Not David. He's still asleep.
Not Arthur. He already knows.
Not Spinoza. You don't tell a determinist anything.
That leaves Gaius. He makes his way down the carriage.
U before O, says Vello. It's quite obvious now to me why.
Really? says Gaius. What do you mean?
I heard you and David ejaculating vowels in a perfectly natural order, says Vello. This occurred as a drama unfolded for each of you. Waking, in your case, and in David's, while he was asleep. You both ended with O. Or rather Ooooh!, which, granted, is different, but not all that much. So Arthur was mirroring a climactic effect. Which is why O comes last in his poem.
Well, well, says Gaius. If you say so.
Good. Vello hasn't mentioned the knife. But what was that about David? Never mind.....Best to steer away from all that.
It's like U.P.: up, says Vello. It took me a long time to get that.
You pee up? says Gaius, shocked.
Yes, in James Joyce's Ulysses, says Vello. Oh well, nightie night.
He goes back to his seat and sits down.
Before settling under his blanket he reaches forward and taps Arthur.
What is it? says Arthur.
U.P.: up, says Vello, winking.
Arthur is pleased Vello is talking to him again. But why did he say You pee up?
Of course he refuses to ask.
But now Arthur can't sleep.
He leans forward and taps Baruch Spinoza.
Can I sit next to you? he asks.
I'm reading, says Baruch Spinoza. But you can if you promise to keep quiet.
Just want to ask you something, says Arthur. Why would somebody say You pee up?
Who says I pee up? asks Spinoza.
Not you, me, says Arthur.
You....pee....up, says Spinoza.
Spinoza is not one of the world's great thinkers for nothing.
Oh! U. P.: up! says Spinoza. That's how you spell it. And there's the double meaning of course.
Arthur is silent. He knows how to spell it, but what is the double intent?
No comments:
Post a Comment