Americana

'I wonder if Mary has any children.'

'Don't talk about Mary. There is no Mary.'

'Remember what you told me about the kite-soul? The thing mother said when she was pregnant with Mary? That it was the kite-soul of her mother? You thought there was something Oriental about the phrase. In a way you were right. It comes from one of the children's books that mother used to keep in the bedroom. The book was so old it was falling apart. I just happened to be leafing through it one day and there was the phrase. It was a translation of a book for Japanese children. Beautifully illustrated.'

'You like to hold on to small pieces of information, don't you? What else do you know that I don't? I'll tell you something, kid-I know more than you think. A lot more.'

'Yes,' I said.

'You better believe it. What's this thing you're writing?'

'Filmscript.'

'Back on that kick again, are you?'

'I guess so.'

'I'm growing a beard,' he said. 'It's coming right along. I'm not doing any trimming yet… I'll let it grow out to a big white flowing mane. There's a lot of white in it but it looks good. Wait'll you get back. It'll be all over my face by then.'

'What are you growing a beard for?'

'Every man wants to grow a beard before he dies. It's one way of saying fuck you to everybody. Look, I'm nearing the finish line. I want a beard. It cheers me up just to look at it in the mirror. I'm not doing any trimming for at least another two weeks. If at all. If at all.'

'I can't picture you with a beard.'

'What do you sound so upset about?'

'I don't know, dad. It just seems strange. It changes things. I can't explain it.'

'Look, I have to get my ass into that meeting. Give me a blast on the horn when you get back to the city. We'll have lunch.'

'Right, dad. Don't work too hard.'

'Thanks for the advice,' he said.

I got my address book out of my wallet and tried to find some kind of listing for Ken Wild. I found his parents' phone number and address, which was that of a Chicago suburb. I got his father and told him I was an old college friend who wanted to get in touch. He said Ken was living in Chicago and he gave me both his home and office numbers. He said it was nice to hear from any friend of Ken's. He said any time I was in River Forest to drop over and use the swimming pool. I called Wild at the office.

'You are cordially invited to a black mass at your local martello tower. Roman collar. R. S.V.P.'

'Oh Jesus,' he said. 'It can't be.'

'It is.'

'Where are you?'

'Nearby I think. At least relatively. I've been looking for your name, Wild. The Pulitzer committee has been strangely silent.'

'My muse turned out to be a dike.'

'Too bad,' I said. 'What are you doing?'

'I'm a project manager for my father's industrial systems outfit.'

'I just talked to your father. He said I could use the swimming pool.'

'Guilt,' Wild said. 'How long's it been? Six or seven years, hasn't it?'

'Seven,' I said. 'You married?'

'Divorced.'

'So you're a project manager.'

'Secret glee in your voice. What are you doing?'

'Making films,' I said. 'I've made a few documentaries. Sort of working my way up to a feature. I'm doing it all on an independent basis. Tek-Howard's been distributing my stuff. I'm on location now and I may have to get up there in a few days to pick up some equipment. That's what made me think of calling. Maybe we can get together.'

'Great,' he said. 'Look forward to it. I really do.'

I felt better than I had in quite some time. Once again I got the network. I asked for Weede Denney. I reached over, got a handkerchief out of my pants pocket and put it over the mouthpiece. Then I heard Mrs. Kling's eternally reproving voice, a model for impeachment proceedings.

'Mr. Denney's office. He's nowhere in sight.'

'This is SDS. There's an invisible liquid device in your water cooler and it's programmed to explode the very second you put your phone back on the cradle.'

I hung up, checked the address book again and found a number for Leigh ton Gage College. I asked to be connected with Simmons St. Jean.

'Still there, Simmons? This is David Bell. Remember me?'

'Certainly. What do you want?'

'I'm making films these days. Shooting in 16. Sort of working my way up to 35.'

'Can you talk fast? I'm leaving for Marrakech in a matter of minutes.'

'How are you, Simmons? Still saving every copy of Cahiers du Cinema? Listen, have you seen the new Bergman? More depressing than ever. I saw it just before I left New York. I'm out here in the Midwest working on my film. It's a very personal statement.'

'Bergman is a prime example of the filmmaker as mortician. His films suffer from rigor mortis. I haven't looked at anything of his since the first mention of the spider-god. The new Paramount comedy-western is worth any number of Bergman's exegetical nightmares.'

'Same old Simmons. Great to talk to you, Simmons. Remember Wendy Judd? She's living in New York these days. Absolute wildcat in bed. Now here's why I called. Remember the snowfall scene in Ikiru? The old man has cancer. He goes to a playground and sits on a swing. It begins to snow. I think it's the most beautiful scene ever put on film. Now this is what I want to find out. One: did Kurosawa shoot up at the old man? Two: did he shoot the whole scene without cutting? Three: did the old man swing on the swing or did he remain stationary? I've seen Ikiru three times but the last time was almost five years ago. And the scene I'm talking about is so beautiful that I always forget to study it, to see how he did it. I thought if anyone would know, you would.'

'I've never seen Ikiru,' he said.

'That's impossible.'

'As for Wendy Judd, I tended to think of her as a sort of wild mouse rather than cat. I mean she loved to nibble, didn't she?'

'Simmons, you're lying. You're a lying sack of shit, Simmons. What do you plan to do in Marrakech-attend an Arab cartoon festival?'

I hung up and took a nap. When I came to, it was after five. I called downstairs and gave them Jennifer Fine's number.

'Jennifer, it's David. David Bell.'

'Of course,' she said finally.

'I wasn't sure you were still living at the same place but I figured what the hell, what could it cost me. I'm out here in the Midwest. In case I'm not coming through too well, that's why.'

'I can hear you.'

'I hope I'm not interrupting anything. Maybe I shouldn't have called. I just wanted to say hello. Nothing special. I'm naked and I've been calling people all over the country. I just wanted to say that I know how badly I treated you when we were seeing each other. You called me a fascist. Remember? That was a funny night in a way. At least it seems funny now, although at the time it was anything but. I think I've matured a lot since then, Jennifer. But I didn't mean to bring that up. I didn't have any special reason for calling. Just to talk. Sometimes on the phone the words just come out.'

'My cat died,' she said.