Holden goes to a drugstore to buy food. He tries calling Jane Gallagher but no one answers. He only has three contacts in his address book: Jane, his old teacher Mr. Antolini, and his father's office number. He decides to call his acquaintance Carl Luce who he arranges to meet for a drink at 10pm. To pass the time until then, Holden sees a movie about a man who loses his memory in war. After, he thinks about war as he walks to meet Carl, recalling his brother's negative experience in the army during World War 2.

1. The Catcher in the Rye

2. Chapter 18 After Sally leaves, Holden realizes he is hungry and goes into a drugstore to buy a Swiss cheese sandwich and a malted milk. While in the drugstore, he decides to give Jane Gallagher another call.

3. Anyway, I gave old Jane a buzz again, but her phone didn't answer, so I had to hang up. Then I had to look through my address book to see who the hell might be available for the evening.

4. The trouble was, though, my address book only has about three people in it. Jane, and this man, Mr. Antolini, that was my teacher at Elkton Hills, and my father's office number. I keep forgetting to put people's names in.

5. Carl Luce So what I did finally, I gave old Carl Luce a buzz. He graduated from the Whooton School after I left. He was about three years older than I was, and I didn't like him too much, but he was one of these very intellectual guys and I thought he might want to have dinner with me somewhere and have a slightly intellectual conversation. He was very enlightening sometimes. So I gave him a buzz.

6. He went to Columbia now, but he lived on 65th Street and all, and I knew he'd be home.

7. When I got him on the phone, he said he couldn't make it for dinner but that he'd meet me for a drink at ten o'clock at the Wicker Bar, on 54th. I think he was pretty surprised to hear from me. I once called him a fat-assed phony.

8. He arranges to meet Carl for a drink at ten o’clock. Holden then decides to see a movie to pass the time.

9. The Rockettes I came in when the goddam stage show was on. The Rockettes were kicking their heads off, the way they do when they're all in line with their arms around each other's waist.

10. The Rockettes

11. After the Christmas thing was over, the goddam picture started. It was so putrid I couldn't take my eyes off it. It was about this English guy, Alec something, that was in the war and loses his memory in the hospital and all.

12. After the movie was over, I started walking down to the Wicker Bar, where I was supposed to meet old Carl Luce, and while I walked I sort of thought about war and all. Those war movies always do that to me. I don't think I could stand it if I had to go to war.

13. My brother D.B. was in the Army for four goddam years. He was in the war, too--he landed on D-Day and all--but I really think he hated the Army worse than the war. All he had to do was drive some cowboy general around all day in a command car.

14. What gets me about D.B., though, he hated the war so much, and yet he got me to read this book A Farewell to Arms last summer.

15. He said it was so terrific. That's what I can't understand. It had this guy in it named Lieutenant Henry that was supposed to be a nice guy and all. I don't see how D.B. could hate the Army and war and all so much and still like a phony like that.

16. I mean, for instance, I don't see how he could like a phony book like that and still like that one by Ring Lardner, or that other one he's so crazy about, The Great Gatsby. D.B. got sore when I said that, and said I was too young and all to appreciate it, but I don't think so.

17. I told him I liked Ring Lardner and The Great Gatsby and all. I did, too. I was crazy about The Great Gatsby. Old Gatsby. Old sport. That killed me.

18. Anyway, I'm sort of glad they've got the atomic bomb invented. If there's ever another war, I'm going to sit right the hell on top of it. I'll volunteer for it, I swear to God I will.