JR (87 page)

—Yes but I'm sorry but I …

—Spend a minute here helping you with your sling though and who's to say where my glance may fall, around this way yes here we are, resting on one white hand a warm wet cheek there doesn't that smell of sweat get to you now? The air's saturated, comes on like nostalgia for places we've hated doesn't it, knew you hated it the day you

walked in and that's the moment you have to tell yourself to never forget, that moment you walked in hating it and knew you were right hating it or you'll be sucked in by the past Dan, look back on it kindly if only because it's your own, finally all you've got and to leave that behind…

—Yes but I'm, I really…

—That behind God almighty she just turned and look at it, of course she's oblivious standing there looking into her purse, takes a step that bracelet of bright hair about the bone and I hear each one brushing

the next, without friction there's nothing but rags and bone you know. Yes yes all right I'll get the door, in fact somebody's just told me it's hide myself not hide my face in thee but after all what never was can have no end now can it. How her pure and eloquent blood spoke in her cheeks and so distinctly wrought I'll tell you between us Dan, I felt their whiteness once. One moment of happiness, the Russian said? One for the road and then blow winds and crack your cheeks why, is that not enough to last the whole of a man's life… ?

And the door marked Boys clapped closed on her standing out there tilting her purse to the light, rummaging its depth, alerted in a sudden turn to the rhythmic clank of coins. —Oh J R, I…

—Oh hi Mrs Joubert … as quickly gone behind the glass panels clattering closed on the first ring. —Hello … ? pencil stub, paper scraps surfacing —this is him speaking yes, I'll accept it … portfolio jammed up against a knee —hello? Yes hi, boy it's a good thing you called hey I… where just now at the hotel? Did you … no but wait a second … No

but see Bast that's what I was just… no what kind of full uniform, you mean with a gun and all… ? No but… no but sure I know we got this here hotel suite so you could partly use it to play the … no but see that's the thing hey, I mean for these here business expenses that it's like this company hospitalidy suite for taxes and all see so we … No but see you could have just told this here Marine guarding the door you're this company officer and went right in I mean I was going to tell you to anyways because… not to play on the piano while he's right in there

no I mean just to say hi General glad to have you aboard and does he need anything see because … No but… no but wait hey that's … No but that's what you do! I mean all these here big companies they get some second-handed general or like a used admiral for their board of directors see because … Who said I sent away for him, I mean at first I was going to put an ad someplace for like this used four star one see only then they had this big thing over at the parochial school where Father Haight has his brother up there with the flag and all which he's

this used two star one which ought to be cheaper anyway see so I just got Piscator to call him up and … no well see that's the thing hey, I mean they know all these here other generals and colonels which are still at Washington buying all this stuff for like the Pentagon and everybody where I mean at the government they go out and buy like a million dollars' worth of carbon paper and rubber bands you know?

And I mean all these drugs for these veterans' hospitals and all see we can way underbid these here U S companies and … sure well that's what I… No I know I just forgot to tell you, I mean this here Nobili company it's been selling real low so if we can just move in see they make these here drugs over at Italy someplace without all this crap about patent royalties so if we can way underbid I mean it's like saving the taxpayers' money isn't it what's wrong with … He did… ? no but… sure but I mean how does Crawley know what they … that it what… ? No well sure I knew about it I mean he's full of … no but wait a second I… no but look hey I mean all that is it's just this idea I had where why should all these people that work for these here companies we're getting like why should they pay someplace else all this money for insurance where we can like help them out if we can get our own insur

… No well sure we'd collect it I mean that's … no well see I just read in this here little booklet where … No but listen hey I, hey … ? Bast?

Listen I… no I know but… no I know but I was just coming to that where I was telling you where this here General Haight can help us out see this here Ray-X company it's getting screwed on all these dumb fixed-price contracts see where what we want is these here cost-plus ones where you get to … no I know it but… no but listen hey … No but look just let me tell you how it works okay? See you get this here contract to supply something to the government like and then you … how do I know, I mean just something they want to buy off you like that's where this here General can help us out see so what's neat about these cost-plus ones is you get to add this here percent of how much it costs you to fill this here contract so I mean the more you spend the more you get, see? I mean that's the whole … no well sure but … No I know I was always yelling about low-cost operations see but … no but listen a second hey I mean how do you think the telephone company works where they're always yelling how they have to spend all this

here money so they need to raise the rates I mean the more money they can think of how to spend it someplace they get to take this here percent where they keep raising the rates till they're like almost bigger than the gover … no but wait, see the … No I know you don't I mean I'm just coming to that hey … no I know I said that but I mean it won't take much longer see we just … no well I just mean we like we the company, like not really anybody see so … No but see that's the whole thing Bast see it's not money anyway it's just exchanging this here

stock around in like this merging it with this here X-L subsiderary which it's worth like twenty times as much as, you know? See we just give these here Ray-X stockholders one share of X-L preferred for their

share of Ray-X only this here X-L's common stock capitalization is real low see so we have this here tremendous leverage see and… no well I don't exactly either but that's what this Mister Wiles said see he … No but … no I know but… No but see I was just going to ask if you heard anything from the U S Bureau of Mines see because … No I was going to ask you about how's old Mister Wonder too see because we … No but see I was just going to tell you about this here Indian preservation because like did this here Charley Yellow … No I know but wait hey look did … No but see that funeral homes thing is just I had this neat idea see you know that big right of way up at Eagle by that there cem

