WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.100 align:middle line:90% 00:00:02.100 --> 00:00:05.895 align:middle line:84% I'd like to read you now a story titled "Uncle Hirsch." 00:00:05.895 --> 00:00:09.750 align:middle line:90% 00:00:09.750 --> 00:00:10.590 align:middle line:90% "Uncle Hersch." 00:00:10.590 --> 00:00:14.510 align:middle line:90% 00:00:14.510 --> 00:00:18.770 align:middle line:84% That spring, the then Congressman, Devorski, 00:00:18.770 --> 00:00:23.780 align:middle line:84% invited my parents and me to his son's circumcision. 00:00:23.780 --> 00:00:26.360 align:middle line:84% I was home from college for vacation 00:00:26.360 --> 00:00:29.390 align:middle line:90% and had never seen one. 00:00:29.390 --> 00:00:32.330 align:middle line:84% Now, I'm in Senator Devorski's family 00:00:32.330 --> 00:00:36.230 align:middle line:84% and can get favors from federal agencies. 00:00:36.230 --> 00:00:41.030 align:middle line:84% But forget the favors, Devorski's place 00:00:41.030 --> 00:00:44.150 align:middle line:84% on Long Island Sound was carefully big enough 00:00:44.150 --> 00:00:48.080 align:middle line:84% and plush enough without being, what people who aren't wealthy 00:00:48.080 --> 00:00:51.860 align:middle line:84% call, a mansion, jammed, which I hated 00:00:51.860 --> 00:00:55.370 align:middle line:90% at that age and full of smoke. 00:00:55.370 --> 00:00:59.240 align:middle line:84% There was a slim girl with oversized horn rimmed glasses 00:00:59.240 --> 00:01:04.190 align:middle line:84% and her hair back tight in a barrette, Devorski's niece, 00:01:04.190 --> 00:01:08.810 align:middle line:84% looking out the window at a big Labrador on the beach. 00:01:08.810 --> 00:01:11.630 align:middle line:90% He's mine, she told me. 00:01:11.630 --> 00:01:14.480 align:middle line:84% Her voice was quiet and cautious as though she 00:01:14.480 --> 00:01:16.850 align:middle line:90% thought I might disagree. 00:01:16.850 --> 00:01:19.280 align:middle line:84% I wanted to tell jokes or bring her 00:01:19.280 --> 00:01:21.950 align:middle line:90% a glass of cold orange juice. 00:01:21.950 --> 00:01:25.430 align:middle line:84% Somebody called and all the men went into another room 00:01:25.430 --> 00:01:27.650 align:middle line:84% where we pressed together, and something 00:01:27.650 --> 00:01:29.540 align:middle line:84% happened in the middle that I couldn't see, 00:01:29.540 --> 00:01:32.060 align:middle line:90% and a baby screamed. 00:01:32.060 --> 00:01:35.045 align:middle line:84% We drifted back and had our drinks freshened at the bar. 00:01:35.045 --> 00:01:37.670 align:middle line:90% 00:01:37.670 --> 00:01:39.980 align:middle line:90% Did you see that butcher? 00:01:39.980 --> 00:01:44.180 align:middle line:84% A short, hunched man with wild hair kept asking. 00:01:44.180 --> 00:01:45.980 align:middle line:90% He seemed enraged. 00:01:45.980 --> 00:01:47.960 align:middle line:84% He wandered around the living room. 00:01:47.960 --> 00:01:51.260 align:middle line:84% His bulging eyes flashing from face to face. 00:01:51.260 --> 00:01:52.670 align:middle line:90% I never saw such blood. 00:01:52.670 --> 00:01:54.440 align:middle line:90% Listen to that, kid. 00:01:54.440 --> 00:01:56.900 align:middle line:90% Shush, a woman said. 00:01:56.900 --> 00:02:00.590 align:middle line:84% He shouted, shush after what I saw. 00:02:00.590 --> 00:02:02.720 align:middle line:90% The woman turned away. 00:02:02.720 --> 00:02:05.780 align:middle line:84% He came to the window, grabbed me by the biceps. 00:02:05.780 --> 00:02:09.934 align:middle line:90% I didn't see it, I apologized. 00:02:09.934 --> 00:02:11.540 align:middle line:90% He stared up at me. 00:02:11.540 --> 00:02:13.310 align:middle line:90% His eyebrows working. 00:02:13.310 --> 00:02:15.320 align:middle line:84% There were tiny burst blood vessels 00:02:15.320 --> 00:02:17.360 align:middle line:90% in the whites of his eyes. 00:02:17.360 --> 00:02:19.790 align:middle line:84% Uncle Hersch, did he do it wrong? 00:02:19.790 --> 00:02:22.070 align:middle line:90% Asked the cautious girl. 00:02:22.070 --> 00:02:24.560 align:middle line:90% He made a skewering gesture. 00:02:24.560 --> 00:02:25.910 align:middle line:90% Should we do something? 00:02:25.910 --> 00:02:27.230 align:middle line:90% She said. 00:02:27.230 --> 00:02:28.250 align:middle line:90% He shrugged. 00:02:28.250 --> 00:02:29.570 align:middle line:90% Try and tell them. 00:02:29.570 --> 00:02:31.415 align:middle line:84% The kid's bleeding like a stuck pig. 00:02:31.415 --> 00:02:34.100 align:middle line:90% 00:02:34.100 --> 00:02:37.370 align:middle line:84% Janet and her sisters had been orphans. 00:02:37.370 --> 00:02:41.180 align:middle line:84% And their uncle, Burt, had been able to take two with Janet 00:02:41.180 --> 00:02:43.700 align:middle line:90% left over for uncle Hirsch. 00:02:43.700 --> 00:02:47.510 align:middle line:84% Now, uncle Burt was Congressman Devorski. 00:02:47.510 --> 00:02:50.060 align:middle line:84% And uncle Hirsch was an executive. 