Mr. Berry reclined in his chair behind his desk. It was one of those metal chairs with a lot of padding and a base that allowed the seat to swivel and lean backward. He had fought with the company over getting it, and every time he sat down, the padding yielded with a self-congratulatory sigh of air escaping through stitching holes in the vinyl.
Here I am, he thought.
Mr. Berry tapped the top of his varnished desk and smiled a slight smile. The new secretary had dusted it for him. Lori was her name.
I think there's something about me that attracts women, he thought, although I don't know what it could be. I'm just an ordinary good looking guy. The way she smiles when I come in, and those low-cut dresses, that perfume ....
He flicked on the answering machine.
"John Berry's office. Mr. Berry isn't in at the moment; at the tone, please leave your message and the number at which you can be reached. Thank you."
Yes, there's the tone.
"Hi, this is Alan Adams from the Westport Aluminum Siding Company with a recorded message of great interest to homeowners. If you own your own home, this is the time to take advantage of our special Spurce Up For Spring offer."
Mr. Berry wasn't listening to the round, hearty voice of Alan Adams. It was the kind of voice Mr. Berry had always wanted for his own, and when he heard it from someone else, he immediately closed his ears. Those people don't deserve to be listened to, he thought. He beeped the secretary.
"Yes, Mr. Berry?"
"Coffee, light, please, and when you get a chance would you make another copy of this? I want to change the sentence, umm ..." He ran his finger over the lines. "Because the annual income is subject to tourist ... OK, I'd like that to read, 'The annual income, being subject to the seasonality of the tourist trade, is,' etc."
"Very good, I'll change it for you."
She brought his coffee with a smile Mr. Berry liked to believe she saved for him. He smiled back, filling his lungs with air to make his chest broad, and patting the chair arms contentedly. She left, closing the door softly behind her.
***
Walter sat in the dark apartment and looked at the parrot.