A Collection of Stuff

Catcher in the Rye

(I'm writing this v v randomly and sporadically and totally by the seat of my pants. Okay bye)
(Wait, also, set up. After his stay in the mental hospital/maybe tuberculosis ward, he went to this new school, Jamestown Hall that I made up. He's returning home for Christmas because yay)

It was late and around Christmas and absolutely disgusting outside. It was. It was nearly midnight because the train was delayed because of the snow. They cancelled my morning train so I had to scramble to get a new goddamn ticket. I had to go back to the dorm and wait with Langford. Langford sort of reminded me of Stradlater. Personality wise, anyway. He was stuck-up and good looking, and he knew he was good looking, which made him stuck up.

He always made up his bed during the week, but on the weekends he left it alone. It drove me crazy. He also wore the same thing two days in a row on the weekend. If it was good. If he wore some damn sweater he liked, he'd wear it again. And no one would say anything. I just about confronted him about it when he wore some shirt one weekend and wore it the next one too.

He wore his hair slicked back like Stradlater, and his face was always clean-shaven, too, but his shaving kit was always clean. Langford didn't like to fight though, I mean, I guess Stradlater didn't exactly jump at the chance, but he would do it. But Langford wouldn't dare sock anyone. I tried to get him to do it once, boy I tried, but he wouldn't do it. He made some long speech about being nice and I almost socked him then to see what he'd do.

I would've too if he hadn't made that goddamn speech. His face got all soft and his eyes went all distant and I thought he might pass out before he started a new damn sentence. Thankfully, some other boys were roughhousing in the hallway and hit our door and Langford looked around all wildly like someone'd actually punched him.

Anyway, it was snowing like hell outside and it was windy and disgusting. I was in one of those vomity cabs but I could tell it hadn't just happened. Or maybe it was just the air freshener tree on the rear view mirror. There was also one on the back of each of the headrests. I stopped thinking about it because it made me wonder if they needed that many pine trees because it had happened in the last ride.

I had tried to make small talk with the cabbie but he had turned to me after I said hello and started speaking some other language and so I just shook my head and he still didn't seem to get the message cause he kept talking this other language. He almost missed the turn he was talking so goddamn fast in whatever he was speaking and the way he was going through all of the lanes all choppy I wouldn't doubt it someone had just vomited.

I got to my apartment building and went over to the elevator where I found Pete, the old night elevator guy back at his post. He gave me a tired smile as I hauled my suitcase onto the car he asked if I was going up the Caulfield's and I sort of gave him this look and said: 'Of course. I'm Holden Caulfield. Remember?' and he nodded and said something about a bad memory and not seeing me since I was at Pencey. I almost corrected him but I stopped myself.

When I got to my floor I went to my door and unlocked the door, expecting to see the lights on, but everything was turned off. I looked around confused, clicking on the light. The light let me see the clock on the wall and then I realized it was almost midnight again, so I turned off the light. I walked quietly down the hall so I didn't wake anyone up, and went into my room.

It was weird being in the house at night, it reminded me of last Christmas and I didn't like thinking about that so I unpacked and tried to think about Christmas. The funny thing about thinking, though, it when you try not to think about something, your brain always finds ways to link it back to the thing you first didn't want to think about. I pulled out a book that my English teacher had given to me and he said it was a good book but that made me thing about Mr. Antolini and so I put it away.

Eventually my brain drifted to Phoebe and maybe taking her ice skating even though it was where I took old Sally. I got my pajamas on and laid in bed, even though I hate lying in bed without being tired. I did finally fall asleep though my goddamn toe hurt because when I got into bed I stubbed it on the bed frame because I was used to Jamestown's beds now.

In the morning Phoebe came up and gave me this really big hug and a kiss on the cheek. She was real excited, telling he about this years play with school and how daddy could see it this year cause he wouldn't be in a California. Mother was happy to see me and even happier to hear that this year I had not flunked out of some school.

I asked if I could take Phoebe ice skating but she said that she already made plans with Phyllis Margulies, who had given her belching lessons last year. When I asked what happened to Alice, the girl who was sick at the movies, and she said that she and her had grown apart. That killed me. She was so goddamn mature, they had grown apart. I didn't even know what that meant when I was her age.

I told my mother I was going to go out and at first she didn't want me to go but I assured her I would be careful. I went down the elevator with Pete again and then set toward a record shop to try and find "Little Shirley Beans" again since I sort of last one. I didn't find it, which made me kinda sad, but it was alright cause I knew Phoebe kept the broken pieces like she said she would.

I headed to some small cheap sandwich shop that made me think of those nuns and their teaching jobs. I got a Swiss cheese sandwich and a malted milk like how I used to. I was sort of nervous I'd run into someone I knew, but I didn't really care too much. After lunch I went to window shop cause I had nothing better to do. It's like when you know you could go home, but you don't want to go home, so you just kill time.

I heard D.B. was gonna come over this year. He said he would stay longer this time. Last year he was only here for half of Christmas Day and then he went back to California. Phoebe was disappointed and I didn't care too much because, well, you know why. I was excited for Christmas this year, I hoped mother would buy a nice blanket like she said she would. I complained once that the blankets at Jamestown were damn awful and so she said she'd get me a real nice one.

I found another record store to try and find that record again, but I couldn't. I asked the guy in the shop if he knew if anyone had it. He said he might so he phoned this guy up and asked him. He said he did so I took the train over and bought it for Phoebe. While I was over on that street, there was an old bookstore so I went in and bought D.B. some book that my English teacher at Jamestown recommended. I took a cab home cause I didn't feel like waiting for a train. I was goddamn happy.

Well, hi. Hope you liked it. I wrote this is one sitting so if it's crap, that's why. I reuse words a lot bc Holden tended to do that. I obviously used this passive story telling and repetitive phrases. Okay, bye.