Free Richard Yates by Tao Lin

the
    corner. “They made me sign something,” said Dakota Fanning grinning. “They took my picture. It was fun.” Haley Joel Osment began walking toward Penn Station. “You’re stupid,” he said after a few seconds. “What did you sign?”
    “They made me put my address. I put your address. I said I was from New Jersey. They said ‘who are you staying with?’ I said ‘a friend.’ They said to put that address.”
    mhp-yates-01.indd 62
    mhp-yates-01.indd 62
    7/9/10 7:48:41 AM
    7/9/10 7:48:41 AM

    63 • Richard Yates
    “Why did you put my address?” said Haley Joel
    Osment.
    “It doesn’t matter. They don’t know your apartment number.”
    “I don’t care,” said Haley Joel Osment. “You’re supposed to lie no matter what. I’m going to get caught and put your mom’s name. Email me your social security number.”
    Dakota Fanning said her social security number out loud.
    Haley Joel Osment repeated it and she said it was wrong.
    He said some more numbers out loud, all wrong. She asked for his social security number. He said he didn’t say his social security number out loud to anyone who asked. “There were like 200 photos,” said Dakota Fanning about the security room in Whole Foods. “They all looked good. They were all hippies or Asians.”
    “Asians,” said Haley Joel Osment. “Why Asians?”
    “I don’t know,” said Dakota Fanning. “I told the lady she should put all the photos in a book and sell the book. I said she would be rich. She laughed.”
    At Penn Station Haley Joel Osment stared at the display waiting for it to say which terminal the train was leaving from. They walked to the terminal. They stood in line. Haley Joel Osment felt Dakota Fanning looking at him with a worried facial expression. He looked at her with a bored facial expression and thought “Gazing at her indifferently” and looked away. She touched him and he did not reciprocate.
    They went downstairs to the train.
    “Bye,” said Haley Joel Osment and went upstairs without waiting for a response.
    mhp-yates-01.indd 63
    mhp-yates-01.indd 63
    7/9/10 7:48:41 AM
    7/9/10 7:48:41 AM

    Tao Lin • 64
    The next day in Bobst Library Haley Joel Osment emailed Dakota Fanning that he was going to potty train his brother’s dog in Connecticut for money. He said he didn’t have much money left and didn’t know where to live when his lease ended.
    “When are you leaving?” said Dakota Fanning on Gmail chat that night.
    “Tomorrow morning,” said Haley Joel Osment.
    “I feel terrible,” said Dakota Fanning.
    “So do I,” said Haley Joel Osment
    “I’m coming to see you tonight,” said Dakota Fanning.
    “I don’t care how long I have to walk or if I only get to see you for like 5 minutes. I feel like shit. I just cleaned out my entire house in an hour so I can get out.”
    “Get out,” said Haley Joel Osment.
    “I am. I stole more money. She already said I could leave.”
    “Get out of what,” said Haley Joel Osment.
    “Here. I am going somewhere tonight. If you don’t want to see me I’m okay with that. But I am going somewhere.”
    Haley Joel Osment asked where. “I don’t know,” said Dakota Fanning. “I’ll probably go to New Haven and just walk around.”
    “Oh,” said Haley Joel Osment and looked at his
    hands.
    “I’m thinking,” he said after about thirty seconds.
    “I think we’re fucked,” he said after a few minutes.
    “What do you think.”
    “I don’t know. The last two days I felt like I was bothering you. I feel terrible.”
    “Yes,” said Haley Joel Osment. “You annoyed me by
    mhp-yates-01.indd 64
    mhp-yates-01.indd 64
    7/9/10 7:48:41 AM
    7/9/10 7:48:41 AM

    65 • Richard Yates
    not meeting me. Things like that get worse over time. And by being sleepy all the time. And by being obese. I don’t think you will change. People don’t change.” Haley Joel Osment looked nervously at the computer screen feeling his fi ngers on the keyboard. “Are you hurt,” he said.