JК
Something Happened :: Хеллер Джозеф
Страница: 38 из 398So, prudently, I contrive to keep as far away from it as I can, although I will manage to mention every now and then to a salesman I happen to be with on some other business that Kagle, Brown, or Arthur Baron has been asking about his call reports and that it is extremely urgent they be handed in as soon as possible for prompt study and evaluation. (I don't manage to mention — and never would — that I think they're a waste of everybody's time but mine.)
In this and other small ways I do what I can to be of help to Kagle (and Brown) (and Arthur Baron). I give him advice and I bring him gossip and news and portents from other parts of the company that I think will be of value or concern to him.
"What do you hear?" he wants to know.
"About what?"
"You know."
"What do you mean?"
"Jesus Christ," he complains, "you used to be truthful with me. Now I can't even trust you, either."
"What are you talking about?"
"I hear that I'm out and Brown's in, and that you probably know all about it. I was tipped off in Denver."
"You're full of shit."
"I like your honesty."
"I like yours."
Kagle grins mechanically, sardonically, and moves with his slight limp across the carpet of his office to close the door. I smile back at him and settle smugly into his brown leather armchair. I always feel very secure and very superior when I'm sitting inside someone's office with the door closed and other people, perhaps Kagle or Green or Brown, are doing all the worrying on the outside about what's going on inside. Kagle has a large, lush corner office in which he seems out of place. He looks nervous and tries to smile as he comes back and sits down behind his desk.
"Seriously, you hear everything," he says to me. "Haven't you heard anything?"
"About what?"
"About me."
"No."
"The grapevine says I'm finished. They're going to listen to Green and Horace White and get rid of me. Brown's got the job."
"Who told you that?"
"I can't name names. But I was tipped off by people in Denver who passed it along to me in strictest confidence. It's true. You can take my word for it."
"You're full of shit again."
"No, I'm not."
"There's nobody in our Denver office who would know something like that or tip you off about it if they did."
"Only about the Denver part. The rest is true."
"You tell terrible lies," I say. "You tell the worst lies of anybody in the whole business. I don't see how you ever made it as a salesman."
Kagle grins for an instant to acknowledge my humor and then turns glum again.
"Brown tells you things," he says. "Hasn't he given any hints?"
"No." I shake my head.
In this and other small ways I do what I can to be of help to Kagle (and Brown) (and Arthur Baron). I give him advice and I bring him gossip and news and portents from other parts of the company that I think will be of value or concern to him.
"What do you hear?" he wants to know.
"About what?"
"You know."
"What do you mean?"
"Jesus Christ," he complains, "you used to be truthful with me. Now I can't even trust you, either."
"What are you talking about?"
"I hear that I'm out and Brown's in, and that you probably know all about it. I was tipped off in Denver."
"You're full of shit."
"I like your honesty."
"I like yours."
Kagle grins mechanically, sardonically, and moves with his slight limp across the carpet of his office to close the door. I smile back at him and settle smugly into his brown leather armchair. I always feel very secure and very superior when I'm sitting inside someone's office with the door closed and other people, perhaps Kagle or Green or Brown, are doing all the worrying on the outside about what's going on inside. Kagle has a large, lush corner office in which he seems out of place. He looks nervous and tries to smile as he comes back and sits down behind his desk.
"Seriously, you hear everything," he says to me. "Haven't you heard anything?"
"About what?"
"About me."
"No."
"The grapevine says I'm finished. They're going to listen to Green and Horace White and get rid of me. Brown's got the job."
"Who told you that?"
"I can't name names. But I was tipped off by people in Denver who passed it along to me in strictest confidence. It's true. You can take my word for it."
"You're full of shit again."
"No, I'm not."
"There's nobody in our Denver office who would know something like that or tip you off about it if they did."
"Only about the Denver part. The rest is true."
"You tell terrible lies," I say. "You tell the worst lies of anybody in the whole business. I don't see how you ever made it as a salesman."
Kagle grins for an instant to acknowledge my humor and then turns glum again.
"Brown tells you things," he says. "Hasn't he given any hints?"
"No." I shake my head.