well God damn it I didn't name it, here. Twenty, forty, ninety, one ten, one sixty, one eighty yes I do use an old-fashioned fountain pen is there a regulation against that too? Two thirty, two forty, five, seven, eight wait I've still got some change nine, nine fifty, seventy- five, eighty-five Christ wait, ninety-five, six, there…

—Hey Mister Gibbs?

—What is it!

—No I just wondered, did you see Mister Bast around anyplace?