Part 24 (1/2)
”Did...you...see...him...on...the...floor!” She was laughing so hard, she could scarcely get the words out.
Sherman stared at her. It was true-she was right. They were different animals. Maria had the stomach for...for whatever was happening to them. She fought-with relis.h.!.+ Life was a fight on the line she was talking about-and so what? He wanted wanted to laugh. He wanted to share her animal joy in the ludicrous scene they had just witnessed. But he couldn't. He couldn't even manage a smile. He felt as if the very insulation of his position in the world was unraveling. These...unbelievable people...could now walk into his life. to laugh. He wanted to share her animal joy in the ludicrous scene they had just witnessed. But he couldn't. He couldn't even manage a smile. He felt as if the very insulation of his position in the world was unraveling. These...unbelievable people...could now walk into his life.
”Craaaaa.s.sssss.h.!.+” said Maria, weeping with laughter. ”Oh G.o.d, I wish I had a videotape a that!” Then she caught the look on Sherman's face. ”What's the matter?”
”What do you think that was all about?”
”What do you mean, 'all about'?”
”What do you think he was doing here?”
”The land landlord sent him. You remember that letter I showed you.”
”But isn't it kind of odd that-”
”Germaine pays only $331 a month, and I pay her $750. It's rent-controlled. They'd love to get her out of here.”
”It doesn't strike you as odd that they'd decide to barge in here-right now?”
”Right now?”
”Well, maybe I'm crazy, but today-after this thing is in the paper?”
”In the paper paper?” Then it dawned on her what he was saying, and she broke into a smile. ”Sherman, you are are crazy. You're paranoid. You know that?” crazy. You're paranoid. You know that?”
”Maybe I am. It just seems like a very odd coincidence.”
”Who do you think sent him in here, if the landlord didn't? The police?”
”Well...” Realizing it did sound rather paranoid, he smiled faintly.
”The police are gonna send a colossal great Hasidic piece-a-blubber moron lunatic to spy spy on you?” on you?”
Sherman hung his mighty Yale chin down over his collarbone. ”You're right.”
Maria walked over and lifted his chin with her forefinger and looked into his eyes and smiled the most loving smile he had ever seen.
”Sherman.” Shuhmun. ”The entire world isn't standing still thinking about you. The entire world isn't out to get get you. Only I am.” you. Only I am.”
She took his face in both hands and kissed him. They ended up on the bed, but this time it took some doing on his part. It wasn't the same when you were scared half to death.
12. The Last of the Great Smokers
After a fitful sleep, Sherman reached Pierce & Pierce at eight o'clock. He was exhausted, and the day hadn't begun. The bond trading room had a hallucinatory quality. The appalling glare on the harbor side...the writhing silhouettes...the radium-green numbers skidding across the faces of an infinite number of terminals...the young Masters of the Universe, so utterly unknowing, bawling at the electric doughnuts: ”I'll pay two!”
”Yeah, but what about the when-issued?”
”Down two ticks!”
”Bulls.h.i.+t! You can't turn off a fuse!”
Even Rawlie, poor dispirited Rawlie, was on his feet, his telephone at his ear, his lips moving a mile a minute, drumming his desktop with a pencil. Young Arguello, lord of the pampas, was rocked back in his chair with his thighs akimbo, the telephone at his ear, his moire suspenders blazing away, and a big grin on his young gigolo face. He had scored a smas.h.i.+ng coup yesterday in j.a.pan with the Treasuries. The whole trading room was talking about it. Grinning grinning grinning grinning, the greaseball lounged in triumph.
Sherman had a craving to go to the Yale Club and take a steam bath and lie down on one of those leather-top tables and get a good hot hammering ma.s.sage and go to sleep.
On his desk was a message, marked urgent, to call Bernard Levy in Paris.
Four computer terminals away, Felix was working on the right shoe of a gangling, obnoxious young whiz named Ahlstrom, just two years out of Wharton. Ahlstrom was on the telephone. Gobble, gobble, gobble, eh, Mr. Ahlstrom? Felix-The City Light. It would be on the stands by now. He wanted to see it, and he dreaded seeing it.
Scarcely even aware what he was doing, Sherman put the telephone to his ear and dialed the Trader T number in Paris. He leaned over the desk and supported himself with both elbows. As soon as Felix was through with the hot young Ahlstrom, he would call him over. Some part of his mind was listening when the French doughnut, Bernard Levy, said: ”Sherman, after we spoke yesterday, I talked it over with New York, and everyone agrees you're right. There's no point waiting.”
Thank G.o.d.
”But,” Bernard continued, ”we can't go ninety-six.”
”Can't go ninety-six?”
He was hearing portentous words...and yet he couldn't concentrate...The morning newspapers, the Times Times, the Post Post, the News News, which he had read in the taxi on the way downtown, contained rehashes of the City Light City Light story, plus more statements from this black man, Reverend Bacon. Ferocious denunciations of the hospital where the boy still lay in a coma. For a moment Sherman had taken heart. story, plus more statements from this black man, Reverend Bacon. Ferocious denunciations of the hospital where the boy still lay in a coma. For a moment Sherman had taken heart. They were blaming it all on the hospital! They were blaming it all on the hospital! Then he realized this was wishful thinking. They would blame Then he realized this was wishful thinking. They would blame...She was driving. If they closed in, finally, if all else failed, was driving. If they closed in, finally, if all else failed, she she was driving. It was was driving. It was her her. He clung to that.
”No, ninety-six is no longer on the table,” said Bernard. ”But we're ready at ninety-three.”
”Ninety-three!”
Sherman sat up straight. This could not be true. Certainly in the next moment Bernard would tell him he'd made a slip. He'd say ninety-five at the worst. Sherman had paid ninety-four. Six hundred million bonds at ninety-four! At ninety-three Pierce & Pierce would lose six million dollars.
”Surely you didn't say ninety-three!”
”Ninety-three, Sherman. We think it's a very fair price. In any event, that's the offer.”
”Christ almighty...I've got to think for a second. Listen, I'll call you back. Will you be there?”
”Of course.”
”All right. I'll call you right back.”
He hung up and rubbed his eyes. Christ! There must be a way to pull this out. He had let himself get rattled with Bernard yesterday. Fatal! Bernard had detected panic in his voice and had pulled back. Get yourself together! Regroup! Think this thing out! There's no way you can let it collapse after all this! Call him back and be yourself, best producer of Pierce & Pierce!-Master of the...He lost heart. The more he urged himself on, the more nervous he became. He looked at his watch. He looked at Felix. Felix was just rising from the shoe of the hot child, Ahlstrom. He waved him over. He took his money clip out of his pants pocket, sat down, put it between his knees to hide it, withdrew a five-dollar bill and slipped it into an interoffice envelope, then stood up as Felix walked over.
”Felix, there's five dollars in there. Go downstairs and get me a City Light City Light, will you? The change is yours.”
Felix looked at him and then gave him a funny smile and said, ”Yeah, okay, but you know, last time they keep me waiting down there at the stand, and the elevator don't come, and I lose a lotta time. It's fifty floors down there. Cost me a lotta time.” He didn't budge.
It was outrageous! He was claiming that five dollars to go fetch a thirty-five-cent newspaper was cutting into his profit margin as a shoes.h.i.+ne man! He had the nerve to gouge him-ahhhhhhhh...that was it. Some kind of street radar told him that if he was hiding the newspaper in an envelope, then it was contraband. It was smuggling. It was desperation, and desperate people pay money.
Scarcely able to contain his fury Sherman dug into his pocket and came up with another five dollars and thrust it at the black man, who took it, gave him a fastidiously bored look, and went off with the envelope.