glad you called”? Was he a master ironist? Who had been in the room with the rude bastard? If I’d had any brains I would have stood up and gotten the hell out of there. At least I could be silent.
“I’ve finished this section,” I said. “Would you like to see it?”
I know, I know. But I’m a spender. A spender spends. It doesn’t make much difference what other people do. He picks up checks. He picks up checks and picks up checks.
“No,” he said. “I’m pretty tired. I’ll find you a place to sleep. You stay here. It wouldn’t do for both of us to be prowling around the halls.”
When Penner went out I was tempted to look around his room to see if I could find out anything about him. But I didn’t know when he would be back, so I sat perfectly still and looked over the society section some more. Maybe he was testing me; maybe the son of a bitch was right outside the door and just waiting for me to make a move.
In a few minutes he was back.
“Four-L,” he said. “You don’t need a key.”
It was obvious by the way he sat down on the bed that he didn’t mean to escort me. One coil, one cup of coffee, one room, one bed, one trip to 4-L.
“Well,” I said, hating my lousy character, “goodnight, and thanks.”
“That’s all right.”
I found the stairs and went up. It was dark and I had to light matches in front of each doorway to read the room number. The numbers and letters were thin tin cutouts and I wondered abstractedly just who made them. What kind of market was there for 4-D, 3-M, 2-R? It was a strange world I was alive in, and everybody had seemed to find a place in it for himself. By the time I found 4-L I was pretty sorry for myself. I turned the handle gently, found a light switch and looked around. There were no sheets on the bed but there was a blanket in the closet. I turned on the tiny radiator, and rolled down the mattress and went to sleep.
When I woke in the morning I had to go to the bathroom very badly. It’s all those eggs I didn’t eat, I thought. All that coffee I didn’t drink. For some reason I felt it would be trespassing to use any toilet but the one on Penner’s floor. Downstairs there was a line of people waiting to get in. Penner wasn’t in the line and somehow I knew that it was he in the bathroom. The others looked at me suspiciously.
“Where’s Schwartz’s room?” I asked a man at the back of the line.
“I don’t know no Schwartz,” he said. “There a Schwartz here?” he asked an old man in front of him.
“Maybe that’s the new guy up on three,” he said. “Look on the board in the hall.”
I thanked him and went toward the front. Nobody was watching me, but I looked at the board anyway. I couldn’t go back, so I went outside. It was cold and I had left my coat in 4-L and I still had to pee but I would have to stay outside until they had all cleared out. I thought of going into Penner’s room, but that crowd in the hall would think it suspicious. In about ten minutes I walked back anyway. There were still a few people in line. The old man looked at me. “Did you find Schwartz?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said. “He’s up in 4-L.” “Fine,” he said.
“Where’s Penner’s room?” I asked. “Oh, Penner. Penner’s in 1-M.” “Thank you,” I said and walked down to Penner’s room. I knocked.
“Boswell?”
“Yes.”
“Come on in. Door’s open.”
Penner was making himself more eggs. He was already dressed.
“I had a pretty good sleep,” I said.
He looked at his watch, and then began spooning eggs out of the pan into his mouth. I was pretty hungry, but I didn’t have any illusions.
“You’re dressed,” I said. “Do you work far?”
“Not far.”
“Uh huh. Listen, Penner, would it be all right if I hung around the place today until it’s time to go to the gym?”
“Sure,” he said. “Perfectly okay. There’s a little restaurant on the corner where you can grab some breakfast.”
Hadn’t he
“I’ve finished this section,” I said. “Would you like to see it?”
I know, I know. But I’m a spender. A spender spends. It doesn’t make much difference what other people do. He picks up checks. He picks up checks and picks up checks.
“No,” he said. “I’m pretty tired. I’ll find you a place to sleep. You stay here. It wouldn’t do for both of us to be prowling around the halls.”
When Penner went out I was tempted to look around his room to see if I could find out anything about him. But I didn’t know when he would be back, so I sat perfectly still and looked over the society section some more. Maybe he was testing me; maybe the son of a bitch was right outside the door and just waiting for me to make a move.
In a few minutes he was back.
“Four-L,” he said. “You don’t need a key.”
It was obvious by the way he sat down on the bed that he didn’t mean to escort me. One coil, one cup of coffee, one room, one bed, one trip to 4-L.
“Well,” I said, hating my lousy character, “goodnight, and thanks.”
“That’s all right.”
I found the stairs and went up. It was dark and I had to light matches in front of each doorway to read the room number. The numbers and letters were thin tin cutouts and I wondered abstractedly just who made them. What kind of market was there for 4-D, 3-M, 2-R? It was a strange world I was alive in, and everybody had seemed to find a place in it for himself. By the time I found 4-L I was pretty sorry for myself. I turned the handle gently, found a light switch and looked around. There were no sheets on the bed but there was a blanket in the closet. I turned on the tiny radiator, and rolled down the mattress and went to sleep.
When I woke in the morning I had to go to the bathroom very badly. It’s all those eggs I didn’t eat, I thought. All that coffee I didn’t drink. For some reason I felt it would be trespassing to use any toilet but the one on Penner’s floor. Downstairs there was a line of people waiting to get in. Penner wasn’t in the line and somehow I knew that it was he in the bathroom. The others looked at me suspiciously.
“Where’s Schwartz’s room?” I asked a man at the back of the line.
“I don’t know no Schwartz,” he said. “There a Schwartz here?” he asked an old man in front of him.
“Maybe that’s the new guy up on three,” he said. “Look on the board in the hall.”
I thanked him and went toward the front. Nobody was watching me, but I looked at the board anyway. I couldn’t go back, so I went outside. It was cold and I had left my coat in 4-L and I still had to pee but I would have to stay outside until they had all cleared out. I thought of going into Penner’s room, but that crowd in the hall would think it suspicious. In about ten minutes I walked back anyway. There were still a few people in line. The old man looked at me. “Did you find Schwartz?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said. “He’s up in 4-L.” “Fine,” he said.
“Where’s Penner’s room?” I asked. “Oh, Penner. Penner’s in 1-M.” “Thank you,” I said and walked down to Penner’s room. I knocked.
“Boswell?”
“Yes.”
“Come on in. Door’s open.”
Penner was making himself more eggs. He was already dressed.
“I had a pretty good sleep,” I said.
He looked at his watch, and then began spooning eggs out of the pan into his mouth. I was pretty hungry, but I didn’t have any illusions.
“You’re dressed,” I said. “Do you work far?”
“Not far.”
“Uh huh. Listen, Penner, would it be all right if I hung around the place today until it’s time to go to the gym?”
“Sure,” he said. “Perfectly okay. There’s a little restaurant on the corner where you can grab some breakfast.”
Hadn’t he
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