00:02:50.060 --> 00:02:55.400 align:middle line:84% They called him Harry at Pepperidge Farm, some big deal. 00:02:55.400 --> 00:02:58.940 align:middle line:84% Just because he is sick a lot they won't promote him, 00:02:58.940 --> 00:03:00.650 align:middle line:90% Janet said. 00:03:00.650 --> 00:03:03.500 align:middle line:84% She lived next door with uncle Hirsch 00:03:03.500 --> 00:03:05.750 align:middle line:84% and aunt Florence in a small house 00:03:05.750 --> 00:03:09.390 align:middle line:84% that uncle Burt rented to them cheap. 00:03:09.390 --> 00:03:12.410 align:middle line:84% They don't appreciate uncle Hersch, said Janet. 00:03:12.410 --> 00:03:14.870 align:middle line:90% He does such careful work. 00:03:14.870 --> 00:03:19.580 align:middle line:84% He cares about the tiniest detail. 00:03:19.580 --> 00:03:20.720 align:middle line:90% He was back. 00:03:20.720 --> 00:03:23.990 align:middle line:84% The ice cubes jingling aggressively in his glass. 00:03:23.990 --> 00:03:26.690 align:middle line:90% His forehead laced with sweat. 00:03:26.690 --> 00:03:29.750 align:middle line:84% No one can say we weren't here, he told Janet. 00:03:29.750 --> 00:03:31.760 align:middle line:90% Let's take a walk. 00:03:31.760 --> 00:03:33.920 align:middle line:90% Beautiful, she said. 00:03:33.920 --> 00:03:36.630 align:middle line:84% He told me, I take a walk every day, 00:03:36.630 --> 00:03:40.820 align:middle line:84% sometimes twice, otherwise my guts don't work. 00:03:40.820 --> 00:03:42.830 align:middle line:90% I introduced myself. 00:03:42.830 --> 00:03:46.280 align:middle line:84% Come for a walk as far as the lobster house, he urged. 00:03:46.280 --> 00:03:51.050 align:middle line:84% Let's see what they're doing on a Sunday afternoon. 00:03:51.050 --> 00:03:54.530 align:middle line:84% We walked along the shore road, the Labrador 00:03:54.530 --> 00:03:56.930 align:middle line:84% prancing around us, and trying to poke 00:03:56.930 --> 00:03:59.270 align:middle line:90% his nose into our crotches. 00:03:59.270 --> 00:04:03.200 align:middle line:84% I said, I went to school in New Jersey. 00:04:03.200 --> 00:04:05.810 align:middle line:84% Uncle Hersch said he had been born there 00:04:05.810 --> 00:04:10.940 align:middle line:84% and still went back to visit his parents graves. 00:04:10.940 --> 00:04:12.050 align:middle line:90% How do you drive? 00:04:12.050 --> 00:04:13.100 align:middle line:90% He asked. 00:04:13.100 --> 00:04:15.890 align:middle line:90% Take the GW bridge? 00:04:15.890 --> 00:04:18.769 align:middle line:90% Tappan Zee, I said. 00:04:18.769 --> 00:04:19.730 align:middle line:90% He nodded. 00:04:19.730 --> 00:04:23.930 align:middle line:84% Then shoot across the cross Westchester Expressway 00:04:23.930 --> 00:04:26.420 align:middle line:90% to the turnpike, I said. 00:04:26.420 --> 00:04:31.190 align:middle line:84% Beats the Parkway, he said approvingly. 00:04:31.190 --> 00:04:32.990 align:middle line:84% When we reached the lobster house, 00:04:32.990 --> 00:04:36.390 align:middle line:84% he counted the cars in the parking lot. 00:04:36.390 --> 00:04:39.260 align:middle line:84% It's not the season and look at that, he said. 00:04:39.260 --> 00:04:42.590 align:middle line:84% I bet they've opened the upstairs. 00:04:42.590 --> 00:04:47.180 align:middle line:84% Uncle Hirsch had a chance to buy in, Janet explained. 00:04:47.180 --> 00:04:49.670 align:middle line:90% 16-years-ago, he said. 00:04:49.670 --> 00:04:53.300 align:middle line:90% But lobsters, you eat lobsters? 00:04:53.300 --> 00:04:55.610 align:middle line:90% Never, I admitted. 00:04:55.610 --> 00:04:58.910 align:middle line:84% He looked up at me fiercely, tossing the hair back 00:04:58.910 --> 00:05:00.770 align:middle line:90% from his big gleaming eyes. 00:05:00.770 --> 00:05:03.980 align:middle line:84% Then he shuddered, just the thought of eating a lobster 00:05:03.980 --> 00:05:05.900 align:middle line:90% makes me sick, he said. 00:05:05.900 --> 00:05:10.880 align:middle line:90% 00:05:10.880 --> 00:05:14.720 align:middle line:84% That summer was the summer of the beach. 00:05:14.720 --> 00:05:17.720 align:middle line:84% Janet browned to the shade of pancakes. 00:05:17.720 --> 00:05:20.940 align:middle line:84% And I thought about rubbing butter on her. 00:05:20.940 --> 00:05:27.050 align:middle line:90% [LAUGHTER] 00:05:27.050 --> 00:05:31.250 align:middle line:84% Aunt Florence believed we were sleeping together. 00:05:31.250 --> 00:05:35.570 align:middle line:84% Sometimes bicycling into their driveway on a still morning, 00:05:35.570 --> 00:05:40.610 align:middle line:84% I could hear Janet and her aunt trying to shout in whispers. 00:05:40.610 --> 00:05:42.890 align:middle line:84% They didn't want to bother uncle Hersch, who 00:05:42.890 --> 00:05:46.040 align:middle line:90% was sick most of that summer. 00:05:46.040 --> 00:05:49.850 align:middle line:84% What a shrew she can be, said Janet. 00:05:49.850 --> 00:05:51.380 align:middle line:84% But when she was calmer, she tried 00:05:51.380 --> 00:05:54.080 align:middle line:90% to explain on Florence to me. 00:05:54.080 --> 00:05:58.070 align:middle line:84% She's an adventurous and talented woman, Janet said. 00:05:58.070 --> 00:06:00.590 align:middle line:84% And she married a man who just fusses. 00:06:00.590 --> 00:06:03.250 align:middle line:90% 00:06:03.250 --> 00:06:07.600 align:middle line:84% The summer passed, the spot where Janet's glasses 00:06:07.600 --> 00:06:11.800 align:middle line:84% dug into the bridge of her nose didn't darken properly. 