The gum wad bounded off the clothespin, drew up, dropped and missed in the near dark, drew up again as he came back to stand at the sill knuckles gone white one hand grinding the other, the gum wad bounded, drew up — like Robert the Bruce, Christ! he pried up the window and his fist shot out, pounded the gum on the clothespin snapped up from sight past the blind and he banged down the window — got to get out of here… tripped against Tootsie Rolls 12 Count, suddenly had it papers jammed in held together and up behind Won’t Burn, Smoke or Smell and he was through to the door left tipped on its hinge against a shuffle in the dark hall, a tap.
— Hello, Mister…? and then no sound but the falling waters until the door shuddered in again with his weight in the darkness threading past 200 2-Ply, coming down among the stacks of mail on the armless sofa where a hand hung off extended open toward the sill as though to seize the day, or hold it off, when it appeared.
There, a pink hair curler dropped, rolled toward the edge and stopped. He came up on one elbow and waited, finally came up all together and drew a hand over the roughage of his chin. The long hand rose from NO DEPOSIT driving the short before it — Christ got to get started got to, to get started… he bumped against Won’t Burn, Smoke or Smell, picked up both cups floating teabags on Thomas Register — brought that in last night somewhere just have one to get started… and he was back to set a cup of water on Moody’s, tip a bottle over the other. On the sill where the curler lay, string appeared lowered from above bobbing a wad of gum. He stared at it, drank off one cup and then the other, picked up the blue folder and stared at that, patted pockets, rummaged — out and get cigarettes get something to eat come back and get started… and he was through to the door left tipped on its hinge against a tap, a pounding, an expletive, finally the thud of bundles against it.
— Man like what’s all this I mean you can’t get in the door.
— Like climb over it man and I mean help him, like get his foot wait, like help me get the box through… and the shuffle of moccasins, the flap of sandals repeated passing tub and 200 2-Ply — like you bring him up here this morning to practice I mean he doesn’t even bring his insterment…
— Like he’ll hum along then man… the mailbag shook over the sofa’s end, the guitar came up.
— Man like he’s still so spaced out he can’t hum shit… she swept the mail from the sofa to join the heap on the floor, dropped a battered paper shopping bag there and opened the box beside it — come on kitty kitty, man like they really shaved his ass I mean where they sewed him up it looks like this fucking football come on kitty kitty kitty…
Plunk. — Like come on man, hum… plunka plunka…
— Man look out for your, oh wow did you see him go up those boxes? Move his, I mean that telephone it’s like this burgular alarm move his feet man, like I just come in the door and I mean move him! Hello…? He’s not here man, who… Like what do I sound like his cat? I mean if you want to leave Mister Bast this message I mean leave it, like I mean who is this… Man like don’t give me this family history I mean you’re just some bank, right? So like what do you mean you want more collateral spell it man… So? His stock drops to twelve and an eighth like that’s no skin off your ass, what… Like what do you mean the bank’s ass I mean why should he bail you out man, like I mean if you need money so you expect him to bring in like five thousand two hundred and eighty dollars? I mean Bast…? Man like wait I mean nobody gives money to banks like I mean you get money from banks because like that’s where all the fucking money is… No man look I mean don’t put me on with this eighty percents margin of some falling collateral, like you just said you’re selling his stock if he doesn’t bring you in this five thousand two hundred and eighty dollars man I mean when you open this ice tray you’ve got this real surprise coming… No look man I mean look, like you’re this fucking bank, right? So I mean if you’re so hard up for this fucking money go look in your fucking bank vault that’s where… oh wow.
Plunk. — Man like hum… plunka plunka…
— Listen man I have to call about this job will you, I mean I don’t believe it. Hello…? He’s not here what do you want… Look when some chick calls him I… so like what’s the matter with this Mister Wiles can’t he dial the… hello? Man like I just told your secretary Mister Bast isn’t here what… who? What president man, I mean don’t put me… what of his company? You mean here in this… man like how do I know his position on bellies I mean look Mister Wiles you and him must really be… Look man I don’t know about some voting trust taking over like I mean if this commodity exchange has you against the wall and you expect to get this margin money here man? I mean look I just talked to this… no I mean just go to the bank like everybody else does man, like I mean they just tried to put me on the same way you are I mean like go look in their fucking bank vault man that’s what banks… oh wow. I mean are these people rude, man.
— Man like hum… plunka plunka — hum, man…
— Like where’s that telephone number I have to call man… she braced a foot coming down — like I knew I got these pants too tight… she reached the sagging denims down from the dishcloth rack, sank to 24–12 Oz Btls Fragile! to tug at a clasp — I mean look at that, like I hardly get them and it rips right out I mean they make everything now like they don’t give a… she freed a foot from plaid, — man like I don’t believe this fucking telephone… and she was up on a bared knee — hello…? Look man who are you calling… no like this is his number but he’s not here, what… who? What company spokesman look man if… no look I mean you said you’re this newspaper what are you asking me for, go look in… So they’re setting off these four twenty kilotons to release this natural gas I mean what am I supposed to… Man I mean you’re the one who just said they rushed this AEC approval through to beat these envirementalists’ injunction I mean what are you ask… No man I mean look, I mean you don’t give news to newspapers you get news out of newspapers like I mean that’s what newspapers are man, like I mean if you’re this newspaper and you want to know if some underground explosion is dangerous I mean go read your fucking newspap…
— What in, what Tom? are you…
— Man like are you kidding? I mean like what’s the difference if the whole fucking state blows up who would even miss it…
— What the hell is this… he brought a newspaper bundle to the floor with him getting through, faced the expanse bared of plaid where she’d turned reaching up with the telephone. — God damn it what’s all this doing here.
— Man like it was there when we came in, I mean…
He got two cartons up balancing a shoebox, — never occurred to you to, wait what do you mean we.
Plunk.
— Like just Al and his group man they came up to rehearse…
Plunka plunka plunka plunka
— Mmmmmmmmmm…
— Good Christ no… he came bumping the cartons past tub and 200 2-Ply — what the hell is…
— Man I just told you like when the rest of the group comes…
— Mmm mmm mmm mmm…
Plunkaplunkaplunkaplunka…
— Jesus Christ listen this can’t, well God damn it! he was down picking up a red mitten, paperclips, marionette in a tangle of strings — when the rest of who comes look God damn it…
— There’s only like two more of them man, they…
He got the broken music box, car without wheels, a three legged sheep — look Al I’m working up here… a purple crayon, the Virgin one arm spread in mild surprise at the loss of the other, an arm cocking a bugle — now God damn it can you understand that Al?