the truck stopped in front of a small wooden building with a faded sign marked “office”. the building’s one window was lit up.
buddy and johnny climbed down from the cab.
well, kid, buddy said, it was a pleasure knowing you. he started off into the darkness.
wait, johnny said, what about me?
buddy looked back and nodded at the office. they will take care of you in there.
and with that he was gone, swallowed up in the night.
there was no sign of anybody coming out of the office, so johnny tried the door.
it opened easily. he stepped into a narrow corridor. there was an open door to his right, to a small room.
a grayhaired woman was sitting at a desk, writing something. a small lamp on the desk provided the only light, the light johnny had seen in the window.
have a seat, the woman said, without looking up at johnny.
there was a single folding chair in front of the desk, and johnny sat down in it.
the woman oontinued her scribbling, for more than a minute. johnny waited.
finally she finished, and pushed aside the notebook or ledger she had been writing in, and looked at johnny.
who brought you in? she asked.
his said his name was buddy.
buddy. he dos not always bring in the best recruits. but not always the worst either. she stared at johnny, as if daring him to contradict her.
what am i being recruited for? johnny asked.
for the organization, of course. what else? organization a, to be specific, as opposed to organization b.
what is your name? johnny asked.
mrs worth.
johnny had expected her to say her name was smith or jones or brown or white, or maybe constance or maybelline, but he did not say so and just nodded.
i am hungry, by the way, he added.
let’s take care of business here first. mrs worth told him. do you have any questions?
johnny wanted to say, what’s for dinner? but he said, what is the organization and what am i going to do in it?
the world is organized into two organizations, mrs worth replied patiently. organization a, which tales care of the biggest business, and organization b, which takes care of all the other business.
but what is the biggest business?
you mean you do not know?
no, i do not know.
what an innocent you must be. do you want to hazard a guess?
johnny had never heard anyone say “hazard a guess” before. he supposed it meant the same as make a guess.
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