4
PARTISAN REVIEW
the mansion once. It was one room with a gas plate, a brass
bed, one rocker and a table. Jock was sitting in his old socks
reading the evening paper that he picked up from the next door
before they got around to reading it. You couldn't get used to
seeing him it gave you a start to see him home at four o'clock
and you got mad seeing him sitting there ... for Christ's sake,
Jock, change the baby if you ain't got nothing better to do.
He saw her getting thinner, he saw her breasts, the peak
of her dress wet from the watery milk. It made his guts ache.
He threw down the paper, he spit on the floor.
She screamed. "Don't you dare spit on the floor when I
broke my back cleaning it this morning." The baby started in
her arms almost as if still in her. She laid it down as if she had
been burned. She laid it on the table with the relief order.
"A fine Mrs. I have," Jock said, "can't get back in time."
"Go sit on your ass," she said ctnd took off her terrible hat
so her hair shot around her face. I am pretty, I am pretty,
Jesus, Jesus I am pretty. 0 Jock, look and see! I'm pretty
as Joan Crawford.... "
She had to get something to eat with him looking at her,
hate screwing into her back.
He couldn't go into any room. There wasn't any other
room.
Pretty soon he said, "It's snowing, Leah, it's snowing."
She looked at him.
"I see by the papers," he said, "there is going
to
be a mass
meeting."
"A what?" she said.
"A circus, you nut, a mass meeting."
"You might talk as if I'm a lady," she said.
"Oh yeah?" he said, "parading all afternoon like any moll."
"Shut up," she said.
"Are you cooking prunes again, Jesus God, prunes, what
do they think we are?"
"Listen," she said, sitting down to nurse the baby, holding
out the big white globe of breast. Jesus, he thought, how can
a little thing like that have such fine cow's breasts, for a kid,
who'd have thought it.
"Listen," she said, "Can't we go somewheres tonight?
Every night is just like every other. A girl wants to have a little
fun. I don't never have a bit of fun since the baby came,,
