JR (88 page)

on some local station like? and they'd pay for your expenses? I mean till we get this here Triangle plane for you to ride around on see because I was thinking when you go out to this here Indian preserva… No no

wait hey wait I just said like if you go out to this here Ind… No sure wait no no I know I did but… No but hey … No but wait I just wanted to tell you did you get this here golf practice thing I… Bast? Hey… ? Hey Bast… ? The door clattered open slowly. —Oh, oh hi Mrs Joubert I, were you waiting for this here phone?

—Yes and what on earth…

—No I didn't know I kept you waiting all this time, I mean I thought everybody went.

—I think everyone has yes, I'm just afraid I don't have the right change for…

—Sure wait a second you need a dime? Just a, just a second holy … the panels clattered closed again. —Hello … ? the portfolio came up with a tug at its zipper, the handkerchief wad trailing its soiled initial D to the mouthpiece —David what… ? hunched half standing, sweater parted behind spilling a crumpled shirttail —what that's your last name

… ? Yes this is him speaking but look I'm in a hurry what… what at Pomerance? Yes okay but … No but like first why don't you talk to

Mister Piscat… what Piscator's right there? Put him on will you… ? No I said can't you hear me? I said put on Pis… No well look you better clear that with Mister Bast see he gets Business Week and this here Forbes both look will you put … No well look I can send you some biographical stuff you mean about me? but… No well see look I'm in a hurry will

you just… Okay look if you want to discuss this corporate image and this here company logo thing over lunch why don't you just take Mister Bast to … Look I'm not worried about it, just whatever Mister Bast says that's what you do, now will you put Pis … No well look if he wants

you up to the uptown office he'll tell you see we just took this here hotel suite up at the Wai… No well look see right now there's this Gen

… Look I'm not worried about it and this midtown office see we're closing this midtown office down only… Only this here secretary Virginia which we want to hang onto her now look I have to get to this meeting, will you put on Piscator … ? Look I said will you put… Hello? Nonny? Where'd we get him boy he sounds like he … No okay look not now just tell him to write me it in a memorandum look I'm in a hurry I just want to get… No I got it right here wait a second all this, this stuff on my, desk… I said just wait a second…! Portfolio tipped to a perilous angle, Maine Potato Futures and Hedging Highlights went to the floor as the tape tore away and lined paper crammed margin to margin

came out with a tug —holy… okay hello? Okay then under assets the first thing is this one dot two million dollar loan we're getting off of… No okay so we can't draw on it it look we're like getting this credit established paying it off see and it gets in the papers so everybody … no this Mister Wiles he's this bank director too see so anyway we show it over here in our cash balance and take the interest off these here earnings from Wonder and all the rest of wait a second look did they do that mineral essay of that water they're using in this here beer … ? No I did see if … No but see if it's got any of these minerals in it we should get to take this here percentage depletion allowance off the whole … What do you mean we're depleting them aren't we? I mean if we get some tax benefit off depleting something why shouldn't we de… okay so go ahead and get a ruling on it look, the next thing … where? That says mineral assets twenty million why shouldn't we claim

… Okay but with all these here mineral claims we've got how does anybody know there's not these mineral and gas deposits worth twen

… Look okay look that's the whole thing then look, if there's any crap about that we just go ahead and drill or whatever you… What does it matter for what! for whatever they give out these deductions for these here intangible drilling costs for I mean what do they expect us to … Yes okay I'm in a hurry and look anyway I just discussed these Indians' leases and all with Mister Bast see so you can clear it with him when he goes out there to … No see he's going out to this Indian preser, reservation see this Charley Yellow… Okay so what if he hasn't called you look Mister Bast is this very busy man why should he always call you, why can't you… this girl told you to what… ? Okay look is it his

