Chapter 15 Part 1 Chapter 1 Brooklyn (7)

She was in no hurry to get the bread right away.She would sit on a stool and watch.A dozen kids shoved and yelled at the counter.On the opposite stool were four old men dozing off.These old men are the "idle eaters" of the family, called to run errands, or take care of the children. These are the only things these old people in Williamsburg can do.They'll wait here as long as they can, because Roche's bakery smells so good.It was also nice to have the sun coming in through the windows on their aged backs.They'll sit there for hours and hours, dozing off, thinking it's killing time.This kind of waiting makes them feel that they have hope in life in a short period of time, and even feel that they are somewhat useful.

Francie stared at the oldest man.She was playing her favorite game, which was to figure out people.The man's hair was thin and unkempt, and as dirty gray as the short stubble on his sunken cheeks.Dry drool was stuck in the corner of his mouth.He yawned.He has no teeth.He closed his mouth again, pursing his lips so that the whole mouth was lost and his chin almost touched his nose.Francie just watched, curious and disgusted.She studied his old coat again.The lining of the coat hangs from the unthreaded cuffs.His legs are spread out in a very helpless relaxed position.The buttons on the trousers were oily, and one button was missing.She also saw that his shoes were in tatters and cracked at the toes.One shoe was tied with laces in many knots, and the other was tied with a short, dirty strap.She saw two thick, dirty toes with wrinkled gray nails.Her mind is racing...

"He's very old, must have been in his seventies. Abraham Lincoln was probably alive when he was born, and he was running for president. Williamsburg must have been a remote place then, and there were probably Indians in Flat Lived around the Bush. It was a long time ago." She continued to look at his feet. "He used to be a little boy too. He must have been nice and clean, and his mother would have kissed his little toes. When it thundered in the night, she'd come to the crib, wrap the blanket over, and whisper to him. Said don't be afraid, Mommy is here. Then she would pick him up and put her face on his head, and say he was her own baby. He must be a boy like his brother later, running in and out of the house, He slammed the door. His mother scolded him, and he probably thought, someday, he might be president. Then he grew into a boy, strong and carefree. He walked down the street Girls would laugh and turn to look at him when he was there. He smiled back and maybe winked at the prettiest one. I guess he must have been married and had kids; they would think he was The best dad in the world because he worked hard to support his family and gave them toys for Christmas. Now that the children are grown up like him and have their own children, no one needs old people. They are all waiting for him to die. But he doesn't want to die. He wants to live, even though he's so old and has nothing left to enjoy."

All around quiet down.The summer sun slanted through the windows onto the floor, and the dust danced in the light.A blowfly flitted in and out of the sunlit dust.Except for herself and the dozing old man, there was no one around.The children who were still waiting for the bread ran out to play.Their high-pitched screams were heard in the distance. Suddenly Francie jumped up.Her heart was beating fast.She was scared.For some reason, she thought of an accordion stretched to the maximum, to produce the fullest tone.Then she thought of the accordion contracting...contracting...contracting... Francie thought of how many lovely babies had been born into this world who would one day be old men like this, and a strange panic came over her.She had to get out of here, or something like this would happen to her.All of a sudden, she'll be a toothless old lady with disgusting feet.