Adult World Page #4

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- My protg.

I haven't heard that sober with

my pants on for a long time.

- That's okay.

- What would that entail?

I'm an excellent speller.

I could proofread for you.

- I got a spellcheck.

- Oh, of course.

I always imagined you at a typewriter.

What about readings?

I could do readings for you in sick...

...or you're hung over or something.

I feel kind of sick right now.

Um, you want to try that?

Give me... read something.

It's strindberg... some passages from

strindberg I thought were kind of cool.

"There are discords in this life

which can"...

Whoa!

Not... not in that voice.

Ttry it... just... can you do it

in your own voice without the...

- Sure.

- What kind of voice was that?

That was my speaking-out-loud,

reading-out-loud voice.

Yeah, don't use that one

because it doesn't sound like...

It doesn't sound like...

It doesn't sound like you.

How do you feel about failure

as a concept?

'Cause, you know, all the best people

are failures these days.

I failed many times.

That's good.

Continue to fail.

Beckett said,

"if you want to make art, you have to fail."

And so, the artist's job is to fail better.

- Fail better.

- Yeah.

You should make t-shirts.

This has been really good.

- I'm happy that you came by.

- Okay.

What about if I um...

What about if I organize for you.

- You could euthanize me.

- Um...

I could clean.

I could come over whenever you

need me to and just clean...

Like a maid.

- Yeah?

- Chop, chop!

Amy!

Hey!

Hey!

Guess what?!

I got published!

In anarchist quarterly.

- Are you sure?

- Yeah.

I'm so excited. It's, like,

the first time I ever sent anything in.

- Awesome.

- I know! It's, like, not a big deal.

It's just, like, some stuff that

I wrote down about the strike and stuff.

But they're gonna give it, like,

the front page, it says.

- I'm so happy for you.

- Thanks.

I'm gonna go frame it.

I think they might have spelled

your name wrong. Just double-check.

Aaaahhhhh!

Amy?

Are you working on a new book?

Excuse me?

Is that part of your new book?

Oh, yeah. Um...

Just a, uh...

Just a little... shitty, little anthology

I'm putting together, you know?

Don't want to but got to pay the bills.

What kind of stuff are you

putting in there?

Mostly unknowns.

- Really?

- Yeah.

I'm going to go out and come back.

So, carry on.

Okay.

"The fright oblivion, deep night.

Spring kills with its might.

Might I delight?"

Question mark or exclamation point?

Sorry, man.

Um...

- Thanks.

- All right.

What are you doing?

Why are you not paying attention?

I am paying attention.

Amy, what are you doing?

Amy, what are you writing?

- What's going on?

- Stop it!

- What are you doing?

- Nothing! I'm sorry!

- Hey, guess what?

- What?

I got a job.

- I'm working for rat billings.

- Are you quitting?

No, no.

I still need to work here.

He doesn't believe in money.

So, he's paying me in mentorship.

What are you doing for him

that you're not getting paid?

Um...

Well, I'm kind of his protg.

A lot of great writers get their start

under the tutelage

of another great writer.

You know, like Ford madox Ford

took James Joyce under his wing,

and Joyce may never have been

discovered otherwise.

Wait!

I just remembered something.

Lepassion.

Call for entries.

"We need erotica written by women

about their sexual experiences."

Yeah.

I know it's not Harper's or

the new yorker or whatever, but...

It's writing, right?

It's a publication.

Alex, I'm not gonna peddle porn.

Amy, hey, you're working in a

porn shop.

Um, Alex, the girl on the cover?

One of her b*obs is bigger than

my entire face.

You do kind of have a small face.

Just trying to help.

Desired reality desires itself,

invents a body of lightning,

bends over, and looks at itself.

"Jaguar waves and skull,

two eyes fixed on two eyes,

idols always the same eyes."

South Americans are awesome,

aren't they?

Who would like to read another...

...bit of octavio paz?

All right.

My assistant, Adrian, will read.

"Dawn.

Cold, rapid hands draw back

one by one.

One by one.

The bandage of dark.

I open my eyes.

Still, I am living at the center...

...of a wound still fresh."

Allison?

This guy is still in a wound

so fresh.

I mean, so much pain and violence.

Yes, yes, but try not to be

quite so literal with it.

That is quite a literal response.

Wait.

So, is that gonna be on the test?

Yes.

You'll be tested.

You'll be tested every day and

for the rest of your life.

And you know what?

You'll fail.

That's it.

Have you, perchance, found

the time to check out any of my poems?

I mean, I know you're busy.

No, but I will.

So, keep working on them.

Was it hard to get off heroin?

You know, your "opiated blues" days,

when you were homeless and hustling?

Well, in actuality, the smack

came later, after I wrote it.

So, you made all of that up?

Hey, you got to blur the lines, kid.

You really are a bizarre,

little creature, aren't you?

Hello?

Richard Simmons? Why are you getting

mail addressed to Richard Simmons?

Well, I wasn't being mean.

I was being honest.

Oh, my God.

"Rat" is a nom de plume.

More of a nom de guerre, but don't

tell anybody, or they'll skin me alive.

Of course!

They can't take a little

criticism without going to the Dean.

Is that what you're telling me?

All right.

I'll do whatever you want.

No, I won't do that, but...

We'll... we'll... we'll talk

about it later.

Bye-bye.

You're right to be hard on them.

They need it.

I know... generation mundane.

How about a little negative

advice before I depart?

Love.

Love until you hate.

Then, learn to hate your love.

Then, forgive your hate for loving it.

Wow.

On that note, do not wait to

strike until the iron is hot,

but make it hot by striking.

That's William Butler yeats.

You're dumb, but you're not stupid!

Time is so weird.

Being 22 is so weird.

- It's weird.

- Super-weird.

It's like this neverland, you know?

Like, we're not quite kids.

We're not quite adults.

It's like we're marginalized

others or something.

Just cured my insomnia.

It's so cool.

You have such diverse friends, Amy

You have something on your face.

You have something on your face.

- Yeah?

- Come dance with me.

Come on. It'll be fun.

Okay. It's floor dancing,

floor dancing.

Her need for release exploded

in a violent,

lustful vengeance,

as the stock boy finally took her

to the edge of oblivion.

She lay plundered,

fighting for her next breath.

Hey. What's up?

- Nothing. Just writing.

- That's cool.

You gonna drink all that

by yourself?

Not all of it.

Put some posters up, maybe.

Paint.

I could help you with that.

And stuff.

Hi.

- You're so funny.

- You're funny.

A second ago, I was teaching

him how to do, like, the dance moves

It's cool.

You should join, seriously.

I'll pass, thanks.

Okay.

Sweet.

All right. Have fun doing...

What you do.

"For your consideration,

here's a taste of some

of the erotic prose I've been working on.

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