fault how the telephone company screws up everything? Like the next time just keep trying see because on this setting up this here foundation grant thing I want you and him to … No I told him that he says maybe he can join a band or something because see I want this thing set up fast to make this long-term low-interest loan off it so… No see in these here commodity futures if I can get our capital turnover way up further with bank loans on these hedged commodities we … what? I don't know what I what… ? Okay look now can you hear me? look. We're not working for you. You're working for us, okay? Okay so with these here futures I'm not telling you to do something illegal see I'm telling you what I'm doing and you find how to do it that's all, I mean like if we need to set up some separate commodity futures trading company so set one up, now look I've got this meeting waiting I… No look Hopper look I can't always have him calling me like if they're still mad about these here looms we're selling off at South America see I just gave this son of this union leader up there Shorter I just gave him this Wonder beer distributorship for that whole territory and this Bunky I put him in charge of these rebates on all their returns see because if we have to keep them in business to keep this here whole tax loss carry … No see I just wanted to know with this big shipment of fiber they got in if we should just like dump it and take

the write-off or like ship it to Hong Kong or someplace to make sweaters or something and import them back see if we did that would we still get to keep this whole tax loss carryforward from… what? No no wait just wait a second wait… The taps on the glass were repeated and the door clattered open a hand's breadth, —gee I'm sorry Mrs Joubert just a second I …

—Yes all right but what on …

—Okay but just a second I… the doors clattered closed, —Look I'm in a hurry but boy Nonny I mean don't you ever say I told you to do something illegal I mean what do you think I got you for! I mean if I want to do something illegal what do I want with a lawyer I mean holy shit where do you think we are over at Russia? where they don't let you do anything? These laws are these laws why should we want to do something illegal if some law lets us do it anyway like selling these looms in this U S aid program at South America that's this U S money coming back here like did we invent this tax break we get with it? I mean if we put a hundred thousand like a million dollars in this here drilling exploration did we invent we get to take off eighty percent for these intangible drilling costs? If we found oil or gas or something we're supposed to just leave it there if they give us this here twenty- two percent depletion allowance to go ahead and deplete it? I mean these are these laws which you're supposed to find out exactly the letter of them and that's what we do exactly the letter! Okay? Okay

that's all and look find out about this whole extra twenty percent rapid depreciation if we can use it some-wheres on all this here printing equipment from this Her magazine if this other loan comes through

and we can generate up some cash selling off their plants and all, did you get me this stuff on Western Union… ? Okay I know send it anyway what about this movie company Erebus and this guy Ben Leva, and that whole savings and loan… Okay okay and look that letter from the FTC you forwarded me? about these wooden matches from X-L that snap off these complaints they're dangerous? Okay look tell Mooneyham that's how we're advertising them now with this added snapoff safety feature like they tell you when you smoke in the woods and … no well sure raise the price, I mean it's this added feature isn't it… ? Okay if that happens just forget it then because look I was just going to tell you, we're going all into these paper matchbooks anyway as many as they can print of them as soon as we … for these advertisements of all these different products what do you think! I mean why do you think I went after this brokendown matchbook company in the first place for! And look tell them they can start right off with this here new aspirin we … I know it that's what I'm telling you! Tell them to go ahead like it is that's how we're advertising it, just it's green that's all we're saying. It's green… ! Okay it's true isn't it?

Why should it have to mean anything! It's green, explanation point. That's all we need to … I said it's green explanation point! That's all we

… That's what I just said didn't I… ! the doors crashed open, —gee Mrs Joubert I …

—Well it's all right… she turned, eyes risen abruptly into sight over a lavender border of the handkerchief she held there —but what on earth…

—No well see it's just, I'm just trying to help out this here friend see and…

—And why on earth is that dirty handkerchief stuffed in the…

—No well see with this here cold season coming on like maybe that's even where you got yours you know? from these here…

—Mine?

