Roommate

After visiting Old Spencer I went back to to my dorm, the Ossenburger Memorial Wing it was called. It was named after some phoney why used to go to Pencey, he made a load of dough out of bein' an Undertaker. My dorm was only for juniors and seniors. I was a junior, my roommate was a senior. Anyway, I got back to my room, it was warm for once. They always put the heating on when no one was there. It was a waste of time really. I was alone, everyone was down at the game, so I put on my red hunting hat that I told you about earlier, with the peak way around the back. I liked wearing it like that. I sat in my chair and resumed reading this book that I took out of the library. They gave the wrong goddam book but I didn't realize it 'til I got it back to my room. 'Out of Africa' it was called by Isak Dinesen. It was a very good book. About African Tribes, it amazes me how similar they are to the Native Americans.

My favourite author is my brother, D.B. But he sold-out for the money. Anyway, just as soon as I had got comfortable in my chair with my book and my cool hat I heared someone come through the shower curtain. It was only Robert Ackley. I could feel him standing on the shower ledge right behinde my chair. He was taking a look to see if my roommate Stradlater was around. He hated Stradlater's guts. He hated everyone's guts damn near.

"Alright Ackley Kid?" I asked. I did that to annoy him. He was just standing there hovering looking over my shoulder. I hated it when he did that. He was always there, just standing there on the shower ledge for now apparent reason. Anyone would think that he was my goddam roommate. He hated it when people called him 'Ackley Kid' he was always telling me that I was a goddam kid. It drove him mad when you called him 'Ackley Kid.'

He started standing in my light and demanded that I don't call him 'Ackley kid.' He started to really get on my nerves. Asking all these goddam irritating questions about the Fencing match an all. I must have read the same goddam sentence about twenty times! I must've dropped like a million hints about him getting up and clearing off. Anyone else would have got the message, but not Ackley. He continued to ask all his irritation questions, this time about my roommate, Stradlater. He asked who his date was and everything. I told him that I didn't really know and that was the goddam truth, I didn't particularly care either. You know that saying 'talk of the Devil and it arrives' well I'll tell you one thing. It's goddam true. Just as soon as we started taling abot Stradlater, he entered the room. He was in a hurry. Come to think of it, he was always in a big hurry.

"How'sa boy, Ackley?" he said to Ackley, you could tell this this annoyed Ackley, like I said, he hated Strdlater's guts.

Ackley just sort off grunted and left the room. He never could stay long in the same room as Stradlater. I was relieved, it meant I could continue reading.