The Music of Chance by Paul Auster Read Free Book Online Page B

couple of years, I thinkI’ll be ready for them. That’s what I want to do. Build up enough cash to buy into that game and go head to head with the best.”
    “That’s all very nice, kid. It’s good to have dreams, they help to keep a person going. But that’s for later, what you might call long-range planning. What I want to know is what you’re going to do today. We’ll be getting to New York in about an hour, and then what’s going to happen to you?”
    “There’s this guy I know in Brooklyn. I’ll give him a buzz when we hit town and see if he’s in. If he is, he’ll probably put me up for a while. He’s a crazy son of a bitch, but we get along okay. Crappy Manzola. It’s a hell of a name, isn’t it? He got it when he was a kid because he had such crappy, rotten teeth. He’s got a beautiful set of false teeth now, but everyone still calls him Crappy.”
    “And what happens if Crappy isn’t there?”
    “The fuck if I know. I’ll think of something.”
    “In other words, you don’t have a clue. You’re just going to wing it.”
    “Don’t worry about me, I can take care of myself. I’ve been in worse places than this before.”
    “I’m not worried. It’s just that something has occurred to me, and I have a feeling it might interest you.”
    “Such as?”
    “You told me you needed ten thousand dollars to play cards with Flower and Stone. What if I knew someone who would be willing to put up the money for you? What kind of arrangement would you be willing to make with him in return?”
    “I’d pay him back as soon as the game was over. With interest.”
    “This person isn’t a moneylender. He’d probably be thinking more along the lines of a business partnership.”
    “And what are you, some kind of a venture capitalist or something?”
    “Forget about me. I’m just a guy who drives a car. What I want to know is what kind of offer you’d be willing to make. I’m talking about percentages.”
    “Shit, I don’t know. I’d pay him back the ten grand, and then I’d give him a fair share of the profits. Twenty percent, twenty-five percent, something like that.”
    “That sounds a bit stingy to me. After all, this person is the one who’s taking the risk. If you don’t win, he’s the one who loses, not you. See what I mean?”
    “Yeah, I see what you mean.”
    “I’m talking about an even split. Fifty percent for you, fifty percent for him. Minus the ten thousand, of course. How does that strike you? Do you think it’s fair?”
    “I suppose I could live with it. If that’s the only way I get to play with those jokers, it’s probably worth it. But where do you fit into this? As far as I can tell, it’s just the two of us talking in this car. Where’s this other guy supposed to be? The one with the ten thousand dollars.”
    “He’s around. It won’t be hard to find him.”
    “Yeah, that’s what I figured. And if this guy just happens to be sitting next to me right now, what I’d like to know is why he wants to get involved in a thing like this. I mean, he doesn’t know me from a hole in the wall.”
    “No reason. He just feels like it.”
    “That’s not good enough. There’s got to be a reason. I won’t go for it unless I know.”
    “Because he needs the money. That should be pretty obvious.”
    “But he’s already got ten thousand dollars.”
    “He needs more than that. And he’s running out of time. This is probably the last chance he’s going to get.”
    “Yeah, okay, I can buy that. It’s what you would call a desperate situation.”
    “But he’s not stupid either, Jack. He doesn’t throw his moneyaway on grifters. So before I talk business with you, I’ve got to make sure you’re the real thing. You might be a hell of a card player, but you also might be a bullshit artist. Before there’s any deal, I’ve got to see what you can do with my own eyes.”
    “No problem, partner. Once we get to New York, I’ll show you my stuff. No problem at all.