Chapter 2

They were both around seventy and each had their own room and all. His door was open, but I still sort of knocked on, just to be polite and all. He was all wrapped up in his blanket on his big leather chair. "Who's that?" He yelled. "Caulfield? Come in, boy." He was always yelling, it got on your nerves sometimes. I was sort of sorry I had come the minute i went in. He was reading the Atlantic Monthly and I wasn't too crazy about sick people anyway.
After a bit he started asking about how my parents would take the news about me being kicked out of Pencey. "Well... they'll be pretty irritated about it. They really will. This is about the fourth school i've gone to." I shook my head. I shake my head quite alot actually.
Old Spencer started nodding and then started picking his nose. I guess he thought it was OK because I was the only person in the room. I mean, I didn't care, it's just pretty disgusting to watch somebody picking their nose.
All of a sudden i just wanted to get the hell out of the room. Boy, I could feel some big lecture coming on. He began asking me how many goddamn subjects I'd taken this term and how many I'd been failing in. He said he flunked me in history because I knew absolutely nothing - which was true i suppose. It really was. After he had finished going on with his goddamn self he told me to go and get my exam paper. It was a very dirty trick, but i went over and brought it over to him and I went and sat back down on the goddamn concrete bed. Boy, you can't imagine how sorry I was that I'd stopped by to say goodbye to him.
He started holding my exam paper like it was a turd or something. Then he started reading the goddamn thing out. I had wrote hardly anything and I had to sit there and listen to the crap. It really was a dirty trick. After he'd finished he looked at me like he'd just beaten the hell out of me at ping-pong or something. I don't think I'll ever forgive him for reading that piece of crap out to me. I really won't.
After he started questioning me about whether I blamed him for flunking me, I started thinking about the lagoon in Central Park. I was wondering if it would be frozen over when I got home, and if it was, where did the ducks go. Then he started going on about the old schools I got kicked out of and whether i had any difficulties there.
After another goddamn lecture, I told him that I best be going because I had quite a bit of equiptment at the gym I needed to pick up. He started nodding at me again, with a very serious look on his face. All of a sudden I felt sorry for the goddamn guy, but there was no way I could hang around there any longer. I told him not to worry about me and that I'd be alright.
After I shut the door I was sure he shouted something at me. It sounded like 'Good luck.' I hope to hell that's not what he shouted. I'd never say that to anyone. Boy, it sounds terrible.