Genius Page #3

I'm nothing if not

a big old octopus.

An octopus.

One arm still

wrapped around o lost,

while another one

sneaks over here

through the briny deep

to write the new book.

I guess you could say

I'm... I'm tentacular.

What's the new one about?

It's about America.

All of it.

I'm trying to

capture everything.

Every city and village

and stone and leaf

and man and child.

And every farm and flower,

every river.

It's about

the one acetylene torch,

white, bright truth

that burns in the heart

of every man in this country.

And that is the search

for a true father.

I don't mean

biological father.

I'm not talking

about sperm.

I mean, I search for the need

of a father of our spirit.

It's about every single thing

that makes this country great.

It's mammoth!

Max says

the only ideas

worth writing about

are the big ideas.

Big ideas,

fewer words.

You see,

I'm lost without him.

Aren't we all?

You know I'm a writer, too?

That so?

Max didn't tell you?

Mmm.

I've been working on a play

for quite some time now.

It's about pauline,

Napoleon's sister.

Historical pageant,

is it?

Well, it's attempting

to be more modern.

I wrote a play once.

It was not a happy experience,

i can tell you that.

I found it

an anemic form,

lacking the multi-colored

cloak of prose.

So I dumped the form

and returned to my novels.

Do you have a title

for your new book?

Your daddy and i

have considered a bunch.

Right now we're thinking about

of time and the river.

"The river" 'cause

that word just reminds

me of my father.

The river running

away from his door

and right back again.

That sounds like

quite a long book.

Don't say that, aline.

I'll see you tomorrow.

Keep yourself ready for me.

Goodnight. Goodnight.

This should

do you nicely.

I'll see you

in the morning.

Max.

Thank you

for tonight.

I hope I didn't

offend anyone.

I so want your family

to like me.

Don't worry.

Of course not.

I'm not a circus animal.

See, I know I seem

like a freak.

Too loud,

too grandiose,

not quite real.

That's who I am.

That's how I got

out of asheville,

by making noise.

I thrashed my way out.

But I feel things

like a real person.

So...

...from caliban's heart,

i say this.

In all my life,

well, till I met you,

i never had a friend.

If we nail down

Ben's death today,

then, hell,

we're within hollering

distance of the end.

Aline!

Max.

Let me introduce you.

This is Mrs. Bernstein.

How do you do?

Mr. Perkins.

Tom has told me

so much about you.

She's the first person

who told me my writing

was worth anything.

Hell, she's the whole

reason for our book.

I thank you for that.

We were expected

last night.

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