— 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…
— Hello Mister…?
— Wait somebody’s at the… yes she wrote them all down wait somebody’s at the door… and he was down past 200 2-Ply, reaching under the sullen heave on the couch.
— Hello? Mister…?
