The Day Room by Don DeLillo

Author:Don DeLillo [DeLillo, Don]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781447207207
Publisher: Pan Macmillan UK

The orderlies drag her out.

GRASS

We sold our apartment the day after we bought it. Made a brilliant killing. I’m trying to buy the air rights over Lake Michigan. A metaphysical coup. There is real estate and unreal estate.

BUDGE

All right. I’ll take your advice.

GRASS

Take my advice. If you go out there ten times, you’ll never come back once for each time you go out. This is called set theory.

Budge sits in one of the chairs.

BUDGE

Although I’m not sure I should listen. How can I trust you?

GRASS

How can I trust myself?

BUDGE

Who’s in control?

GRASS

That’s what I fail to ask myself every hour on the half hour.

BUDGE

You’re part of the whole thing.

GRASS

Whatever the whole thing is.

BUDGE

Exactly.

GRASS

Scary.

BUDGE

Right.

GRASS

The children don’t greet me at the door, now that they’re grown. They grow so fast. My daughter is almost as old as I am. Smart as a whip. She thinks I’m unreasonable. She can’t greet me at the door, she says, now that she’s middle-aged, with children of her own. She has a station wagon. Why can’t she drive down in her station wagon, from the hill country, for two measly minutes, to stand—

BUDGE

At the door.

GRASS

—when I come home, with my recycled fluids, after a day at the office? Her own children are grown. They have children of their own. Her children’s children still greet her children when they come home from the office, at the door. Some people study the form. They follow the horses south.

BUDGE

See? We’re making headway.

GRASS

I’ll need a bed.

BUDGE

You can use Mr. Wyatt’s bed. It’s an excellent bed, for what it is.

GRASS

What is it?

BUDGE

I have two sheets. I’ll give you one. I’m happy to share.

GRASS

I don’t have a blanket.

BUDGE

I’ll give you my blanket. I don’t need a blanket.

GRASS

Will you give me your pillow?

BUDGE

I don’t use a pillow. I sleep without a pillow. See? It’s perfect. It works out beautifully.

GRASS

Will you tell me a story before I go to sleep?

BUDGE

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.

GRASS

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.

BUDGE

Come. Sit down. We’ll talk.

Grass slowly makes his way toward a chair.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.