James Purdy
EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN
"I don't like to make things hard for you," Jesse said to
Cade, "but when you act like this I don't know what's going to hap–
pen. You don't like nothing I do for you anyhow."
The two boys, Jesse and Cade, shared a room over the south
end of State Street. Jesse had a job, but Cade, who was fifteen, sel–
dom could find work. They were both down to their last few dollars.
"I told you a man was coming up here to offer me a job,"
Cade said.
"You can't wait for a man to come offering you a job," Jesse
said. He laughed. "What kind of a man would that
be
anyhow."
Cade laughed too because he knew Jesse did not believe any–
thing he said.
"This man did promise me," Cade explained, and Jesse snorted.
"Don't pick your nose like that," Jesse said to Cade. "What
if
the man seen you picking."
Cade said the man wouldn't care.
"What does this man do?" Jesse wondered.
"He said he had a nice line of goods I could sell for
him
and
make good money," Cade replied.
"Good money selling," Jesse laughed. "My advice to you
is
go
out and look for a job, any job, and not wait for no old man to
come to teach you to sell."
"Well nobody else wants to hire me due to my face," Cade said.
"What's wrong with your face?" Jesse wanted to know. "Out–
side of you picking your nose all the time you have as good a face
as anybody's."
"I can't look people in the eye is what," Cade told him.
Jesse got up and walked around the small room.
