— But do you think they…
— Forget about it… He came bent over a stove burner lighting the cigarette. — You see? They try to sound menacing but there's no malice there, just stupidity… he crumpled the letter, — just part of the trash… and dropped it in.
— You're going to stay? she said suddenly, — I mean until, if you want lunch there's nothing for lunch, I just have a glass of milk sometimes but, but supper, we could be in front of the fire like last night? I can call the store they can deliver something if we, I mean if you'll stay? Could they send up some decent veal then, he asked her, four or five veal scallops? and did she have any mushrooms? fresh ones, and heavy cream… — No but, I can order it but I mean I've only had that in restaurants I'm not sure I, I can do chicken though, if you… He'd do it he told her, and shallots, green onions if she didn't have shallots, and Madeira? was there any Madeira? — I don't think so but… A little white vermouth then, that would have to do he said turned for the door and stopped, that abruptly, with her up against him, her arm on his shoulders pulling him close, — can you? do all that?
— Of course… He let his hand close on her shoulder, — you learn to look after yourself.
— But didn't she…
— Geologists have the highest divorce rate going… close enough now to kiss the rise of her cheekbone, — even higher than doctors… and his hand lingered at her breast, letting her go. — Now, those trash bags?
Veal, she wrote on the back of B & G Storage, mushrooms, shallots, cream, Marsala was it? And she was over pulling open the drawer, digging under the placemats, a five, three singles, a twenty, before she was back dialing the phone, repeating her order — yes I know, but this time I'll pay cash… when there, straight before her, the front door shuddered open and she dropped it.
— Bibb?
— No! you, what…
— Hey… he came on, — you look really terrific.
— Wait! She settled the phone back, in to trim his embrace backed off against the love seat there — you, what is it what are you doing here?
— Man I just got back, I mean I just dropped in to see how you…
— You always just drop in! You, you just…
— Bibb like what's the matter, I mean…
— You know what's the matter! I've been getting, sit down. Just sit down.
He slumped in the wing chair. — Have you got a beer? — No I don't have a beer. Billy honestly, how could you do a thing like that, Mister Mullins has been on the phone screaming at me he wants to call the police and have you arrested, he said he's the one who pays Sheila's rent there and if you don't give him every penny you stole from these people he'll send you to jail, is it true? Is that where this new suit came from and running off to California?
— Oh man. He's so dumb, I mean get him off my case Bibb. I give him the money and that makes him an accessory, right? So we both do ninety days at Riker's Island? I mean he's so fucking dumb he can't even…
— He doesn't want the money, he doesn't want to keep it he wants it to give back to these people you stole it from because they're all after him, they're after him and Sheila because it's her apartment, how much was it.
— I mean Sheila didn't know anything about it, like she took off for that ashram in Jersey with that skinny Tibetan two weeks ago so what's the big…
— And that's when you put an ad in the paper two bedrooms, large living room, terrace, furnished three hundred dollars a month? and then you were up there showing it and getting everybody aside to give you a cash deposit and come back next week? That's what he told me, is that…
— Oh Bibb, Bibb. I mean what's the difference, nobody got hurt did they? they didn't take anything did they? She's still got her fucking apartment and a few turkeys out on the street are out a hundred bucks man like what did they expect, I mean if they're dumb enough to think they could get a pad like that for three hundred a month they couldn't wait to hand over these cash deposits, like this one woman goes in the fucking bedroom and…
— I don't want to hear about it! And, and please stop saying fucking I just don't, why do you do things like this?
— Man like what am I supposed to do! I mean I go in and see Adolph, you know he sold Longview? and like do we see one fucking nickel? I mean it should have gone to us in the first place, it should have gone to mother if they…
— Mother hated Longview, she was terrified of it, after she saw that thing come out of the marsh and drag old Juno under she never went back, she was terrified.
— Like does that mean Adolph should hand it over to these doctors for seven hundred and fucking thirty thousand dollars? It should have brought like over three million so he does this big deal with this doctor syndicate and puts it right in the trust. He should have split it between us but it's in the trust where we can't touch a fucking nickel. It's his obligation as trustee to conserve the assets of the trust so the trust can meet its obligations he tells me, he has to guard the trust against unwarranted incursions, you know what that is Bibb? That's Paul, that's fucking Paul going around trying to borrow against it that's what he's been…
— All right! That still doesn't mean you have to do something like this with Sheila's apartment when Adolph won't advance you more money where does it go! Dope? Is it drugs is that what…
— Oh Bibb come on, I mean it just goes, I mean who's telling you I try to get money from Adolph for drugs, Adolph? Did you talk to Adolph? Because I wasn't up there trying to squeeze money out of him, I went up to see if he could get me a job, ask him. If you don't believe me ask him. I mean I just want to clear out Bibbs, I mean as far away from all this crap as I can get, Adolph knows the company operations inside out, he could get me sent anywhere. I mean the old man ran the whole show, don't I have a right to some lousy job?
— Well Mister Grimes runs it now and I don't think he'd…
— Man like there's nothing old man Grimes would like better than to see me shipped off to some burnt out hole in Africa, hand him a chuckle every time he thought of me laid out with dengue fever, he'd even throw in a little jungle rot for good…
— Africa?
— That's where they are, isn't it? And I mean that's where the action is, VCR's got a finger in Africa anyplace you look I mean that's what all this crap is about, the stock dropping and the old man's estate and these leaks, did you talk to Adolph?
— No, Paul says…
— Paul says! Man it's always fucking Paul, I mean he's the one Bibbs, he's where these leaks are coming from, he was going back and forth over there like a yo-yo carrying the bag for the old man wasn't he? I mean they kicked his ass out of the company that doesn't mean his asshole buddies in Pretoria pulled out on him does it? And I mean this old crud senator they've got on the string getting him this dismissal in these hearings Adolph told me, he's got them scared shitless even if they've got every concession over there nailed down, he's the one who carried the bag he's the one on the inside he's the, Bibbs? She was staring off at nothing, listening elsewhere, saidn't a word looking up — Is he here?
— Who.
— Paul, I mean who else. I thought I heard him.
— Oh. No, no that's just the…
— Because what I came for is that trust instrument, you've got a copy of it haven't you? I have to see it.
— It's in a box someplace, I'd have to go up and look for it but you know what it…
— It's the exact wording Bibb, I have to see the exact wording. I mean when I was talking to Adolph and I'm thinking like suppose something happened to me before this distribution and like where does that leave Paul, you and Paul. I mean your share by the time it comes through it won't be there and like if something happens to me he steps in and blows everything, could you look for it? now? I mean it's important.