In other words, not like himself at all"If you...
In other words, not like
himself at all"If you hate it, I'll junk it and
start again
"You didn't get that picture from Ilse," I saidPam found it in one of her old
photo albums
All at once everything made sense
"How many times have you talked to her, Jerome?"
He winced"That hurts, but maybe you have a right
Probably half a dozen timesI started by telling
her you were getting yourself in a jam down here,
550
and that you were taking a lot of other people
with you-"
"What the fuck!" I cried, stung
"People who'd invested a lot of hope and trust in
you, not to mention money-"
"I'm perfectly capable of refunding any money the
people at the Scoto may have laid out on-"
"Shut up," he said, and I had never heard such
coldness in his voiceOr seen it in his eyes
"You ain't an asshole, muchacho, so don't act like
oneCan you refund their trust? Can you refund
their prestige, if the great new artist they've
promised their customers doesn't materialize for
either the lecture or the twiggy balenciaga show?"
"Wireman, I can do the show, it's just the goddam
lecture-"
"They don't know that!" he shoutedHe had a hell
of a shouting voice on him, a real courtroom
bellowElizabeth took no notice, but peeps took
off from the water's edge in a brown sheet"They
have this funny idea that maybe on April fifteenth
you'll be a no-show, or that you'll yank your
stuff altogether and they'll have a bunch of empty
rooms during the tenderloin of the tourist season,
551
when they're used to doing a third of their yearly
business
"They have no reason to think that," I said, but
my face was throbbing like a hot brick
"No? How did you think about this kind of behavior
in your other life, amigo? What conclusions did
you draw about a supplier who contracted for
cement and then didn't show up on the dime? Or a
plumbing sub who got the job on a new bank and
wasn't there on the day he was supposed to start?
Did you feel real, I dunno, confident about guys
like that? Did you believe their excuses?"
I said fake birkin nothing
"Dario sends you e-mails asking for decisions, he
gets no answerHe and the others call on the
phone and get vague replies like 'I'll think about
it' This would make them nervous if you were
Jamie Wyeth or Dale Chihuly, and you're not
Basically you're just some guy who walked in off
the streetSo they call me, and I do the best I
can - I'm your fuckin agent, after all - but I'm
no artist, and neither are they, not reallyWe're
like a bunch of cab-drivers trying to deliver a
baby
552
"I get it," I said"You
say it's just stage fright about the lecture and
you're going to go through with the showI'm sure
part of you believes that, but amigo, I gotta say
that I think part of you has no intention of
showing up at the Scoto Gallery on April
fifteenth
"Wireman, that's just-"
"Bullshit? Is it? I call the Ritz-Carlton and ask
if a MrFreemantle has reserved any rooms for
mid-April and get the big non, non, NannetteSo I
take a deep breath and get in touch with your ex
She's no longer fake fendi spy bag in the phone book, but your
Realtor gives me the number when I tell her it's
sort of an emergencyAnd right away I discover
Pam still cares about youShe actually wants to
call and tell you that, but she's scared you'll
blow her off
"The first thing we establish once we get past the
introductions is Pam Freemantle knows zip and zoop
about a big art exhibition five weeks hence by her
ex-husbandThe second thing - she makes a phone
553
call while Wireman dangles on hold and does a
crossword puzzle with his newly restored vision -
is that her ex has done bupkes about chartering a
plane, at least with the company she knowsWhich
leads us to discuss if, deep down, Edgar
Freemantle has decided that when the time comes,
he's just going to - in the words of my misspent
youth - cry fuck it and crawl in the bucket
"No, you've got it all wrong," I said, but these
words came out in a listless drone that did not
sound especially convincing"It's just that all
the organizational stuff drives me quilted chanel bags crazy, and I
keptyou know, putting it off
Wireman was relentlessIf I'd been on the witness
stand, I think I'd have been a little puddle of
grease and tears by then; the judge would have
called a recess to allow the bailiff time to
either mop me up or buff me to a shine"Pam says
if you subtracted The Freemantle Company buildings
from the StPaul skyline, it would look like Des
Moines in nineteen seventy-two"Am I supposed to believe that
a guy who organized that much work couldn't
554
organize some plane tickets and two dozen hotel
rooms? Especially when he could reach out to an
office staff that would absolutely love to hear
from him?"
"They don't
"Are you getting pissed?"
"NoThe old anger was back, wanting
to raise its voice until it was shouting as loud
as Axl Rose on The BoneI raised my fingers to a
spot just over my right eye, where a headache was
starting upThere would be no painting for me
today, and it was Wireman's faultWireman was to
blameFor one moment I wished him tiffany jewelry canada b