From e01ed83975933e4c8eafcda7950db98342ddfd63 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Case Duckworth Date: Fri, 6 Mar 2015 22:08:20 -0700 Subject: Switch to compile.lua for reasons --- river/telemarketer.river | 689 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 689 insertions(+) create mode 100644 river/telemarketer.river (limited to 'river/telemarketer.river') diff --git a/river/telemarketer.river b/river/telemarketer.river new file mode 100644 index 0000000..1818e85 --- /dev/null +++ b/river/telemarketer.river @@ -0,0 +1,689 @@ +telemarketer +it +was +one +of +those +nameless +gray +buildings +that +could +be +seen +from +the +street +only +if +larry +craned +his +neck +to +almost +vertical +he +never +had +of +course +having +heard +when +he +first +arrived +in +the +city +that +only +tourists +unaccustomed +to +tall +buildings +did +so +he'd +never +thought +about +it +until +he'd +heard +the +social +injunction +against +such +a +thing +it +was +now +one +of +the +things +he +thought +about +almost +every +day +as +he +rode +to +and +from +work +in +gritty +blue +buses +inside +the +building +the +constant +sound +of +recirculating +dry +air +made +larry +feel +as +though +he +were +at +some +beach +in +hell +listening +to +the +ocean +or +more +accurately +at +a +gift +shop +in +a +landlocked +state +in +hell +listening +to +the +ocean +as +represented +by +the +sound +a +conch +shell +makes +when +he +holds +it +up +to +his +ear +the +buzz +of +the +fluorescent +bulbs +overhead +sounded +like +the +hot +sun +bearing +down +all +day +in +this +metaphor +a +favorite +of +larry's +his +cubicle +was +made +of +that +cheap +grayish-blue +plywood +that +cubicles +are +made +of +inside +it +his +computer +sat +on +his +desk +as +larry +liked +to +think +an +eagle +perched +on +a +mountainous +crag +much +like +the +crag +that +was +his +desktop +wallpaper +the +walls +were +unadorned +except +for +a +few +tacked-up +papers +in +report +covers +explaining +his +script +when +larry +made +a +call +to +a +potential +customer +it +always +went +the +same +way +hi +mr/mrs +customer's +name +my +name +is +larry +and +i'm +with +client's +name +and +was +just +wondering +if +i +could +have +a +minute +of +your +time +oh +no +sir +i +don't +want +whatever +it +is +you're +selling +customer +terminates +call +larry +had +only +ever +read +the +first +line +of +the +script +on +the +wall +sometimes +he +had +an +urge +to +read +more +of +it +to +be +ready +when +a +customer +expressed +interest +in +whatever +it +was +larry +was +selling +but +something +in +him +he +liked +to +think +it +was +an +actor's +intuition +that +told +him +it +was +best +to +improvise +though +he +worried +it +was +the +futility +of +it +kept +him +from +reading +further +into +the +script +so +when +jane +said +sure +i +have +nothing +better +to +do +he +was +thrown +completely +off +guard +um +alright +mrs +mrs +loring +i +was +wondering +it's +ms +not +mrs +em +ess +miz +no +r +larry +she +sounded +patient +as +if +she +were +used +to +correcting +people +about +the +particulars +of +her +title +but +how +often +can +that +happen +larry +thought +and +he +was +suddenly +deeply +confused +oh +sorry +ma'am +uh +miz +loring +but +i +wanted +to +know +whether +you'd +like +to +ah +buy +some +larry +put +his +head +in +his +hand +and +started +twirling +his +hair +in +his +finger +a +nervous +habit +he'd +had +since +childhood +and +closed +his +eyes +tightly +why +don't +you +have +anything +better +to +do +immediately +he +knew +it +was +the +wrong +question +even +before +the +silence +on +the +other +end +moved +past +impatience +and +into +stunned +larry +had +a +mini-drama +written +and +staged +within +his +mind +she +would +call +customer +service +and +complain +loudly +into +the +representative's +ear +the +rep +would +send +a +memo +to +the +head +of +telemarketing +requesting +disciplinary +action +and +the +head +would +delegate +the +action +to +larry's +immediate +supervisor +david +david +would +saunter +over +to +larry's +cubicle +sometime +within +the +next +week +depending +on +when +he +got +the +memo +and +when +he +felt +like +crossing +fifty +feet +of +office +space +and +have +one +of +what +david +liked +to +call +chats +but +what +larry +knew +were +lectures +after +about +half +an +hour +of +chatting +david +would +give +larry +a +warning +and +ask +him +to +come +in +for +overtime +to +make +up +for +the +discretion +and +walk +back +slowly +to +his +office +making +small +talk +with +the +cubicled +workers +on +the +way +the +world +suddenly +felt +too +small +for +larry +or +he +too +big +for +it +quietly +with +the +same +patience +but +with +a +bigger +pain +jane +said +my +husband +just +left +me +and +i +thought +you +could +take +my +mind +off +of +him +for +just +a +minute +and +hung +up -- cgit 1.4.1-21-gabe81