SEIZE THE DAY
177
the other with his attitude of large, shaky, patient dignity. The waitress
set two boiled eggs before him.
"What kind of line does this Rojax company manufacture?" said
Mr. Perls.
"Kiddies' furniture. Little chairs, rockers, tables, jungle-gyms, slides,
swings, seesaws."
Wilhelm let his father do the explaining. Large and stiff-backed,
he tried to sit patiently, but his feet were abnormally restless. All
right! His father had to impress Mr. Perls? He would go along once
more, and play his part. Fine! He would play along and help his father
maintain his style. Style was the main consideration.
"I was with the Rojax Corporation for almost ten years," he said.
"We parted ways because they wanted me to share my territory. They
took a son-in-law into the business-a new fellow.
It
was his idea."
To himself, Wilhelm said, Now God alone can tell why I have
to lay my whole life bare to this blasted herring here. I'm sure nobody
else does it. Other people keep their business to themselves. Not me.
He continued, "But the rationalization was that it was too big a
territory for one man. I had a monopoly. That wasn't so. The real
reason was that they had gotten to the place where they would have to
make me an officer of the corporation. Vice-presidency. I was in line
for it, but instead this son-in-law got in, and ..."
Dr. Adler thought Wilhelm was discussing his grievances much
too openly and said, "My son's income was up in the five figures."
As soon as money was mentioned, Mr. Perls's voice grew eagerly
sharper. "Yes? What, the thirty-two per cent bracket? Higher even, I
guess?" He asked for a hint, and he named the figures not idly but with
a sort of hugging relish. Uch! How they love money, thought Wilhelm.
They adore money! Holy money! Beautiful money!
It
was getting so
that people were feeble-minded about everything except money. While,
if you didn't have it, you were a dummy, a dummy! You had to excuse
yourself from the face of the earth. Chicken! that's what it was. The
world's business.
If
only he could find a way out of it.
Such thinking brought on the usual congestion. It would grov';'- i;rt;
a fit of p:ission if he permitted it. Therefore he stopped talking and
began to eat.
Before he struck the egg with his spoon, he dried the moisture
with his napkin. Then he battered it (in his father's opinion) more than
was necessary. A faint grime was left by his fingers on the white of
the egg after he had picked away the shell. Dr. Adler saw it with
silent repugnance. What a Wilky he had given to the world! Why, he
didn't even wash his hands in the morning. He used an electric razor
so that he didn't have to touch water. The doctor couldn't bear Wilky's
dirty habits. Only once-and never again, he swore-had he visited his
room. Wilhelm, in pajamas and stockings, had sat on his bed drinking
gin from a coffee mug and rooting for the Dodgers on television. "That's
two and two on you, Duke. Come on-hit it, now." He came down on
