JК
Something Happened :: Хеллер Джозеф
Страница: 388 из 398Everyone must be kept in suspense about new decisions that might emerge from meetingsbehind closed doors in which I am now a participant. (I am a kingmaker.) Plans for the convention are moving ahead efficiently because no one entrusted with executing any of them feels secure. I am regarded with envy, hope, fear, ambition, suspicion, and disappointment. My small secretary congratulates me and hopes I will take her with me. I won't. I tell her she is too valuable where she is. I'll have better safeguards with Kagle's girl, who's more persuasive at lying and more adroit at covering things up. In my former department, I have Schwofi the wise guy and Holloway the weak guy, a new, bright young fellow who isn't going to stay and an elderly plodder who isn't going to go, along with three other underlings who do what they're told to industriously enough, and I leave them all behind with pleasure on moving day. My new, temporary office is a windowless one across from Kagle's. Kagle's been told by Arthur Baron and Horace White that he'll be allowed to remain in his spacious executive office for as long as he stays. (He hasn't been told how short a time he'll be allowed to stay.) Green will have to replace me. I wonder with who (whom). I haven't decided yet how to handle Green. (He isn't as afraid of me yet as I feel he should be.)
"Have you anyone in mind you can recommend to take your place?" he asks me pleasantly enough on moving day, but with a taint in his manner that puts me on guard. "I'd like someone better than you," he adds with breezy malice the moment I nod.
"You'll have to pay him much more," I joke.
"I'll be happy to," he scores. "He'll be worth it."
Green is not afraid of me at all yet, and I may have to handle him, for a while, by groveling.
"What about Kagle?" he inquires sweetly. "Do you think he'd be good enough to take your place?"
"He wouldn't want to. I'm afraid he'd interpret it as a big step down."
"Not from where you're planning to put him."
"Special projects?"
"For you?"
"Of course."
"After working for you he'd interpret it as a big step up."
"Jack," I entreat him in a conciliatory tone, "you're supposed to be afraid of me now. At least a little."
"You knew about this when I was threatening you last time. Didn't you?"
"It had to be quiet."
"And you were afraid of me anyway."
"I wasn't afraid."
"My judgment may be bad but my eye isn't. I couldn't be that wrong about you."
"You had the whammy on me then."
"There was all that sweat. And you're afraid of me now. Right now."
I grin submissively.
"Have you anyone in mind you can recommend to take your place?" he asks me pleasantly enough on moving day, but with a taint in his manner that puts me on guard. "I'd like someone better than you," he adds with breezy malice the moment I nod.
"You'll have to pay him much more," I joke.
"I'll be happy to," he scores. "He'll be worth it."
Green is not afraid of me at all yet, and I may have to handle him, for a while, by groveling.
"What about Kagle?" he inquires sweetly. "Do you think he'd be good enough to take your place?"
"He wouldn't want to. I'm afraid he'd interpret it as a big step down."
"Not from where you're planning to put him."
"Special projects?"
"For you?"
"Of course."
"After working for you he'd interpret it as a big step up."
"Jack," I entreat him in a conciliatory tone, "you're supposed to be afraid of me now. At least a little."
"You knew about this when I was threatening you last time. Didn't you?"
"It had to be quiet."
"And you were afraid of me anyway."
"I wasn't afraid."
"My judgment may be bad but my eye isn't. I couldn't be that wrong about you."
"You had the whammy on me then."
"There was all that sweat. And you're afraid of me now. Right now."
I grin submissively.