—From how your eyes look sure you probably got it from these here germs somebody holy, holy wait a second I'll get it all, holy.…

—Well why do you try to carry all this around with you? I've never seen such a …

—No wait I'll pick it all up see it's just this here portforlio split and all my…

—I don't suppose your paper on Alaska's there anywhere is it, but no wonder you never can find anything saving old newspapers and all sorts of…

—No but didn't you see this Mrs Joubert? about this here tender for Diamond Cable like taking over education and all? See I thought I'd bring it to class and…

—Oh yes I didn't see it, yes do bring it in.

—And this here Alaska paper I'm going to hand it in like even if I have to write the whole thing over, you said you needed a dime before?

—No I really need change enough to call Washington but…

—What Washington D C? It's like station to station it's eighty cents the first three minutes then each minute after is twen, you going to talk more than three minutes?

—Well I don't really…

—Here fifty, seventy-five… the coins came moist, —eighty or if you want to hang around like only twenty more minutes Mrs Joubert see then it goes down to fifty-five cents for…

—No no I can't wait really, thank you… she sank into the booth, drew her legs away from his sudden breath retrieving Hedging Highlights underfoot and then pulled closed the doors and reached up dialing, sniffed, shook the doors half opened again and reached up, dropping coins. —Yes hello? I'm calling Mister Moncrieff yes will you say it's his daughter please… ? His… yes his daughter Emily yes… Yes I will… she waited, and then brought the doors almost closed on him again out there sweeping together papers, brochures, envelopes, — hello Daddy… ? Oh … oh I'm sorry, I thought… Yes I see well, well how long do you think the meeting may last? It's something quite urgent and… Oh, no then I'm afraid not… No I'm, I'm afraid not no. Thank you … and she sat staring at Dialing Instructions where a knifeblade's hasty scars spelled fuck, her handkerchief up and then her eyes caught by movement stopped in the angle of the panel glass fixed patiently intent down the top of her dress, cracked the doors opened and breathed.

—Hi did you get your party okay?

—No but, it's all right but I'm afraid I owe you…

—No that's okay but like don't you think it's funny where they always call somebody your party like they're this here party? The armload came up and shifted in a turn, —you coming out this way Mrs Joubert?

—No I, yes I might as well, get a train I think there's one…

—See because there's these here couple of things I needed to ask you, he came on half a step behind —like are we going to get to futures soon?

—Get to what?

—In class I mean like where you buy these different futures like potatoes and bellies and copper and all see what I wondered is …

—Oh, no I don't think there's time to get into anything as complicated as …

—No but see it's real interesting Mrs Joubert, like now we already learned about the stock market and all with this here our share of America? See so now if we bought some of these futures like if we got in these here bellies and learned the…

—Got in what bellies what on earth are you talking about.

—These here frozen pork ones see if we got in these futures of them and learned like about hedging and how you get to help out these here farmers and all, see you just send away for these here free

newsletters which wait could you just hold this stuff for me a second…

—And we can't really ask the class to bring their own money in again to buy…

—No but that's what's neat see you don't hardly put up much cash anyway because like you buy on this fifteen or like even five percent margin so it's the broker who's putting up the wait a second here it is see? like if we got this newsletter we could learn all these here terms because the thing is sometimes it's like kind of hard to understand like where it says here we are friendly to bellies for the long term and would begin cautious scale-down purchases in the low thirty…

—No I really don't think we can start anything as …

—Okay but wait then see I got this here little booklet which I just want to ask you, see right here under Bank Financing? where it says there is this opportunity to increase the turnover in a firm's capital with the leverage provided through bank loans on hedged commodities? I mean does that mean you really have these here commodities like all these bellies someplace? or like can you hedge in these futures of them and then get some bank to …

—Look please will you take this J R? She held the armload cradled where he'd settled to it like a portable writing desk, even rested an elbow on it —I really don't understand all this that well myself, you'll just have to ask Mister Glan, ask someone who…

—What you were going to say Glancy? He got both arms around the load, —I bet nobody's asking him something now boy did you hear about this here brand new Cadillac he …