— 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?
— What, some what… he tipped the bottle over the cup, shook it.
— Some what man how do I know some what I mean it says cheese type processed food product do you…
— Wait! Christ…
— Like what’s the matter that’s grape drink I mean I just poured you grape drink what’s…
— Last of the whisky poured it right in the last of the God damned whisky…
— So now you’ve got like grape whisky I mean you’re so stoned you won’t know the difference man what are these… she held it up, pried off the lid — raviolis you want some raviolis…? The lamp flickered, beyond her the gum wad bounded and slowly rose from sight as she licked fingers, tore an envelope — Dear Mister Eigen, it is my pleasure to inform you that the Admissions Committee of the PEN voted at its last meeting to ask you to become a…
— Wait what’s… he coughed into the cup — what are you…
— What man I mean I’m reading the mail, like I mean when Bast and I eat that’s what we do man… she paused parting the shirttail on a flank to scratch there, — I mean like what else is there to do.
— No look problem’s just problem Mister Eigen God damned touchy sometimes might want to open his mail himself look…
