“Yeah, that’s easy to say.
Ain’t so easy to get a job—not for a one-eye’ man.”
Tom turned on him.
“Now look-a-here, fella.
You got that eye wide open.
An’ ya dirty, ya stink.
Ya jus’ askin’ for it. Ya like it.
Lets ya feel sorry for yaself. ’Course ya can’t get no woman with that empty eye flappin’ aroun’.
Put somepin over it an’ wash ya face.
You ain’t hittin’ nobody with no pipe wrench.”
“I tell ya, a one-eye’ fella got a hard row,” the man said.
“Can’t see stuff the way other fellas can.
Can’t see how far off a thing is.
Ever’thing’s jus’ flat.”
Tom said,
“Ya full a crap.
Why, I knowed a one-legged whore one time.
Think she was takin’ two-bits in a alley?
No, by God!
She’s gettin’ half a dollar extra.
She says,
‘How many one-legged women you slep’ with?
None!’ she says.
‘O.K.,’ she says. ‘You got somepin pretty special here, an’ it’s gonna cos’ ya half a buck extry.’
An’ by God, she was gettin’ ’em, too, an’ the fellas comin’ out thinkin’ they’re pretty lucky.
She says she’s good luck.
An’ I knowed a hump-back in—in a place I was.
Make his whole livin’ lettin’ folks rub his hump for luck.
Jesus Christ, an’ all you got is one eye gone.”
The man said stumblingly,
“Well, Jesus, ya see somebody edge away from ya, an’ it gets into ya.”
“Cover it up then, goddamn it.
Ya stickin’ it out like a cow’s ass.
Ya like to feel sorry for yaself.
There ain’t nothin’ the matter with you.
Buy yaself some white pants.
Ya gettin’ drunk an’ cryin’ in ya bed, I bet.
Need any help, Al?”
“No,” said Al. “I got this here bearin’ loose.
Jus’ tryin’ to work the piston down.”
“Don’ bang yaself,” said Tom.
The one-eyed man said softly,
“Think—somebody’d like—me?”
“Why, sure,” said Tom. “Tell ’em ya dong’s growed sence you los’ your eye.”
“Where at you fellas goin’?”
“California.
Whole family.
Gonna get work out there.”
“Well, ya think a fella like me could get work?
Black patch on my eye?”