00:06:11.800 --> 00:06:15.910 align:middle line:84% And I wanted to protect it with my fingertips. 00:06:15.910 --> 00:06:20.020 align:middle line:84% In the early evenings, we walked to the lobster house. 00:06:20.020 --> 00:06:22.240 align:middle line:84% The parking lot was always jammed 00:06:22.240 --> 00:06:25.810 align:middle line:84% and the line of summer residents waiting to be seated 00:06:25.810 --> 00:06:28.450 align:middle line:90% reached to the front steps. 00:06:28.450 --> 00:06:31.510 align:middle line:84% Sometimes we walked there along the beach, 00:06:31.510 --> 00:06:34.810 align:middle line:84% pooling our ankles in the low tide. 00:06:34.810 --> 00:06:37.960 align:middle line:84% The wall of the lobster house facing the sound 00:06:37.960 --> 00:06:40.070 align:middle line:90% was mostly glass. 00:06:40.070 --> 00:06:44.050 align:middle line:84% We could see the people inside eating and drinking. 00:06:44.050 --> 00:06:47.650 align:middle line:84% When it got dark, the waiters lit candles. 00:06:47.650 --> 00:06:51.550 align:middle line:90% Behind us the sound was sighing. 00:06:51.550 --> 00:06:53.470 align:middle line:90% I was 20. 00:06:53.470 --> 00:06:57.550 align:middle line:90% The sky, the stars, please. 00:06:57.550 --> 00:07:00.460 align:middle line:90% 00:07:00.460 --> 00:07:03.880 align:middle line:84% When we got back, uncle Hersch sometimes 00:07:03.880 --> 00:07:08.200 align:middle line:84% asked how full the parking lot was. 00:07:08.200 --> 00:07:12.700 align:middle line:84% Then he grimaced and said he was through caring about anything. 00:07:12.700 --> 00:07:14.890 align:middle line:84% Savagely with the edge of his hand 00:07:14.890 --> 00:07:18.580 align:middle line:84% he chopped the cushion of the sofa where he was lying. 00:07:18.580 --> 00:07:23.470 align:middle line:84% Be meticulous, work like a dog, sacrifice yourself. 00:07:23.470 --> 00:07:27.910 align:middle line:84% Uncle Hirsch types all his own correspondents, Janet said. 00:07:27.910 --> 00:07:32.020 align:middle line:84% I won't sign a sloppy letter, no typos, not one. 00:07:32.020 --> 00:07:34.390 align:middle line:84% Secretaries can't meet those standards, 00:07:34.390 --> 00:07:36.910 align:middle line:90% you're imposing on them. 00:07:36.910 --> 00:07:40.300 align:middle line:84% He had a rheumatic heart, he told me. 00:07:40.300 --> 00:07:43.700 align:middle line:84% I risk my life for Pepperidge Farm every day. 00:07:43.700 --> 00:07:45.490 align:middle line:90% You think I'm a stockholder? 00:07:45.490 --> 00:07:48.880 align:middle line:84% From now on, I let it slide, all of it. 00:07:48.880 --> 00:07:52.900 align:middle line:84% Like an elephant flies, said on Florence. 00:07:52.900 --> 00:07:56.560 align:middle line:84% Uncle Hersch tossed his head wildly and chopped at the sofa 00:07:56.560 --> 00:07:57.340 align:middle line:90% again. 00:07:57.340 --> 00:08:00.070 align:middle line:90% Dust flew up and he coughed. 00:08:00.070 --> 00:08:03.550 align:middle line:84% The labrador lying beside him barked once and thumped 00:08:03.550 --> 00:08:05.260 align:middle line:90% its tail on the floor. 00:08:05.260 --> 00:08:07.480 align:middle line:90% Janet went for water. 00:08:07.480 --> 00:08:10.750 align:middle line:84% You can't trust anybody, uncle Hersch said. 00:08:10.750 --> 00:08:14.650 align:middle line:84% Anything you want done right, do it yourself. 00:08:14.650 --> 00:08:18.850 align:middle line:84% He reached up to grab me by the biceps, but his grip slipped. 00:08:18.850 --> 00:08:21.730 align:middle line:84% I'll tell you something, Janet trusts everyone. 00:08:21.730 --> 00:08:23.800 align:middle line:90% You watch her. 00:08:23.800 --> 00:08:26.800 align:middle line:84% Janets an adult, said aunt Florence. 00:08:26.800 --> 00:08:29.830 align:middle line:90% She doesn't count her change. 00:08:29.830 --> 00:08:32.740 align:middle line:84% People usually give you too much, not too little, 00:08:32.740 --> 00:08:33.730 align:middle line:90% said Janet. 00:08:33.730 --> 00:08:36.010 align:middle line:90% Coming back with the water. 00:08:36.010 --> 00:08:40.030 align:middle line:84% He grabbed the glass fiercely, but drank only a sip. 00:08:40.030 --> 00:08:42.835 align:middle line:84% I won't leave a toll booth until I count every nickel. 00:08:42.835 --> 00:08:46.420 align:middle line:90% 00:08:46.420 --> 00:08:51.070 align:middle line:84% July 4th, and Congressman Devorski guy rode through town 00:08:51.070 --> 00:08:53.110 align:middle line:90% in a motorcade. 00:08:53.110 --> 00:08:56.680 align:middle line:84% Later, he borrowed uncle Hersch's outdoor grill 00:08:56.680 --> 00:09:00.250 align:middle line:84% and posed for photographs in a chef's hat. 00:09:00.250 --> 00:09:04.720 align:middle line:84% That evening, aunt Florence, and Janet, and I sat on the beach 00:09:04.720 --> 00:09:07.180 align:middle line:90% and watched the fireworks. 00:09:07.180 --> 00:09:10.720 align:middle line:84% Uncle Hersch narrowed his eyes scornfully, and said, 00:09:10.720 --> 00:09:11.890 align:middle line:90% incredible. 00:09:11.890 --> 00:09:14.890 align:middle line:84% But later, I saw him at a window. 00:09:14.890 --> 00:09:17.470 align:middle line:84% August came and he was back at work, 00:09:17.470 --> 00:09:22.000 align:middle line:84% furious at how things had been handled in his absence. 