— court begging for permission to see my own son? Jack…?
The phone swung free. His foot slipped again, recovered 24–12 Oz Btls Fragile! and he stared down at his front, brushed at it, caught his balance and grabbed for the phone, clung to QUICK QUAKER and tried again, caught it and reached his free hand up to dial. — Hello? Yes listen I… know it yes but listen I… know it yes I know what day it is that’s what I’m… Because I couldn’t God damn it because I couldn’t! will you lis… Don’t no I don’t want to tell her myself no I, look can you tell her next week tell her get the new boots for her next week can’t you just… Look I know it’s getting cold that’s not what’s God damn it couldn’t you… Because I can’t talk to her right now that’s why! Look at me! I, can’t you just once can’t you, just once couldn’t you, once just not have to win…?
String came lowering a gum wad into the cast of light at the sill abruptly gone with his lurch against the punctured shade coming down on Hoppin’ With Flavor! — Christ what I’m, Christ…
— merican family its full share of the world’s health. Remember. It’s greenl Another fine product of Nobili Laboratories, a proud mem…
— Man like you didn’t even bring in the mail… the door shuddered in on her wading through envelopes, kicking ahead the Journal of Business, Modern Packaging, Financial World — and like there’s this big fucking box out there I can’t even move it. Are you in here…?
— In the library quick just been attacked by Cruden’s Concordance…
— Man like what are you sitting in there in the dark and I mean what’s with the telephone, it’s just hanging here… she freed an arm, passing, to reach and hang it up.
— Got my call took it off the hook… the lamp flickered on, the gum wad took up again, bounded merrily off the quarter, drew up, — got my call won a free dance lesson…
— I mean look I’m expecting this very important call… she came in trailing mail, dumped the raincoat’s pockets of cans, jars, a clothing wad as she pulled it off — like I mean this job they said they’ll call me on this very short notice… she yanked at a zipper.
— Charming little frock never pictured you in a charming little frock… he stared up from the cup’s emptiness, edged over to H-O in reach of the bottle — why you taking off charming little…
— Man like this place is so filthy I can’t even sit down in it, I mean they gave me this twenty dollars for it to look nice for this job like can you hold it a minute?
— Sound like a God damned fastidious horse what’s the…
— No I mean hold it up off the floor man… she shook herself into a shirt — like I’m supposed to be this secretary that’s got these personal problems like am I pregnant or something I said how do I know… she got through over his feet to hang the dress on the dishcloth rack, — I mean for when this public figure grabs me in the window like you should see this place man, I mean they must all shit American flags up there it’s so patriotic.
— God damned disappointment public figure thought you said a horse… the bottle tipped, wavered — like the flags though, Macy’s draw a nice genteel crowd nothing vulgar…
— Man like what do you keep saying this horse I mean I just told you it’s politics, I mean this Mister Cibo that hired me he’s like right out of the Mafia… she paused mismatching button to buttonhole, — I mean I’m jumping out this window with these personal problems and this politician saves me to make him this big hero, like I say how his courageous act shows he cares for people and gives me this courage to face life’s battles once more and they pay me this hundred bucks and I mean what’s with this lamp… she shook it, got around tugging at 24–7 Oz Pkgs Flavored Loops — like there’s this other lamp back here they sent him I mean have you got a quarter?
— Gave you five dollars this morn…
— Like I’m not selling it to you man… she dragged it out, set it up on Moody’s — I mean it’s made of this parking meter you need a quarter to make it go for ah hour.
— Take twelve minutes here’s a nickel, careful that bottle…
— No look man I mean a nickel’s too fat to go in the slot what do you wow, like you drank this whole bottle just today?
— Grynszpan dropped in heavy drinker he, look! See it? damn…
— Man what’s, see what…
— Football up there box in front of the clock wait till the light comes back on, old football climbing out of No Dep there! See it?
— Man like that’s here kitty kitty I mean that’s Chairman Meow man, here kitty…
— Hell’s he doing here looks like a…
— Man like where was I supposed to take him and I mean where’s that opener, like I had it in here for those enchilavies… and her sharp bend away looking under the sofa snapped the shirttail up where he swallowed abruptly on nothing, licked his lips and spilled the cup over the back of his hand getting it to them. — Here it is it’s still on the can I mean what a disgusting mess, like I mean these cigarette butts and enchilavies man couldn’t you even put garbage out in the hall like you’re supposed to?
— Little old lady comes down cleans out the tunafish cans…
— Man like we don’t even have tunafish and I mean the last time she tried that they almost put her in this little green panel truck and took her with it here kitty kitty…
— This keeps up put us all in a little green panel…
— No I mean this one that comes for the trash every night man like Bast says it’s some service his company must have fixed up kitty kitty kitty… she tapped the opened can on the floor.
— Company his service fixed up just found a bug on the phone that’s who…
— Man like that’s what I’m telling you, I mean this place is so filthy I expect to wake up with bites come here kitty…
— Bite bug not a bedbug no a tap phone tap, on the floor in there just ripped it out of the phone I…
— What that you ripped it out? Man like why’d you do that I mean he’ll just have to come back and fix it kitty kitty…?
— He who, what…
— This spade cat that works for the phone company man, I mean like he installs these telephones and these taps he does on the side so I mean like when they don’t hear anything they’ll just tell him to come put on another one I mean are you hungry?
— Not that hungry… he moved a foot from the stealthy approach to the can opened on the floor, — ever see a football eating don’t disturb…
— What do you have to say it with him standing right there man… she’d gone round on one knee on the sofa’s edge thrusting among mail for a jar, a can, inching the shirttail up — I mean can’t you look at somebody’s face instead of their ass? And like didn’t you find a quarter I mean this fucking lamp going on and off I can’t hardly see what… she was down biting open a transparent packet — like do you want some?