— Look I’m not trying to rewrite the God damn agreement, I just asked if it would be convenient for me to come up and see him tomorrow afternoon instead of today, I’ve been… no I know he does but… Not used to what…? No now wait listen, do you think you’re granting me a privilege letting me see my own son? Do you ex… all right why shouldn’t he have told you where we’d been, she’s a perfectly nice woman who… he what…? Look of course I never told him if I marry somebody else now and have more children that you’ll get them too, now… Because I’ve been helping her clean up some of the details on Schramm’s estate that’s why! She’s a perfectly ni… No, where… no I don’t, look if he wanted it why didn’t you just take it like you took everything el… yes Bruckner and the double God damn boiler I know it! Look if I find his crèche I’ll bring it up whenever I… Well Christ I know he wants it there for Christmas don’t I? What… because that’s what the God damn court order says doesn’t it? that we all have to spend Christmas together doesn’t it? Now listen is David there? can I… Well can’t you call him in for a minute…? All right! Look will you just tell me what time to call so I can… Because I won’t be at this number no, I just came up here to straighten some things out and get my papers as soon as this delivery service gets here to… well can you just tell him I called? I’ll try later if… all right I’ll just keep trying! Goodbye! Christ…!
— But Mister Eigen who…
— Bitch.
— Yes but I mean who, who’s that man in there staring at me and that, that Chinese girl sitting on the box with the…
— Well who the hell is she! She came in from Hong Kong with a shipment of sweaters for that company of yours no return ticket no papers she can’t even speak English, Immigration’s sending somebody up to take her in as an illegal alien I mean do you know what’s been going on here Bast? U S marshals postal inspectors IRS agents arguing jurisdiction over every scrap of paper I haven’t been able to take anything of mine out till right now, valuable manuscripts all over the place just lucky as hell they didn’t all go up in smoke these God damn matchbooks of yours dumped everyplace look at them! Five summonses from the fire department they brought in the public health people took one look in the refrigerator and…
— Yes but, well they’re not really mine the matches I mean, they…
— They’ve got this God damn J R thing all over them same company you’ve been working for isn’t it? He’s been calling here too hardly hear him look get the corner of this box here will you? Just push it past the tub there, sounded like he said he had a cold couldn’t meet you but he got some school to mail you a check you expected asked if you’re mad and what the hell happened to you no wait, push it a little further so I can tape it closed can you? Lawyers reporters executive placement agencies civil liberties union some drunk general somebody trying to reach you I mean do you know what’s been going on here Bast? Indian legal aid fund, some God damn television talk show civil beautification committee in some town where you painted their water tower want you at their award banquet? Somebody named Crawley who keeps calling and the phone company, I mean do you know this God damn phone bill’s over eleven thousand dollars?
— No but wait, wait this Mister Crawley was it about a check he…
— Just said some slides he lent you sounds affronted as hell you haven’t returned them look hand me that folder on the tub, finally found it stuffed under some boxes I’m not going to look no the one with stains all over it listen, where you going from here are you in a hurry?
— Well, no well no place exactly no I just came up to see if my…
— Fine then look there’s something you can do, can you just get Freddie where he’s supposed to go as soon as I get this call? There was an ad in the paper his sister’s been looking for him for Christ knows how long I’ve got an attorney checking the details how, I’m just waiting for him to call me back I’d do it myself but I’m waiting for this messenger service to, help me get this box up here will you?
— Well yes but I mean who’s, is that Freddie in there on the…
— Yes he’s fine look there’s nothing to worry about, once we got the bulb out of that lamp flickering on and off in there he thought it was his mother sending him messages, just hold this closed while I tie it can you? Been fine ever since they shot the God damn radio didn’t even bother him when the Jones boys had a fire in their clubhouse down there, the only thing that’s upset him was the drowned cat they found in the tub when they came in to turn off the water look, can you pull that box out while I hold back these film cans? This pain I’ve been getting it starts here and goes right down to my knee I don’t want to make it any worse.
— Well yes but, I mean Freddie where did he come from who…