00:09:22.000 --> 00:09:24.100 align:middle line:90% August ended. 00:09:24.100 --> 00:09:30.100 align:middle line:84% Driving back to Jersey, he asked, I hated it, but I was. 00:09:30.100 --> 00:09:32.440 align:middle line:84% We talked highways for a while because I 00:09:32.440 --> 00:09:35.620 align:middle line:90% knew how much he enjoyed that. 00:09:35.620 --> 00:09:39.460 align:middle line:84% Aunt Florence hugged me, relieved that I was going, 00:09:39.460 --> 00:09:43.780 align:middle line:84% but feeling guilty over it and liking me, I could tell. 00:09:43.780 --> 00:09:47.110 align:middle line:90% Janet and I took a long drive. 00:09:47.110 --> 00:09:50.590 align:middle line:84% When we got back, the house was dark. 00:09:50.590 --> 00:09:54.610 align:middle line:84% There was no sign of life, but the sleepy labrador, 00:09:54.610 --> 00:09:57.775 align:middle line:84% which rose from the lawn to lick our hands. 00:09:57.775 --> 00:10:04.200 align:middle line:90% 00:10:04.200 --> 00:10:07.500 align:middle line:90% That fall, we wrote letters. 00:10:07.500 --> 00:10:09.150 align:middle line:90% I was in New Jersey. 00:10:09.150 --> 00:10:11.670 align:middle line:90% She was in Ohio. 00:10:11.670 --> 00:10:14.790 align:middle line:84% You leave a place, and you begin to question 00:10:14.790 --> 00:10:17.760 align:middle line:90% what happened there. 00:10:17.760 --> 00:10:20.850 align:middle line:84% It was Thanksgiving before we were together again at Uncle 00:10:20.850 --> 00:10:22.380 align:middle line:90% Hersch's. 00:10:22.380 --> 00:10:25.080 align:middle line:90% There was no question after all. 00:10:25.080 --> 00:10:27.810 align:middle line:90% We became engaged. 00:10:27.810 --> 00:10:33.210 align:middle line:84% But it seemed easier not to tell anyone until we had more time. 00:10:33.210 --> 00:10:36.930 align:middle line:90% At Christmas, we decided. 00:10:36.930 --> 00:10:40.530 align:middle line:84% Uncle Hersch looked well and almost happy. 00:10:40.530 --> 00:10:43.710 align:middle line:84% At dinner, he hunched low, shoveling it in, 00:10:43.710 --> 00:10:48.120 align:middle line:84% his chin almost on his plate, his big prominent eyes flashing 00:10:48.120 --> 00:10:50.280 align:middle line:90% up at me again and again. 00:10:50.280 --> 00:10:54.240 align:middle line:84% He quizzed me about every course, every teacher. 00:10:54.240 --> 00:10:55.200 align:middle line:90% Where I lived? 00:10:55.200 --> 00:10:56.610 align:middle line:90% How much rent I paid? 00:10:56.610 --> 00:10:59.220 align:middle line:84% What I ate, and didn't it clog my guts? 00:10:59.220 --> 00:11:03.360 align:middle line:84% What octane gas I used, and what way oil? 00:11:03.360 --> 00:11:07.350 align:middle line:84% I mentioned that this time I had taken the George Washington 00:11:07.350 --> 00:11:09.300 align:middle line:84% Bridge, and the Cross Bronx Expressway, 00:11:09.300 --> 00:11:10.740 align:middle line:84% and the Hutchinson River Parkway, 00:11:10.740 --> 00:11:13.170 align:middle line:90% and the New England turnpike. 00:11:13.170 --> 00:11:14.610 align:middle line:90% The fastest, right? 00:11:14.610 --> 00:11:17.640 align:middle line:84% He said, I'd like to see you try that on a holiday weekend 00:11:17.640 --> 00:11:19.680 align:middle line:84% before they finished the Bruckner interchange? 00:11:19.680 --> 00:11:23.384 align:middle line:90% [LAUGHTER] 00:11:23.384 --> 00:11:25.710 align:middle line:90% 00:11:25.710 --> 00:11:30.780 align:middle line:84% After dinner, Janet, and uncle Hirsch, and I took a walk. 00:11:30.780 --> 00:11:34.740 align:middle line:84% Aunt Florence said it was too cold and made him wear a scarf. 00:11:34.740 --> 00:11:37.140 align:middle line:84% But when we got outdoors, he ripped it off 00:11:37.140 --> 00:11:39.510 align:middle line:90% and threw it at the labrador. 00:11:39.510 --> 00:11:44.100 align:middle line:84% We walked past uncle Bert's house, which was dark. 00:11:44.100 --> 00:11:47.490 align:middle line:84% To keep the reporters away, uncle Hersch said, 00:11:47.490 --> 00:11:49.800 align:middle line:84% this was the year that questions were 00:11:49.800 --> 00:11:55.080 align:middle line:84% being asked about Congressman Devorski's tax returns. 00:11:55.080 --> 00:11:58.710 align:middle line:84% Janet said she was sure he had cheated. 00:11:58.710 --> 00:12:02.340 align:middle line:84% If I had his money, said uncle Hersch, I'd do the same thing. 00:12:02.340 --> 00:12:03.600 align:middle line:90% It's disgusting, though. 00:12:03.600 --> 00:12:07.150 align:middle line:84% Just thinking about it makes me sick. 00:12:07.150 --> 00:12:10.540 align:middle line:84% I might do that, I said, but not you. 00:12:10.540 --> 00:12:13.470 align:middle line:84% I've done plenty, he said angrily. 00:12:13.470 --> 00:12:15.600 align:middle line:84% And thumped himself on the chest. 00:12:15.600 --> 00:12:18.420 align:middle line:90% Years back, I had a belly full. 00:12:18.420 --> 00:12:20.790 align:middle line:84% I couldn't take it that's what's wrong with me. 00:12:20.790 --> 00:12:24.990 align:middle line:84% Now, Burt, it's his kind that runs the world. 00:12:24.990 --> 00:12:28.590 align:middle line:84% You'd be a better Congressman, said Janet. 