Page 15
Story: Closing Time (Catch-22 2)
"I need to clock them some more. I want to go again."
"I can arrange that again."
"Will Michael come with me?"
"If you pay him for the day. Are things all right?"
"Wouldn't I want to tell you if they were?"
"But would you tell me?"
"That would depend."
"On what?"
"If I could tell you the truth."
"Would you tell me the truth?"
"Do I know what it is?"
"Could you tell me a lie?"
"Only if I knew the truth."
"You're being honest with me."
"My father wants that."
"Mr. Minderbinder mentioned you were going to call," said the sanguine, soft-spoken voice belonging to the man named Jerry Gaffney when Yossarian telephoned him.
"That's funny," said Yossarian. "Which one?"
"Mr. Minderbinder senior."
"That's very funny then," said Yossarian in a harder manner. "Because Minderbinder senior insisted I not mention his name to you when I phoned."
"It was a test to see if you could keep things secret."
"You gave me no chance to pass it."
"I trust my clients, and I want all of them to know they can always trust Jerry Gaffney. Without trust, what else is there? I put everything out front. I'll give you proof of that now. You should know that this telephone line is tapped."
Yossarian caught his breath. "How the hell did you find that out?"
"It's my telephone line and I want it tapped," Mr. Gaffney explained reasonably. "There, see? You can count on Jerry Gaffney. It's only me who's recording it."
"Is my line tapped?" Yossarian thought he should ask. "I make many business calls."
"Let me look it up. Yes, your business is tapping it. Your apartment may be bugged too."
"Mr. Gaffney, how do you know all this?"
"Call me Jerry, Mr. Yossarian."
"How do you know all this, Mr. Gaffney?"
"Because I'm the one who tapped it and I'm one of the parties who may have bugged it, Mr. Yossarian. Let me give you a tip. All walls may have ears. Talk only in the presence of running water if you want to talk privately. Have sex only in the bathroom or kitchen if you want to make love or under the air conditioner with the fan setting turned up to--That's it!" he cheered, after Yossarian had walked into the kitchen with his portable phone and turned on both faucets full pressure to talk secretly. "We're picking up nothing. I can barely hear you."
"I can arrange that again."
"Will Michael come with me?"
"If you pay him for the day. Are things all right?"
"Wouldn't I want to tell you if they were?"
"But would you tell me?"
"That would depend."
"On what?"
"If I could tell you the truth."
"Would you tell me the truth?"
"Do I know what it is?"
"Could you tell me a lie?"
"Only if I knew the truth."
"You're being honest with me."
"My father wants that."
"Mr. Minderbinder mentioned you were going to call," said the sanguine, soft-spoken voice belonging to the man named Jerry Gaffney when Yossarian telephoned him.
"That's funny," said Yossarian. "Which one?"
"Mr. Minderbinder senior."
"That's very funny then," said Yossarian in a harder manner. "Because Minderbinder senior insisted I not mention his name to you when I phoned."
"It was a test to see if you could keep things secret."
"You gave me no chance to pass it."
"I trust my clients, and I want all of them to know they can always trust Jerry Gaffney. Without trust, what else is there? I put everything out front. I'll give you proof of that now. You should know that this telephone line is tapped."
Yossarian caught his breath. "How the hell did you find that out?"
"It's my telephone line and I want it tapped," Mr. Gaffney explained reasonably. "There, see? You can count on Jerry Gaffney. It's only me who's recording it."
"Is my line tapped?" Yossarian thought he should ask. "I make many business calls."
"Let me look it up. Yes, your business is tapping it. Your apartment may be bugged too."
"Mr. Gaffney, how do you know all this?"
"Call me Jerry, Mr. Yossarian."
"How do you know all this, Mr. Gaffney?"
"Because I'm the one who tapped it and I'm one of the parties who may have bugged it, Mr. Yossarian. Let me give you a tip. All walls may have ears. Talk only in the presence of running water if you want to talk privately. Have sex only in the bathroom or kitchen if you want to make love or under the air conditioner with the fan setting turned up to--That's it!" he cheered, after Yossarian had walked into the kitchen with his portable phone and turned on both faucets full pressure to talk secretly. "We're picking up nothing. I can barely hear you."
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137
- Page 138
- Page 139
- Page 140
- Page 141
- Page 142
- Page 143
- Page 144
- Page 145
- Page 146
- Page 147
- Page 148
- Page 149
- Page 150
- Page 151
- Page 152