what?”
Perry now turned for the first time to the little man with the many-times-magnified eyes and bestowed upon him a long ambiguous gaze: It looked like contempt, but then again it looked like tenderness. “Sometime tomorrow afternoon,” he said. “Now I want you to sit still and stay that way till I’ve gone. Do you understand what I want?”
“Tch.” Marvin sighed. “All
right
, Perry.”
Perry would not remove his eyes until Marvin repeated what he had said, omitting the implication of resistance.
“All right, Perry.” And, “Thank you!” he threw in for good measure.
Perry went through the revolving door, and Joe followed close behind. As they passed the window, Joe looked in at the little movie scientist. It was eerie to see him sitting there, in motionless obedience, his thick glasses catching the light of the cafeteria at an angle that made them look like two high-powered flashlights following Perry’s departure.
7
They were in a parking lot, Perry leaning on the fender of a white MG, Joe standing before him, thumbs caught in his hip pockets, smiling uncertainly, wondering what in the world was about to take place. The night was cold and clear, and the stars, like the possibilities, seemed brighter and far more numerous than usual. Joe laughed. Perry smiled and looked at him and shook his head in the manner of one who is indulging a small child.
“Joe,” he said. He made frequent and gentle use of a name, knowing that to its owner it is likely to be the most sacred word in the language, reaching not only the ear but the heart as well. “What’re you laughing for, Joe?”
Joe shook his head, still smiling. “Beats me.” He laughed some more, trying still to pretend he understood everything and yet fully aware he was merely making a fool of himself.
“We got to get you cooled, Joe, we got to get you tuned in. Would you like that?”
“Yeah, hell yeah, that’s just what I need.”
“You don’t know what I’m talking about, do you, Joe?”
“Well now, tuned in, that’s a—No, not exactly; I wouldn’t say I knew exactly.” He tried another little laugh, an immediate failure.
“No, you don’t, Joe. You don’t know anything much. But that’s valuable. Otherwise you couldn’t learn. You want to learn, don’t you?”
“Oh yeah, you bet I do, Perry.”
“Well then, isn’t it a good thing you don’t know much?”
Joe frowned, afraid to risk another laugh.
“Do you trust me, Joe?”
Joe nodded, quite vigorously. He meant for this nodding to express all of his respect and affection for Perry, and he went at it in earnest. And then he heard himself babbling something: “I sure do, Christ yes I do. But I’m just fairly new here in town, and uh—” He was trying to get some point over to this highly important new friend, but it wasn’t coming out at all right. “I just got to town here, I’m a stranger, I come in from—” No, that wasn’t it, not even close.
“You don’t have to tell me where you came from, Joe. You’re here, aren’t you?”
“I’m what? Here? Yeah I am, by God.” This was not the kind of conversation in which he’d learned to participate in the army. There it had been fairly safe to laugh and pull a certain face when you’d lost the thread, and that usually got you through. But with Perry here it was different: He kept pretty close track of things.
“I’m going to help you, but I want you to relax and trust me. Now listen, have you got a room near here?”
“A room! Yeah, I got a room in a hotel.”
“Let’s go there then. Where is it?”
“It’s got an
O
missing.”
“Where? I mean, do we walk or do we drive?”
“Either way, we can just—”
“How far is it, Joe?”
“I’d say it was a few blocks.”
“Get in.”
They parked the MG across the street from the place, walked past the desk
Perry now turned for the first time to the little man with the many-times-magnified eyes and bestowed upon him a long ambiguous gaze: It looked like contempt, but then again it looked like tenderness. “Sometime tomorrow afternoon,” he said. “Now I want you to sit still and stay that way till I’ve gone. Do you understand what I want?”
“Tch.” Marvin sighed. “All
right
, Perry.”
Perry would not remove his eyes until Marvin repeated what he had said, omitting the implication of resistance.
“All right, Perry.” And, “Thank you!” he threw in for good measure.
Perry went through the revolving door, and Joe followed close behind. As they passed the window, Joe looked in at the little movie scientist. It was eerie to see him sitting there, in motionless obedience, his thick glasses catching the light of the cafeteria at an angle that made them look like two high-powered flashlights following Perry’s departure.
7
They were in a parking lot, Perry leaning on the fender of a white MG, Joe standing before him, thumbs caught in his hip pockets, smiling uncertainly, wondering what in the world was about to take place. The night was cold and clear, and the stars, like the possibilities, seemed brighter and far more numerous than usual. Joe laughed. Perry smiled and looked at him and shook his head in the manner of one who is indulging a small child.
“Joe,” he said. He made frequent and gentle use of a name, knowing that to its owner it is likely to be the most sacred word in the language, reaching not only the ear but the heart as well. “What’re you laughing for, Joe?”
Joe shook his head, still smiling. “Beats me.” He laughed some more, trying still to pretend he understood everything and yet fully aware he was merely making a fool of himself.
“We got to get you cooled, Joe, we got to get you tuned in. Would you like that?”
“Yeah, hell yeah, that’s just what I need.”
“You don’t know what I’m talking about, do you, Joe?”
“Well now, tuned in, that’s a—No, not exactly; I wouldn’t say I knew exactly.” He tried another little laugh, an immediate failure.
“No, you don’t, Joe. You don’t know anything much. But that’s valuable. Otherwise you couldn’t learn. You want to learn, don’t you?”
“Oh yeah, you bet I do, Perry.”
“Well then, isn’t it a good thing you don’t know much?”
Joe frowned, afraid to risk another laugh.
“Do you trust me, Joe?”
Joe nodded, quite vigorously. He meant for this nodding to express all of his respect and affection for Perry, and he went at it in earnest. And then he heard himself babbling something: “I sure do, Christ yes I do. But I’m just fairly new here in town, and uh—” He was trying to get some point over to this highly important new friend, but it wasn’t coming out at all right. “I just got to town here, I’m a stranger, I come in from—” No, that wasn’t it, not even close.
“You don’t have to tell me where you came from, Joe. You’re here, aren’t you?”
“I’m what? Here? Yeah I am, by God.” This was not the kind of conversation in which he’d learned to participate in the army. There it had been fairly safe to laugh and pull a certain face when you’d lost the thread, and that usually got you through. But with Perry here it was different: He kept pretty close track of things.
“I’m going to help you, but I want you to relax and trust me. Now listen, have you got a room near here?”
“A room! Yeah, I got a room in a hotel.”
“Let’s go there then. Where is it?”
“It’s got an
O
missing.”
“Where? I mean, do we walk or do we drive?”
“Either way, we can just—”
“How far is it, Joe?”
“I’d say it was a few blocks.”
“Get in.”
They parked the MG across the street from the place, walked past the desk
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