00:12:28.590 --> 00:12:32.970 align:middle line:84% He stopped on the sidewalk and threw both arms into the air. 00:12:32.970 --> 00:12:35.280 align:middle line:84% Typing my own letters, you know what 00:12:35.280 --> 00:12:38.160 align:middle line:84% it takes to be a Congressman, sloppiness, the willingness 00:12:38.160 --> 00:12:40.890 align:middle line:84% to be sloppy, letting other people do things any way 00:12:40.890 --> 00:12:42.630 align:middle line:90% they want, that's the secret. 00:12:42.630 --> 00:12:45.360 align:middle line:90% They're right and I'm wrong. 00:12:45.360 --> 00:12:49.230 align:middle line:84% A car, bright with chrome, raced by with a roar. 00:12:49.230 --> 00:12:52.170 align:middle line:90% Slow down, he screamed after it. 00:12:52.170 --> 00:12:55.260 align:middle line:90% 00:12:55.260 --> 00:12:57.810 align:middle line:84% He walked on and we followed him. 00:12:57.810 --> 00:13:00.570 align:middle line:84% Soon we came to the lobster house 00:13:00.570 --> 00:13:03.090 align:middle line:84% where a sign suggested reservations 00:13:03.090 --> 00:13:05.100 align:middle line:90% for Thanksgiving dinner. 00:13:05.100 --> 00:13:07.140 align:middle line:84% The parking lot was almost empty, 00:13:07.140 --> 00:13:10.290 align:middle line:84% but uncle Hirsch hardly looked at it. 00:13:10.290 --> 00:13:13.770 align:middle line:84% I tell you, though, he said, sometimes I 00:13:13.770 --> 00:13:17.160 align:middle line:84% want to line them all up against that wall. 00:13:17.160 --> 00:13:21.780 align:middle line:84% He pointed to the lobster house and take a Tommy gun. 00:13:21.780 --> 00:13:23.970 align:middle line:90% His body jerked as he fired it. 00:13:23.970 --> 00:13:26.640 align:middle line:90% 00:13:26.640 --> 00:13:29.970 align:middle line:90% We turned to walk back. 00:13:29.970 --> 00:13:33.210 align:middle line:90% Something bad happened then. 00:13:33.210 --> 00:13:36.150 align:middle line:90% The labrador was killed. 00:13:36.150 --> 00:13:38.820 align:middle line:84% The car with all the chrome came racing back 00:13:38.820 --> 00:13:40.890 align:middle line:90% with mufflers roaring. 00:13:40.890 --> 00:13:45.960 align:middle line:84% The labrador danced into the road and was crushed. 00:13:45.960 --> 00:13:49.590 align:middle line:90% Look at that, said uncle Hersch. 00:13:49.590 --> 00:13:54.330 align:middle line:84% Then the Labrador raised its head and made a sound. 00:13:54.330 --> 00:13:57.840 align:middle line:84% Uncle Hersch said, you got a jackknife. 00:13:57.840 --> 00:13:59.250 align:middle line:90% I didn't. 00:13:59.250 --> 00:14:02.850 align:middle line:84% He found a rock and went up to the dog. 00:14:02.850 --> 00:14:06.840 align:middle line:84% When he came back, he was coughing. 00:14:06.840 --> 00:14:10.380 align:middle line:84% The car had skidded, and slowed, and stopped. 00:14:10.380 --> 00:14:13.590 align:middle line:84% Now it turned around and came back. 00:14:13.590 --> 00:14:16.890 align:middle line:84% The driver was no high school kid, but a big greaseball 00:14:16.890 --> 00:14:18.780 align:middle line:90% in denim. 00:14:18.780 --> 00:14:21.360 align:middle line:90% Uncle Hersch was holding Janet. 00:14:21.360 --> 00:14:24.510 align:middle line:84% I had gone to look at the dog and came back 00:14:24.510 --> 00:14:26.440 align:middle line:90% as the guy walked up. 00:14:26.440 --> 00:14:28.260 align:middle line:90% Jesus, he said. 00:14:28.260 --> 00:14:30.390 align:middle line:90% I'm sorry. 00:14:30.390 --> 00:14:33.510 align:middle line:90% You're drunk, uncle Hersch said. 00:14:33.510 --> 00:14:37.410 align:middle line:84% He had stopped coughing, but was still breathing hard. 00:14:37.410 --> 00:14:39.330 align:middle line:90% No man. 00:14:39.330 --> 00:14:41.640 align:middle line:90% Let's see your license. 00:14:41.640 --> 00:14:42.570 align:middle line:90% You ain't a cop. 00:14:42.570 --> 00:14:45.960 align:middle line:84% Listen, I'll pay for the dog, you name it. 00:14:45.960 --> 00:14:49.590 align:middle line:84% I don't want your money, said uncle Hersch. 00:14:49.590 --> 00:14:52.200 align:middle line:84% He walked very closed, head cocked 00:14:52.200 --> 00:14:55.440 align:middle line:84% back, his chin was practically in the guy's chest 00:14:55.440 --> 00:14:58.140 align:middle line:84% as he painted and stared up at him. 00:14:58.140 --> 00:14:59.970 align:middle line:90% I want your license. 00:14:59.970 --> 00:15:04.290 align:middle line:90% I want you off the road. 00:15:04.290 --> 00:15:06.720 align:middle line:84% The greaseball looked at his car and you 00:15:06.720 --> 00:15:09.940 align:middle line:84% could see that driving it meant everything to him. 00:15:09.940 --> 00:15:13.470 align:middle line:84% He walked back to it and uncle Hirsch followed him. 00:15:13.470 --> 00:15:15.540 align:middle line:84% You don't want money, that's it, he said. 00:15:15.540 --> 00:15:19.380 align:middle line:90% I offered, you refused, finito. 