Falconer+-+John+Cheever

Falconer 78
wear clothes and look and talk and use body language like
something they’re going to remember with pleasure. So the
potential investor likes history, and can’t you see me coming into
the bank in a fucking suit of armor?”
“You’re not taking it seriously, Jody,” Farragut said. “There must
be something worthwhile in it. I think you ought to pay more
attention to what is useful in the course.”
“Well, there may be something in it,” Jody said. “But you see, I
had it all before in Charm School, Success School, Elite School. It’s
all the same shit. I had it ten times before. Now, they tell me a
man’s name is for him the sweetest sound in the language. I know
this, when I was three, four years old. I know the whole thing. You
want to hear it? Listen.”
Jody ticked off his points on the bars of Farragut’s cell. “One. Let
the other fellow feel that all the good ideas are his. Two. Throw
down a challenge. Three. Open up with praise and honest
appreciation. Four. If you’re wrong admit it quickly. Five. Get the
other person saying yes. Six. Talk about your mistakes. Seven. Let
the other man save his face. Eight. Use encouragement. Nine.
Make the thing you want to do seem easy. Ten. Make the other
person seem happy about doing what you want. Shit, man, any
hustler knows that. That’s my life, that’s the story of my life. I’ve
been doing all this ever since I was a little kid and look where it got
me. Look where my knowledge of the essence of charm and
success and banking dumped me. Shit, Chicken, I feel like
quitting.”
“Don’t, Jody,” said Farragut. “Stay with it. You’ll graduate and it’ll
look good on your record.”
“Nobody’s going to look at my record for another forty years,”
said Jody.
He came one night. It was snowing. “Put in for sick call
tomorrow,” Jody said. “Monday. There’ll be a crowd. I’ll wait for