he is flipping through the messages. absently:
he sits in and picks up the phone.
larry is at his desk sorting through mail. arlen finkle (off danny was magnificent. larry looks up: arlen is leaning in his accustomed spot in the office doorway.
he fingers the invoice. close on a printed detail: payable: and, typed underneath: upon receipt. wind is whipping rain hard against the window.
he is staring down at his desktop. thunder. he reaches up and scratches his nose as he stares at his desk. on the desk: a ledger sheet with a list of students' names. next to each name, a grade. larry drums his fingers. he picks up a pencil. he goes down to park, clive. next to it is an f. he waggles the pencil, eraser-end thumping the sheet. he erases the f. he enters a c. the pencil leaves frame. we hold for a beat on the new grade. the hand reenters. it puts a minus sign after the c. the hand withdraws. larry closes the file. just as he does so: the phone jangles, very harsh. larry looks at it, frozen. he lets it ring a couple times. he reaches for it. he slowly picks it up.