octipus rex 19

(A Note from Herbert to Thomas)

thomas,
martin's birthday is next week, and i was wondering if you would be willing to help use with the preparations for a surprise party. there will be very few times when he will not be on the thirteenth floor of the hotel nicholas, so it will be difficult to get anything up there without his knowing about it. we are planning to have the party two days after his birthday. on his birthday he and i are going to have dinner by candlelight, and he will think that that will be the only celebration to honour the occasion. a couple of days we will tell him that you decided to move in earlier than you had planned, thus we will be able to move in his gifts without him suspecting anything. john will cook a cake in the in the kitchen behind the ballroom.
joy and andre-richard will buy whatever they are going to give him and leave it at your apartment. i would like for you to pick up matisse, picasso and gertrude stein by gertrude stein, I shall reimburse you before the party. the only time I would have for buying a gift would be during my very brief lunch break, because if i returned home after 15:17 he would suspect something. if this would be too inconvenient leave me a note at the main desk of the hotel nicholas.
of course you may consider this an invitation. if you would like to bring a gift, although it is not at all necessary, i would suggest art supplies, something by a modern brazilian writer or gertrude stein or contemporary music.
thank you,
herbert