00:15:19.380 --> 00:15:21.690 align:middle line:84% Uncle Hersch laid down in the road 00:15:21.690 --> 00:15:24.900 align:middle line:84% and stuck both legs under the car. 00:15:24.900 --> 00:15:27.660 align:middle line:84% Get the plate number and call the cops, he told me. 00:15:27.660 --> 00:15:31.590 align:middle line:84% He runs over dogs, but he won't break a man's legs. 00:15:31.590 --> 00:15:34.290 align:middle line:84% The big guy grabbed uncle Hersch under the arms, 00:15:34.290 --> 00:15:36.000 align:middle line:90% but couldn't budge him. 00:15:36.000 --> 00:15:38.220 align:middle line:84% I've gotten my feet hooked around your muffler, 00:15:38.220 --> 00:15:39.150 align:middle line:90% uncle Hersch said. 00:15:39.150 --> 00:15:43.440 align:middle line:90% [LAUGHTER] 00:15:43.440 --> 00:15:45.090 align:middle line:84% In a minute you'll be holding a stiff. 00:15:45.090 --> 00:15:46.560 align:middle line:90% I have a heart condition. 00:15:46.560 --> 00:15:49.110 align:middle line:90% 00:15:49.110 --> 00:15:53.100 align:middle line:84% I ran back to the lobster house and made the phone call. 00:15:53.100 --> 00:15:56.730 align:middle line:84% A newspaper photographer came with the police. 00:15:56.730 --> 00:15:59.970 align:middle line:84% Uncle Hersch, half under the car, folded his arms 00:15:59.970 --> 00:16:02.430 align:middle line:90% and glared at the camera. 00:16:02.430 --> 00:16:05.940 align:middle line:84% Congressman Devorski made a phone call that night. 00:16:05.940 --> 00:16:07.950 align:middle line:84% And the picture was never published. 00:16:07.950 --> 00:16:13.910 align:middle line:90% 00:16:13.910 --> 00:16:19.940 align:middle line:84% That winter, back at college, Janet wrote that for two years 00:16:19.940 --> 00:16:23.750 align:middle line:84% she had a love affair with one of her professors. 00:16:23.750 --> 00:16:25.340 align:middle line:90% She wouldn't have told me. 00:16:25.340 --> 00:16:28.880 align:middle line:84% But if we got married, it would be something her friends knew. 00:16:28.880 --> 00:16:31.670 align:middle line:84% And she was afraid I would hear about it. 00:16:31.670 --> 00:16:35.120 align:middle line:84% She thought I should know before Christmas when we planned 00:16:35.120 --> 00:16:37.100 align:middle line:90% to announce our engagement. 00:16:37.100 --> 00:16:41.780 align:middle line:84% She had put off telling me as long as she could. 00:16:41.780 --> 00:16:43.790 align:middle line:84% When I read that letter, it made me 00:16:43.790 --> 00:16:48.290 align:middle line:84% feel a way I hated as though she had poison ivy or something 00:16:48.290 --> 00:16:50.000 align:middle line:84% and wanted to borrow some lotion, 00:16:50.000 --> 00:16:52.550 align:middle line:84% and I didn't want to give it to her. 00:16:52.550 --> 00:16:55.320 align:middle line:90% Then I did something stupid. 00:16:55.320 --> 00:16:57.650 align:middle line:90% I visited a prostitute. 00:16:57.650 --> 00:16:59.450 align:middle line:90% Don't ask me why. 00:16:59.450 --> 00:17:02.690 align:middle line:84% After that, I wanted to see Janet very much. 00:17:02.690 --> 00:17:05.014 align:middle line:84% And wrote her that I was glad she told me 00:17:05.014 --> 00:17:07.177 align:middle line:84% and that I would like it if we didn't ever 00:17:07.177 --> 00:17:08.344 align:middle line:90% have to talk about it again. 00:17:08.344 --> 00:17:11.060 align:middle line:90% 00:17:11.060 --> 00:17:14.510 align:middle line:84% When we met at home during Christmas vacation, 00:17:14.510 --> 00:17:17.359 align:middle line:90% I thought she looked beautiful. 00:17:17.359 --> 00:17:21.859 align:middle line:84% We decided to wait until summer to announce our engagement. 00:17:21.859 --> 00:17:25.520 align:middle line:84% For one thing, uncle Hersch wasn't feeling well again. 00:17:25.520 --> 00:17:28.640 align:middle line:84% And aunt Florence was worried about him. 00:17:28.640 --> 00:17:31.835 align:middle line:84% It would be better to tell them when everybody was relaxed. 00:17:31.835 --> 00:17:35.060 align:middle line:90% 00:17:35.060 --> 00:17:37.640 align:middle line:84% Uncle Hersch was still working, but seemed 00:17:37.640 --> 00:17:42.020 align:middle line:84% to have more shortness of breath than I'd noticed before. 00:17:42.020 --> 00:17:46.280 align:middle line:84% His eyes looked brighter and more bulging than ever. 00:17:46.280 --> 00:17:51.110 align:middle line:84% At dinner, he ate less, and his gestures were subdued, 00:17:51.110 --> 00:17:54.200 align:middle line:84% and sometimes I saw sweat running down his forehead 00:17:54.200 --> 00:17:55.895 align:middle line:90% when I didn't feel hot at all. 00:17:55.895 --> 00:17:58.550 align:middle line:90% 00:17:58.550 --> 00:18:02.690 align:middle line:84% New Year's Eve came, and Congressman Devorski 00:18:02.690 --> 00:18:06.470 align:middle line:84% was having a party too big for his home. 00:18:06.470 --> 00:18:11.030 align:middle line:84% He had rented the whole upstairs of the lobster house. 00:18:11.030 --> 00:18:13.250 align:middle line:84% Uncle Hersch bared his teeth at that 00:18:13.250 --> 00:18:17.960 align:middle line:84% and grabbed his chest with both hands rocking back and forth. 00:18:17.960 --> 00:18:20.810 align:middle line:84% We'll stay here, said aunt Florence. 00:18:20.810 --> 00:18:24.050 align:middle line:90% I have sherry and cheese. 00:18:24.050 --> 00:18:27.170 align:middle line:84% But uncle Hersch felt well all day, 00:18:27.170 --> 00:18:30.440 align:middle line:84% better and better throughout the evening. 00:18:30.440 --> 00:18:32.750 align:middle line:84% I'm going over and see the circus, 00:18:32.750 --> 00:18:36.390 align:middle line:84% he insisted with a sneer, close to midnight. 