32
PARTISAN REVIEW
tell Marambio he wanted
to
see him. Marambio received him with a
brotherly hug and offered him the most comfortable chair in the
office.
Sebastian refused the cigarette Aquiles offered him and said:
''I've come to hand in my resignation."
Aquiles Marambio leaped
to
his feet. He could not understand
this sudden decision. Why? What for? How would he support
himself? Didn't he realize that if he stayed in the organization he
had a great future? How could he be so irresponsible? But Sebastian
was firm in his resolve. He couldn't see or hear AquiIes.
At last, tired of arguing with himself, Marambio looked at
Sebastian and asked insultingly: "And what do
you
plan to do with
your life? Sleep all the time?"
"Yes. "
"But why?"
Marambio was trying to control his temper.
"I don't know, I have
to,
I must find out-"
Marambio lost control and began
to
yell. "Don't give me that
crap about your visions. The truth is, you're a lazy slob, like the rest
of
you
who think you're so special! What gives
you
the right to a
privileged life? Now don't hand me that crap. What you want is to
have a good time, doing no work, just sleeping and relaxing. Vis–
ions my ass! I warn
you,
you're going to die and you'll never see a
goddamn thing. Okay, get out. Oh, one more thing-just so
you
remember-don't come to me begging for help. Our friendship is
over right now. I'm no friend of professional bums. If
you
want
to
take it easy and have a good time, you'll have to take the consequences
all the way."
Sebastian was hurt, but gazed at him serenely. "What about
our bet?" he asked.
AquiIes laughed contemptuously.
"So
you
have the nerve
to
keep up the joke, even now? Okay, that bet stands, and it's the only
thing between us. But
you
don't know what a kick I'm going to
have watching them dump
you
in a pauper's grave."
Out on the street, Sebastian breathed deeply. Now, at last, he
was his own master; no strings bound him to anybody or anything,
and each second would bring him closer and closer to opening the
door. What difference did it make that people considered him
