— That makes a grand total of two hundred one thousand five hundred thirty seven dollars and eighty cents if you accept all these generous offers, doesn't it. What do you plan to…
— Yes and that's, he just said that's before taxes too so it probably wouldn't even cover the, all this, I don't understand all this, these disbursements and these, all these depositions in California?
— Disbursements Oscar, see that's money we lay out. Travel, filing fees, duplication, stenographers, that stenographer who came out here taking down your deposition that's ten dollars a page right there.
— Well I'm not paying her am I? They're the ones who wanted the deposition, that revolting little Mister Mudpye?
— Just to give you an idea how these depositions can run into money, see the ones I took out on the coast there were all…
— That's what I mean, who are they these, Railswort? Afhadi? Probidetz?
— They're the writers on the picture, they…
— And this Button somebody, who in the…
— That's the old buddy I just told you about, played the head house slave from right there in their opening scene through the whole…
— No but wait, wait, I mean just because he's your old buddy sitting around drinking in the Beverly Wilshire for two days while this Bredford's sobering up? What's the…
— Try to calm down Oscar, just calm down.
— It's all right Mrs Lutz, ought to ask me anything he wants to. See we had a little setback there. About the scar.
— What scar. On his face in the movie? That's one of the best proofs we have that they stole it, that they stole my play it's right there in the first scene when the curtain goes up.
— What I thought too Oscar, I surely thought so. Turns out they've got affidavits from old Button there and the doctor who sewed him up for their claim that right before they started shooting those scenes where he comes in with his scar Bredford got in an altercation with a cab driver in New York right beside General Sherman there outside the Plaza Hotel and the cab driver bit him on the cheek, would have held up their production schedule losing half a million a day so they just wrote it in.
— But that's, I don't believe it.
— They've got their original script there without it and this affidavit from my old buddy who happened to be on the spot trying to babysit Bredford even have the cabbie they're holding for deportation when they can figure out what country he comes from, couldn't take his affidavit because nobody can figure out what the hell language he's speaking.
— I don't believe any of it!
— But see the court will Oscar, got the sworn affidavits right there to prove it.
— Maybe this solves everything Oscar. Turn down their settlement, lose your case, and you're perfectly free to go off on your Broadway honeymoon with Sir John Nipples and be in debt for the rest of your life my God, you know what Harry told you, that you can always lose a case? He said it would cost you money didn't he? Well here's the money Oscar, take their settlement pay the taxes and start to clean up this whole mess, it's the chance you always wanted isn't it? This great director you're so besotted with if he really wants to do your play isn't that everything you've dreamed of? seeing it done the way you imagined it when you saw it in your head while you were writing it, to let Father see what you really wrote and be proud of you? Isn't that, doesn't that make sense Mister Basic? Doesn't it?
— Hate to see it drop now we've come this far Mrs Lutz.
— But with your, with this story about the scar and the, and if you lose? if he loses?
— We appeal Mrs Lutz.
— Yes and if you win they appeal and the clock keeps right on running?
— We knew that right off from the start didn't we, like Harry said you bring a big lawsuit it's going to cost money? See we got a strong case here, real strong. Why do you think they want to settle? This about the scar here it's a bad break, there's always bad breaks you got to expect them but that's all it is, just one little bad break in a real strong case why do you think they'll pay up to a quarter of a million to settle? See most cases, like maybe ninety percent of cases they're settled out of court at the last minute like this one, like they're trying to bait the hook here on this one. Why do you think they just settled with that documentary maker, they knew he had them by the short hair on that sledgehammer scene he did in Uruburu, same thing here. You think they're offering to settle if they're sure they can win?
— Yes and if they lose, if they lose they appeal and…
— If we lose, what we're talking about here if we lose. See they've assigned this case to this brand new district court judge, no track record you can't tell which way shell go, the ABA sits real hard on these appointments and she's got a real high priced reputation as a negotiator, can't tell which way she'll go then what. Say she finds for the defendant and throws it out, then what. Maybe that's good Mrs Lutz. You take how many cases lose in the district court and win on appeal because that's where this Second Circuit Appeals Court's got a real appetite for cutting down the court below so maybe you play to that. Maybe that's how we play it.
— I honestly don't know what you mean, to lose? You plan to lose?
— Plan to win, win or lose. See I'm telling you we've got a real strong case here, win in the lower court and fight their appeal or lose and fight it out on our appeal I'm telling you, won't go into all the legal niceties of it they call them but the long view, taking the long view they win all pleased with themselves and we'll take them in the higher court win or lose, we'll take them on appeal.
— I see. I mean of course I don't see, it all sounds rather risky. Oscar?
— What? Oh. Yes it's probably ready, lunch is probably ready.
— I'm not talking about lunch! Have you been listening to what he's said?
— Of course I've been listening!
— Well? What are you going to do, accept their, where are you going.
— To see about lunch!
— Can't you simply blow your little horn? Let her call us when she, my God. I'm not sure what you're in for Mister Basic, what you smell may be a warning.
— Didn't count on lunch Mrs Lutz, afraid I got to pass it up, get back to the…
— Hell be terribly disappointed, he's sounded like it's the only reason you came all the way out here.
— Didn't count on it, see we could have done all this on the telephone but he insisted, thought the two of us should sit down together coming down to the wire here, go over the whole case, why he had me to bring out the whole file, see all this? riffling through papers in the attache case opened on his lap, — brought the whole file I would have needed a trunk I just brought out the latest hey, look. Look, see this? flourishing a streamer of newspaper, — brought this out to you, thought maybe you missed it, piece in the paper on your hairy Ainu you were talking about?
— Well I, no I didn't see it, I…
— Where they think now how the samurai, this fancy top elite warrior class way up there in the nobility that's like it says here the epitome of everything Japanese in their Kabuki and all the rest, how these samurai are really descended right down from your primitive old hairy Ainu they've been treating like dirt over there for a thousand years like a field nigger down here in Fayette County, have to say I got a kick out of it.
— Yes I, I can see you might I, thank you.
— Never would even have noticed it there in the paper but I remembered you talking about your hairy…
— Yes I, I'm sure you do yes thank you for thinking of my, of me, Oscar? Mister Basic's afraid he can't stay for lunch.
— But we, I thought we could talk some more about the…
— Got it all talked out Oscar, talk any more we'll just get confused.
— But I, maybe I can call you later or, tomorrow if I call you tomorrow we can…