00:18:36.390 --> 00:18:38.690 align:middle line:90% So we all went. 00:18:38.690 --> 00:18:43.910 align:middle line:84% It was snowing, and this time he kept his scarf on. 00:18:43.910 --> 00:18:49.340 align:middle line:84% Nevertheless, he was wheezing when we got there. 00:18:49.340 --> 00:18:51.260 align:middle line:84% The upstairs of the lobster house 00:18:51.260 --> 00:18:54.200 align:middle line:84% was loud with music, and full of smoke, 00:18:54.200 --> 00:18:58.260 align:middle line:84% and jammed with the congressman's friends. 00:18:58.260 --> 00:18:59.360 align:middle line:90% I didn't know anyone. 00:18:59.360 --> 00:19:02.000 align:middle line:90% And Janet knew very few. 00:19:02.000 --> 00:19:07.070 align:middle line:84% We four stayed together like explorers in a hostile country. 00:19:07.070 --> 00:19:10.640 align:middle line:84% At midnight, aunt Florence gave me a warm kiss. 00:19:10.640 --> 00:19:14.240 align:middle line:90% And Janet gave me a soft kiss. 00:19:14.240 --> 00:19:18.440 align:middle line:84% Uncle Hersch drank much too much. 00:19:18.440 --> 00:19:21.140 align:middle line:84% In another hour, the crowd had thinned. 00:19:21.140 --> 00:19:22.790 align:middle line:90% The snow was heavy now. 00:19:22.790 --> 00:19:25.730 align:middle line:84% And some were worried about getting home. 00:19:25.730 --> 00:19:29.720 align:middle line:84% That was a polite excuse, said the Congressman looking around. 00:19:29.720 --> 00:19:34.550 align:middle line:84% Most of them were going on to other parties. 00:19:34.550 --> 00:19:37.430 align:middle line:84% But uncle Hersch wasn't ready to go. 00:19:37.430 --> 00:19:40.310 align:middle line:90% He got me off to the side. 00:19:40.310 --> 00:19:42.890 align:middle line:84% The Parkway will be closed, he said. 00:19:42.890 --> 00:19:45.890 align:middle line:84% They'll be able to keep the turnpike open. 00:19:45.890 --> 00:19:48.350 align:middle line:90% One lane anyway, I agreed. 00:19:48.350 --> 00:19:51.830 align:middle line:84% I'd hate to be on the cross County tonight. 00:19:51.830 --> 00:19:53.930 align:middle line:90% Or the Hutch, he said. 00:19:53.930 --> 00:19:56.180 align:middle line:90% God there are a lot of roads. 00:19:56.180 --> 00:19:58.610 align:middle line:90% I was trying to count up. 00:19:58.610 --> 00:20:01.520 align:middle line:84% Coming from Jersey, you could take the Henry Hudson 00:20:01.520 --> 00:20:05.420 align:middle line:84% past the Cloisters, cut over to the Deegan, New York State 00:20:05.420 --> 00:20:08.030 align:middle line:84% Thruway to Hearts Dale, then the Expressway over 00:20:08.030 --> 00:20:13.790 align:middle line:84% to the turnpike, or cut through the Bronx, 00:20:13.790 --> 00:20:17.060 align:middle line:84% Grand Concourse the Mosholu Parkway, and Gun Hill Road, 00:20:17.060 --> 00:20:19.400 align:middle line:90% then out the Post Road. 00:20:19.400 --> 00:20:21.860 align:middle line:90% Too many lights, I said. 00:20:21.860 --> 00:20:24.560 align:middle line:84% He shook himself all over, tossed his hair, 00:20:24.560 --> 00:20:25.640 align:middle line:90% pampered up at me. 00:20:25.640 --> 00:20:27.680 align:middle line:90% You wouldn't, but you could. 00:20:27.680 --> 00:20:29.020 align:middle line:90% That's what gets me. 00:20:29.020 --> 00:20:30.770 align:middle line:84% Right this minute there are people driving 00:20:30.770 --> 00:20:32.630 align:middle line:90% on every one of those roads. 00:20:32.630 --> 00:20:33.860 align:middle line:90% I nodded quickly. 00:20:33.860 --> 00:20:35.130 align:middle line:90% Where are they all going? 00:20:35.130 --> 00:20:37.490 align:middle line:90% I think about that all the time. 00:20:37.490 --> 00:20:39.830 align:middle line:84% Uncle Hirsch stamped his foot in rage 00:20:39.830 --> 00:20:41.720 align:middle line:84% and slapped his drink on both of us. 00:20:41.720 --> 00:20:43.100 align:middle line:90% No, he shouted. 00:20:43.100 --> 00:20:45.140 align:middle line:90% That's not my point. 00:20:45.140 --> 00:20:46.730 align:middle line:90% Then what is your point? 00:20:46.730 --> 00:20:49.340 align:middle line:90% I shouted back wounded. 00:20:49.340 --> 00:20:52.490 align:middle line:84% He grabbed my jacket, pulled me very close, 00:20:52.490 --> 00:20:56.270 align:middle line:84% his big eyes were like searchlights on my face. 00:20:56.270 --> 00:20:58.910 align:middle line:90% How do you know? 00:20:58.910 --> 00:21:02.480 align:middle line:84% He said, knocking his fist against my chest 00:21:02.480 --> 00:21:04.040 align:middle line:90% with every word. 00:21:04.040 --> 00:21:07.010 align:middle line:84% How do you choose which road you want? 00:21:07.010 --> 00:21:09.080 align:middle line:90% What difference does it make? 00:21:09.080 --> 00:21:10.580 align:middle line:90% That's my point. 00:21:10.580 --> 00:21:13.650 align:middle line:90% You get me now? 00:21:13.650 --> 00:21:15.510 align:middle line:90% I nodded uncertainly. 00:21:15.510 --> 00:21:18.700 align:middle line:84% He let go in disgust and pushed me away. 00:21:18.700 --> 00:21:23.650 align:middle line:84% Congressman Devorski walked up and said everyone was leaving. 00:21:23.650 --> 00:21:27.840 align:middle line:84% He was driving back and had room for us in his car. 00:21:27.840 --> 00:21:30.670 align:middle line:90% 00:21:30.670 --> 00:21:34.660 align:middle line:84% In the parking lot, we crowded into the big sedan. 