Part 22 (1/2)
”Sahed ”Okay I'm in”
”Hold on a et your radio royalty And the credit I e's pay, too, and happy to do it” Deasey tipped an iinary hat to Anapol ”And cut you two in for five percent of the Moth character There's just one condition”
”What is it?” Sammy asked warily
”We can't have any more nonsense around here like we had on Friday I've always thought you were taking this nazi business too far, but eremoney and I didn't think I could really coht, Jack?”
”Lay off the nazis for a while, boys,” Ashkenazy said ”Let Marty Goodet the bomb threats” This was the publisher of Timely Periodicals, hoiving the Empire heroes a run for the ht?”
”What does thisthe nazis at all?”
”Not a one”
Noas Joe's turn to rise from his chair ”Mr Anapol-”
”No, now listen, you two know I bear no goodwill toward Hitler, and I' to have to deal with hiht here in New York writingfat Jewish head? That I don't need”
”Mr Anapol-” Joe felt the ground falling away under his feet
”We've got plenty of probleht here at hosters, crooked cops I don't know Jack?”
”Rats,” said Ashkenazy ”Bugs”
”Let the Escapist and the rest of'e for a while”
”Boss-” Sa the blood drain from Joe's face
”And what's more, I don't care what James Love feels personally, I know the Oneonta Woolens Company, the board of that coentle to want to sponsor anything that's going to get them bo this to”
”No one is going to get bo et”
Sammy folded his thick arms across his broad chest, elbows out ”And so what if we don't agree to the condition?”
”Then you don't get any five percent of Luna Moth You don't get the raise You don't get a piece of the radioour stuff Joe and I could keep fighting those nazis”
”Certainly,” said Anapol ”I'm sure Marty Goodrenades at Her But you'd be finished here”
”Boss,” said Saed ”Not up to et this all squared away before weover lunch today”
”I don't need an hour,” Joe said ”The answer is no Forget it You are cowards, and you are weak, and no”
”Joe?” Sa in ”You're sure?”
Joe nodded
”That's it, then,” said Sammy He put his hand on the small of Joe's back, and they started out of the office
”Mr Kavalier,” George Deasey said now, pulling hientle the editor the painting of Luna Moth ”Talk some sense into them”
Sammy and Joe followed Deasey out of Anapol's office and into the workrooize for this, but I feel another little speech co on”
”There's no point,” Sammy said
”This one is aiarette, blew out a long stream of smoke, looked away He didn't want to hear it He knew that he was being unreasonable But for a year now, unreason-the steadfast and all-consuainst enemies he could not defeat, by a means that could never succeed-had offered the only possible salvation of his sanity Let people be reasonable whose families were not held prisoner
”There is only one sure round into paste by disappointment, futility, and disillusion And that is always to ensure, to the ut it solely for the hed nervously He was prepared to back Joe up, of course, but he wanted to make sure, insofar as you could ever be sure, that it was really the right thing to do He was hungry to follow Deasey's advice-to follow any fatherly guidance that caht of conceding so decisively to the
”Because, Mr K, when I look at the way you have our various costuhts out of Herr Hitler and his associatestheir artillery into pretzels and so forth, I so, well, that you may have, let's say, other ambitions for your work here”
”Of course I do,” said Joe ”You know that”
”It makes raveyard of every kind of ambition, Kavalier Take my word for it Whatever you may hope to accomplish, whether from the standpoint of art or out of other considerations, you will fail I have very little faith in the power of art, but I remember the flavor of that faith, if you will, froue Out of respect for you and the graceful idiot I once was, I concede the point But this” He nodded toward the drawing of Luna Moth, then expanded the gesture with a weary spiral of his hand to take in the offices of Empire Comics ”Powerless,” he said ”Useless”
”I I do not believe that,” Joe said, feeling hiiven voice
”Joe,” Sammy said ”Think of what you could do with all theabout Think of howover here That's soetting a fat lip from some kraut in the IRT” Joe Not just a co a fat lip from some kraut in the IRT”
And that was the proble in to Anapol and Ashkenazy wouldhe had done until now had been, in Deasey's phrase, powerless and useless A waste of precious time He wondered if it could possibly be simple vanity that e of Rosa ca on her disordered bed, head cocked to one side, eyes wide, listening and nodding as he told her about his work No, he thought Regardless of what Deasey says, I believe in the power ofthis to the ie of Rosa, it did not sound trite or overblown-in the power of my art
”Yes, God dahting now”
”Okay,” Sahed and looked around the workroom with a slump in his shoulders and a valedictory expression on his face
It was the end of the dreao, in the darkness of his bedroo of a hand-rolled cigarette ”That's e'll tell them, then” He started to walk back into Anapol's office