— That’s fine Terry… he came round behind his desk getting out of his coat, — ought to keep me busy till you get back.
When she did he was pouring bourbon into a paper cup. — Gee we didn’t expect you to be gone so long Mister Angel, I mean even being gone the whole weekend and all, you notice any changes?
He put the bottle back into the file cabinet drawer. — I guess that looks like a new…
— No not about me I mean, that. The plant.
— Yes well, where’d that come from.
— I got it a couple of days ago gee it looks like it’s wilting already, they had big ones too only they were a lot more, you know?
— Yes well it’s, it’s just fine Terry but you shouldn’t spend your own money like that on something for the office.
— No that’s okay, I mean like you said once we spend half our life in here… she was squaring papers on her typewriter, turned thrusting red hair back. — This letter to Dayton, you want carbons to anybody Mister Angel?
— One for the file’s all it’s just confirming that order, I just scribbled it on the plane can you read it?
— Sure… she squared them in the typewriter, — so everything went okay?
— Wouldn’t have if I hadn’t stopped off there, it looks like I have to replace Kenny.
— Really? gee that’s, that’s too bad Mister Angel… she typed a word, — maybe he’s, maybe he just had an off day this time I mean that big Cleveland order he got that time, he can…
— No way you’d have known it Terry I spent three nights on the phone clearing that one up too… he put the paper cup down emptied. — I don’t like to fire somebody any better than the next man but I can’t do his job and mine too, some things about Kenny I picked up you’d as well just not hear but, something wrong?
— No, no… the drawer rolled closed at her knee and she brought up a tissue, — I just must have caught cold…
— I heard you had rain here… he picked up the empty cup and put it down sitting back slowly, looking, dug for a key and pulled open the drawer reaching to the back of it for the soiled envelope opened down at his waist’s level, looking up from one to the next of the pictures as though to catch, in that moment of moistening his lips and swallowing, an evanescent matching tilt of nose or fall of hair, a turn of wrist or cheapringed crook of finger or grasp of hand regardless what it grasped or crooked or turned about coming up straight as her typing stopped and she stood suddenly crossing to a filing cabinet, sinking back in his chair as she stooped for a folder in a bottom drawer there turning up the next picture and the next, and next, as though to seize the moment of that simulated leather expanse to match in one of them its crevassed counterpart in white.
— Excuse me Mist…
— Oh…? he came up straight keeping his lap composed, in toward his desk where she stood over him, — what…
— No just, I’m sorry I just, in, just in this letter these specifications you put in if they should match their last order in the file here where we say sixteen…
— Yes well yes, yes that’s, don’t have to ask me that that’s the, says it right here doesn’t it to specifications contained in your order of June the…
— No no yes sir I just wanted to check I didn’t…
— Yes well that’s the, that’s all right Terry I guess I’m just tired from all this running around haven’t even had lunch myself yet I’m, you couldn’t stay a little late could you?
— Well if you, I didn’t know it’s so late already Mister Angel my friend Myrna in the order room, you know? She waits for me to ride in on the subway together so we don’t have to ride it alone and my sister’s having this…
— Yes well that’s all right Terry you’re, you can leave that till tomorrow you got a cold too and…
— No that’s okay but I mean you should get something to eat Mister Angel if you didn’t even eat yet, you…
— Might as well I guess yes… he snapped the desk’s drawer closed, turned the key — not much choice around here though where…
— There’s this place Joe’s where we go over by Thirty-third it’s not
bad.
— Near that Army post?
— Right acrost it’s not so bad, this special they have of…
— Terry?
— Yes what sir… she came up straight at the typewriter.
— Leo did he bring in this cost estimate?
— No sir I didn’t even hardly see him all the time you were…
— What’s that you wanted to tell me about him there… he was up pulling on his coat, — just when I was leaving, you…
— No that’s nothing Mister Angel you better get something to eat while you, I’ll just put this on your desk if you’re coming back…
He stood there with his hat. — Yes well, yes just finish that up and go ahead home then.
— Thanks Mister Angel you, it’s nice you’re back…
— Yes thanks Terry it’s, I’m glad to be back you, you take care of that cold now… and he stood there a moment longer with his hat before he put it on and turned down the length of porous green. — Leo…?
— Didn’t know you’re back I got that Italian for you, he’ll be here next Thursday he’s…
— Thursday hell he can be here tomorrow morning or he don’t need to come at all you tell him that and wait, you got that plan I drew?
