Now listen, Bob! Lotterman shouted. I don’t know what you’re trying to do here, telling me you might quit and you might not — who in hell do you think you are?
Sala smiled faintly. Don’t shout, Ed. It makes us all nervous. I just asked for a loan, that’s all.
Lotterman jumped down off the desk. You can see me in my office, he said over his shoulder. Kemp, I want to see you next. He waved his hand in the air. That’s all boys, let’s get back to work.
Sala followed him into his office. I stood there and heard Schwartz saying: This is a terrible thing — I don’t know what to believe.
The worst, I replied.
Moberg came running over to us. He can’t do this! he screamed. No salary, no severance pay — we can’t stand it!
Lotterman’s door opened and Sala came out looking very unhappy. Lotterman appeared right behind him and called to me. He waited until I got inside, then closed the door behind us.
Paul, he said. What can I do with these guys?
I looked at him, not sure what he meant.
I’m on the ropes, he said. You’re the only one here I can talk to — the others are vultures.
Why me? I said. I’m a hell of a vulture.
No you’re not, he said quickly. You’re lazy, but you’re not a vulture — not like that stinking Sala! He sputtered angrily. Did you hear that crap he was giving me? Have you ever heard anything like it?
I shrugged. Well —
That’s why I want to talk to you, he said. I have to handle these guys. We’re in real trouble — this guy Stein has me pinned to the wall. He looked up at me and nodded. If I can’t get this paper going, he’ll close it and sell it for junk. I’ll go to debtor’s prison.
Sounds pretty bleak, I said.
He laughed humorlessly. You don’t know the half of it! Then his voice became hearty and full of purpose. Now what I want you to do is get these guys on the ball. I want you to tell ’em that we all have to pull together, or we’ll sink!
Sink? I said.
He nodded emphatically. You’re damn tootin’.
Well, I said slowly. That’s sort of a hairy proposition, what do you figure Sala would say if I went out there and told him it was sink or swim with the Daily News? I hesitated. Or Schwartz, or Vanderwitz — even Moberg.
He stared down at his desk. Yeah, he said finally. I guess they can all run — like Segarra. He slammed his fist on the desk. That greasy little pervert! He didn’t just quit — he broadcast it all over San Juan! People kept telling me they’d heard the paper was bankrupt. That’s why I had to go to Miami — I can’t borrow a dime in this town. That mealy-mouthed lizard is out there screwing me.
I was tempted to ask him why he’d hired Segarra in the first place, or why he had put out a fifth-rate paper when he might have at least tried to put out a good one. Suddenly I was tired of Lotterman; he was a phony and he didn’t even know it. He was forever yapping about Freedom of the Press and Keeping the Paper Going, but if he’d had a million dollars and all the freedom in the world he’d still put out a worthless newspaper because he wasn’t smart enough to put out a good one. He was just another noisy little punk in the great legion of punks who march between the banners of bigger and better men. Freedom, Truth, Honor — you could rattle off a hundred such words and behind every one of them would gather a thousand punks, pompous little farts, waving the banner with one hand and reaching under the table with the other.
I stood up. Ed, I said, using his name for the first time, I believe I’ll quit.
He looked up at me, his face blank.
Yeah, I said. I’ll be back on Monday for my check, and after that I think I’ll rest awhile.