— No but, look all these feath…
— I mean here’s where I wish I was all nice and firm like you are all under, what like did that hurt?
— No but…
— I mean like these must be the bolches in like this is the posen, like I mean we could both learn everything in all these different languages and…
— Yes but look all these feathers can’t you, couldn’t you just take it…
— No but like listen, I mean we had this poem once by this big sea water I mean what was her name, like listen to it in there…
— Yes Min, Minnehaha in, in Hia…
— No here get your, no like this way I mean it’s real narrow get your, there. I mean like aren’t mine like do you really like her little pointy dippel oh…
— Whose Minne…
— No like, hers in the, in the…
— No I…
— Yes right there, like that like that yes…
— Like, there and…?
— Yes oh, oh and here, yes like, yes like that yes and, right there yes wait oh…
— But, wait let me, let me move my…
— Oh like there yes and, oh… you’re wait get here and, and… not so, not so oh…! like you’re, you’re built pretty big for not so oh…! yes, yes put… yes like not so hurts not so oh, oh…
— I, I can’t…
— Wait don’t oh! oh oh oh… oh
— highest yield on your savings it’s time to join the biggest savings bank family in town…
— Oh wow.
— I, I didn’t mean to hurt…
— Wait like get something it’s going all down my, wait move your… she reached the brown paper, — I mean my poor fisse, man…
— Well I, I didn’t…
— And I mean wait let me get my, man like that last page you just did those fucking enchilavies went all over it.
— No that’s all right I’m, I’ll just do it over again…
A hand rose to scratch. — Like what do you want to do now.
— Well nothing I, I guess I’d better copy that page over and get back to…
— Like I mean you never talk. I mean you’re not very interesting you know? I mean like all these other people and like Al I mean they all talk only with us I mean I always have to do all the talking, you know?
— Yes but, I mean when I’m trying to work and not thinking about something to talk about I…
— Man like you always think you’re trying to work and like you never have something to talk about, I mean like except you’re pretty big in the sack there you’re like not very interesting.
— Well why should I be interesting! I mean, I mean I want my work to be interesting but why do I have to be interesting! I mean everybody’s trying to be interesting let them I’m just, I’m just doing something I have to do so I can try to do what I hope I…
— Like then what about Schramm I mean you were always talking to Schramm, like you just said you…
— No I didn’t really I, he talked and I…
— Man like he hardly talked at all I mean you don’t know what it was like with him, like with him you never knew what’s coming next like this time he couldn’t make it and he jumps off the bed and grabs this pencil and throws it down and it, I mean like that’s why I hate all these fucking sharp pencils you’ve got around here you know?
— Yes that was terrible I, I didn’t even know you were there when he…
— Man I don’t want to talk about it! The feathers went off in a heap, a hand came up, scratching a loin.
— No I, I didn’t mean…
— Then like don’t talk about it… and the hand came up to dig in the shirt pocket as she stood, — I mean there’s the telephone again, like I mean all it does is rings…
— Yes I’ll get it… He passed her paused sniffing by 36 Boxes 200 2-Ply, mounted to QUICK QUAKER, — hello…? Oh Mister Brisboy yes, hello… Now…? Oh, no I’m sorry no I don’t think it would… no no I really don’t think… Yes well thank you but… No not here either no I’m, I still have a lot of work to take care of tonight and… I know you do yes thank you but… until then yes thank you for calling good… yes goodbye thank you for… auf Wiedersehen then yes…
She followed him back. — Like what are you getting dressed again for I mean are you going someplace?
— No I just feel more, just to work…
— Like you’re going to be up all night again? She pulled the rumpled blanket.
— No if I can just finish this I, I mean are you all right?
— Like why not man I mean I’m really sailing…
— Oh… he was back on Hoppin’ With Flavor! spreading a fresh sheet of empty staves.
— from the finest homes in America. Many were…
— Just that radio man, I mean the water I’m used to like you live by the ocean but that fucking radio, I mean Al put this gum on that mop handle you can like get it in there only to change the station like if you keep wiggling it I mean will you?
When he came down her gaze was gone elsewhere, he stood looking there blowing at the front of his shirt before he sank back to Hoppin’ With Flavor! bent over the empty staves where the pen arched, paused, filled, once twice he looked back to find a whole bar missing, crumpled the page staring at the slow rise and fall beyond and pushed the punctured shade aside to bring it into shadow, and licked his lips, parting, meeting, parting on bleats and sudden muted stabs of triumph as he sought fresh pages, drew a hand down his face and stared at the shadowed rise, and fall, and rise, licked his lips, licked the pen nib and dipped it seeking fresh sheets more slowly when the phone rang.
— I can’t I can’t no! No please I can’t…!
He was up, caught her head to his trousers bulged against her cheek and held there. — It’s all right you, you don’t have to…
It rang again.
— I can’t…
— It’s all right… he held that weight of warmth hard against a tremble of his own, against the next ring, warmth spread suddenly over the back of his hand as he let her down and caught a corner of the blanket up to wipe the blood away, up QUICK QUAKER with the next ring — hello…? Look I can’t no I’m busy… all right! I’ll accept the call operator! hello…? Of course it’s me who did you think it… who? Al did? No, no Al’s just, he’s the janitor he’s just sort of a janitor who comes in and… No I know he shouldn’t answer the phone look what are you calling now for what time is it, the candy store can’t still be… no all right go ahead what is it… Well I told you I’d make the trip didn’t I? What are you calling about it now for Mister Davidoff gave me… expense money too yes a hundred forty-eight cent dollars, thank you look is this the reason you… Fine yes did you call just to tell me Mister Davidoff’s this real neat guy? I’m trying to… from where? I didn’t meet anybody there from Malwi no I’ve never even heard of… Of what war, I haven’t read the Times no I haven’t even… what trade deal why did he want to talk to me about a trade deal… Well look if you just said they could bring the rhodium out of there through Malwi as the country of origin what’s so… so who can sell what to China? What bellies, what… Look I don’t know what you’re talking about! I don’t think you do either why doesn’t your neat guy Davidoff talk to this Senator Milliken about trade with China and this export license, why didn’t he talk to the man from the Malwi Trade Commission and get the whole thing straightened… Well why doesn’t he know about it, he seems to know ev… No I know he’s not an officer of the company like I am look make him one, there’s nothing he’d rath… well of course you’d have to pay him more what do you… Yes I know it but that second hand General’s never met you either neither has poor old Urquhart and that, that terrible Teets so… Yes I know I did look you said you just wanted a distinguished looking old man and somebody who looked like he’d run over his own grandmother for… Yes all right but for ten dollars each where did you expect me to look, in the Directory of Dir… I’m not getting mad, I just have to get back to… I did see Mister Hopper yes but he didn’t wait is that where these plastic flowers are supposed to be going…? Just a shipping order yes it sounds like millions of them look I just don’t want them delivered here, tell somebody to… Well you can’t have them delivered to Mister Brisboy’s hotel no I met him he’s a real, really enthusiastic but… yes he wanted me to tell you the death rate should rise twenty percent in the next ten years I said I knew you’d be delighted now look…