All the Evil of This World by Jared Dillian

Author:Jared Dillian [Dillian, Jared]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, general
ISBN: 978-1-63064-007-1
Publisher: West 26th Street Press
Published: 2016-06-21T00:00:00+00:00

* * * *

I call T22 joker broker again. Voice mail. He had better show up to work today. I have to trade the PALM spinoff.

Tully rolls in, an hour late, as is customary. I allow it, because he outmaneuvers me. Every morning I have to give him the Diet Coke update. It is our ritual.

“How many so far?”

“Two.”

“Not that thirsty.”

“Not as thirsty as Tod, apparently.”

“Savage Jr. tied one on last night?” he asks playfully, taking off his coat, hanging it on the back of his chair, instead of in the coat closet, which annoys me.

Tod waves at Tully pitifully and goes back to being miserable again.

“Jesus, Savage, get the kid a bacon egg and cheese before he shats himself.”

“He can get his own.”

“It costs a dollar,” he says.

“It costs two dollars,” I reply. “Two hundred twenty-five days, that’s four hundred fifty bucks a year.”

“That’s like a second of your theta. A half-second.”

“It’s real money. That’s like five nights in a hotel.”

Tully roars with laughter, with Johan joining in. “Dude, that’s like one night in a hotel, what the fuck is wrong with you?”

“Laugh it up, asswipe. Wait until—“

“Don’t worry,” says Johan, “we already got the lecture once this morning. In fact, the market might have already crashed by now. Let me check the spooz,” he says, turning to look at the screens.

“In all seriousness, Savage,” says Tully, “and this is as a friend—you really need to loosen up. What does Ashley say about all this?”

“She’s in the box. I had to bail her out of forty grand in credit card debt last year. I call the shots now.”

“Okay,” says Tully, “There’s like, a million things wrong with that statement. You guys keep your money separate?”

“Yes.”

“She’s an admin, guy, she makes like forty grand a year.”

“And that’s her money.”

“So what did she buy to max out her credit cards?”

“Stupid shit. Kid clothes and stuff like that.”

“Um, the kids need clothes.”

“They don’t need twenty outfits.”

Tully and Johan look at each other with an expression that conveys they are getting nowhere.

“Let me ask you a question,” I begin, standing up, in my own defense. “Do you and your wife fight about money?”

“All the time,” says Tully.

“Why?”

“Because I buy shit she thinks I don’t need.”

“Like what?”

“Like, the golf trip to St. Andrews.”

“Well, if you kept your money separate, if that was your money, then you could do what you want with it, and she wouldn’t be able to say anything about it.”

“Guy, if we kept our money separate, then she wouldn’t have any, because she doesn’t work.”

“So?”

“So that’s ridiculous. She takes care of my kids. That’s worth something.”

“Am I interrupting something?” Dave is standing next to us. We hadn’t noticed him.

“Just arguing about money again,” I say. “What’s up? I thought you had to catch a plane?”

“I was running late,” he says, putting his hand on my shoulder, “so I decided to catch the next one. You got a minute?” He wants to talk to me privately. I turn towards the aisle.

“You know, Nick is really upset with you,” he begins.

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