… No but wait hey wait, I mean how am I supposed to tell you about all this stuff when you don't hardly even come out here I mean what am I suppose to … No I know I said that but … no I know but see we're just building up these here assets for like getting incorporated with these directors and all for this here stock issue see so we can like exchange it around for these here other assets and get all this here borrowing power to … No wait wait I know I said that but… No but holy shit Bast I didn't invent it I mean this is what you do! And I mean like I have to do practically everything myself, like I set all this up to try and help you out so you can do your work and all and you don't even

… No well what about this here stock option on these whole five thousand shares which you get to buy it when it comes out at ten and then you have this whole … five thousand shares at ten dollars yes and then you have this… No but wait a second wait hey I know you don't have fifty thousand dollars see what you … No but wait hey … No but… what? a job doing what? But what's, ass what… ? But like why does this here Ascop want you to sit around listening to the radio for if they… what like to make sure if nobody's playing their songs on the radio without paying them these royalties? But like if that's all they're paying you how do you … No but wait wait I didn't mean that hey, Bast? I didn't mean you have to save up fifty thousand dollars I mean I didn't even finish hey, see what you … No see what you do is you wait till our stock gets up to like fifteen or twenty see, then like if you want to sell some for that you get to exercise this here option for how many at ten which you already sold them for twen… no it's not because … no because listen I… No but I already explained that about if you're getting paid this here salary how you really get screwed by these here income taxes, see but with this option thing you get taxed at this here lower capital gains rate on what you make between this here ten and where it goes up to when you… What do you mean if it doesn't go up, I mean that's what I just been trying to explain about acquiring these here assets and all I mean that's what the whole … What do you mean wait ten years why should … No but… no but wait hey I … no I know I said that hey but… No I was going to tell you I just found that out too but… No but getting this here foundation set up tax free is it my fault

if they told me this grant from it can't go to some personal individual? I mean … No but see so … No but see like if we find some group you can

get into it which a grant goes to this here group only you get… No but like I thought you could think of something, like I don't know maybe like if you played in a band or someplace it would … No but wait hey

… No wait wait hey wait…! Sure no I know hey but… No but hey wait a second Bast I mean holy shit what am I supposed to do! Like I mean everything I think of trying to help you out you always find something you get mad at like it was my fault to complain about only you don't hardly do anything and you don't hardly come out here and I have to do everything practically myself, like you don't come out here so I'm trying to get some field trip in there only there's just this one going to this lousy bakery here so what am I suppose to do? I mean now you

finally call only you don't hardly listen when I'm trying to tell you about these here Indians and these mergers and all we're doing for this whole stock option thing I set up for you so you complain about that, then I try to fix you up with this here grant thing you get mad at that too I mean you keep only saying what's wrong and I'm trying to do something! You keep only complaining why something doesn't work and I'm always trying to fix it up so it will! I mean like when I said we can use each other so you can do this here work you're always yelling about but this mail comes in which you don't even open it so I get you this here electric machine to open it then you don't hardly read it, I get you this here special telephone put in so you don't have to go down to this cafeteria for these calls which then you don't hardly answer them anyway so I even just got you this here thing you hook onto it for a hundred thirty-nine fifty which this tape answers the call for you while you're doing all this here composing work only everything I do to help you out you don't hardly even seem to try to … No well so what I mean you said you'd … I did not hey and like even if I did why should everybody… Okay so what! I mean that's what you do! I mean like all I… No I know I said that but it's like now everybody's trying to use me,

I mean like Piscator thinks I'm some dumb … No I thought you were him calling just now and he's out on his ass boy trying to screw us on this here getting incorporated in Jamaica thing he must think I … No I know I told him to but now he sends in this here expense account he's got airplane fare three hundred eighteen dollars he's even got this here hotel bill two hundred twenty-nine fifty, I mean he expects me to believe that bunch of… Plane what do you mean plane you can go there on the subway and like who's going to stay at a hotel in a dump like Jam… it's a what? What do you mean it's an island it's this dump where you change trains at going into New … No but … no but like Piscator never said… Okay but how would I suppose to know I mean that's what I need you to … no but okay but, I mean like … no okay okay maybe I did hey but… No well see you won't hardly have to anyways see because that's what this here Pomerance Agency is going

to handle all this here kind of stuff only there's this one thing I had this neat idea, see I been getting these requests for like interviews and all see so I got this here little tape recorder which when I talk on it then

when you play it you just hold back on the tape like so it goes real slow and the voice goes way down you know? like it sounds like I'm like fifty, you know? See so I can send you these here tapes and … no but wait hey … no I know but there's just this one more thing which it just

takes a second see this here Indian Charley Yellow Brook did he call you hey… ? No because see him and his brother they're from this here big preservation where they have all these here mineral and drilling rights see so … No but wait wait hey wait who said… No but who said anything about drilling hey see it's just this here timber up there like if we leased these here rights off them to help them out like we could … No listen it would too hey because some of these here Indians were

real broke which wanted to divide up this whole preservation and sell off their … what? Oh, okay anyways see if we lease these here rights off the whole tribe these here broke Indians get something and we're like bailing them out, see so I was thinking like if… No it's like out by those Alberta and Western sites under them you know? like near all those mineral claims by you know where that big green state that goes along the top of … no where they're like all by this here Great Lake under where Minnesota and Idaho both … where? No because hey Nebraska's like way out with Kansas and all beside Utah or someplace anyways I was just thinking, see if you took this here Ascop job too you could have this here little transistor radio right in your pocket see and

… no I know but with this here wire and earplug they have on it see you could be like listening to it anyplace with this one ear like even if you're in some meeting someplace you just tell them it's this… Sure and you just tell them it's this hearing aid see? because like I was thinking if this here Ascop wants you to travel somewheres to listen in