00:21:34.660 --> 00:21:38.320 align:middle line:84% The Congressman in front with his family. 00:21:38.320 --> 00:21:43.630 align:middle line:84% Uncle Hersch, and Janet and aunt Florence, and I in back. 00:21:43.630 --> 00:21:48.250 align:middle line:84% The car's windows were covered with snow. 00:21:48.250 --> 00:21:51.610 align:middle line:84% Give me the scraper, said uncle Hersch. 00:21:51.610 --> 00:21:54.130 align:middle line:90% I'll go around. 00:21:54.130 --> 00:21:56.110 align:middle line:84% His brother turned on the wipers. 00:21:56.110 --> 00:22:00.610 align:middle line:84% And in a minute you could see out the front, though poorly. 00:22:00.610 --> 00:22:03.520 align:middle line:90% It's not far, he said. 00:22:03.520 --> 00:22:06.190 align:middle line:84% The scraper, uncle Hersch insisted. 00:22:06.190 --> 00:22:08.710 align:middle line:90% You'll run someone over. 00:22:08.710 --> 00:22:12.700 align:middle line:84% He got out of the car and walked around to the front. 00:22:12.700 --> 00:22:15.640 align:middle line:90% Your headlights are covered up. 00:22:15.640 --> 00:22:19.330 align:middle line:84% Use your undershirt, said the Congressman. 00:22:19.330 --> 00:22:22.780 align:middle line:84% The scraper, Bert, give it to me. 00:22:22.780 --> 00:22:25.270 align:middle line:84% Get back in the car, the Congressman 00:22:25.270 --> 00:22:28.480 align:middle line:90% yelled, everybody's freezing. 00:22:28.480 --> 00:22:30.580 align:middle line:84% In the blurred beam of the headlights, 00:22:30.580 --> 00:22:33.640 align:middle line:84% we could all see uncle Hirsch shake his fist. 00:22:33.640 --> 00:22:36.070 align:middle line:90% Then he kicked the front bumper. 00:22:36.070 --> 00:22:38.560 align:middle line:84% The scraper, he yelled furiously, 00:22:38.560 --> 00:22:40.690 align:middle line:90% throwing his arms into the air. 00:22:40.690 --> 00:22:43.000 align:middle line:84% His breath was visible in the cold 00:22:43.000 --> 00:22:47.380 align:middle line:84% and you could tell from the puffs that he was panting. 00:22:47.380 --> 00:22:50.770 align:middle line:84% Get back in the car, shouted the Congressman. 00:22:50.770 --> 00:22:54.640 align:middle line:90% Then he leaned on the horn. 00:22:54.640 --> 00:22:57.370 align:middle line:84% Uncle Hersch pulled off his top coat 00:22:57.370 --> 00:23:00.050 align:middle line:90% and threw it down in the snow. 00:23:00.050 --> 00:23:02.080 align:middle line:90% He tore open his jacket. 00:23:02.080 --> 00:23:04.420 align:middle line:90% He grabbed his shirt and pulled. 00:23:04.420 --> 00:23:07.090 align:middle line:84% And you could see the buttons popping. 00:23:07.090 --> 00:23:10.780 align:middle line:84% He grabbed his undershirt at the neckline and yanked downward. 00:23:10.780 --> 00:23:13.600 align:middle line:84% And in a minute he was stamping around the car 00:23:13.600 --> 00:23:16.660 align:middle line:84% with the shredded undershirt in his hand. 00:23:16.660 --> 00:23:22.540 align:middle line:84% He wiped off the headlights, the tail lights, all the windows. 00:23:22.540 --> 00:23:25.840 align:middle line:84% Then he picked up his top coat and walked home. 00:23:25.840 --> 00:23:28.690 align:middle line:84% Walking in the road the whole way. 00:23:28.690 --> 00:23:30.250 align:middle line:90% He wouldn't get in the car. 00:23:30.250 --> 00:23:32.170 align:middle line:84% And he wouldn't let the car pass. 00:23:32.170 --> 00:23:36.090 align:middle line:90% [LAUGHTER] 00:23:36.090 --> 00:23:39.040 align:middle line:90% 00:23:39.040 --> 00:23:42.190 align:middle line:84% We followed him through the snow. 00:23:42.190 --> 00:23:43.705 align:middle line:90% And nobody said a word. 00:23:43.705 --> 00:23:49.600 align:middle line:90% 00:23:49.600 --> 00:23:52.990 align:middle line:84% He didn't die from that especially, 00:23:52.990 --> 00:23:55.990 align:middle line:90% but it wasn't many months more. 00:23:55.990 --> 00:23:58.930 align:middle line:84% We brought him to the cemetery in New Jersey 00:23:58.930 --> 00:24:01.660 align:middle line:90% where his parents are buried. 00:24:01.660 --> 00:24:05.680 align:middle line:84% New England turnpike, Cross Bronx Expressway, 00:24:05.680 --> 00:24:11.050 align:middle line:84% George Washington Bridge, the fastest. 00:24:11.050 --> 00:24:14.470 align:middle line:84% Aunt Florence lives in Mexico City now. 00:24:14.470 --> 00:24:17.510 align:middle line:84% She has good friends and good health. 00:24:17.510 --> 00:24:22.450 align:middle line:84% She sends us gifts of leather, and silver, and jade. 00:24:22.450 --> 00:24:27.280 align:middle line:90% Always nice, though inexpensive. 00:24:27.280 --> 00:24:33.100 align:middle line:84% Senator, formerly Congressman Devorski is in his second term. 00:24:33.100 --> 00:24:36.010 align:middle line:84% There's talk that he may go higher still. 00:24:36.010 --> 00:24:38.920 align:middle line:90% The first Jewish vise president. 00:24:38.920 --> 00:24:41.110 align:middle line:84% We're on his Christmas card list. 00:24:41.110 --> 00:24:44.290 align:middle line:84% And we both get cards on our birthdays. 00:24:44.290 --> 00:24:47.620 align:middle line:84% He'd do us favors, but forget the favors. 00:24:47.620 --> 00:24:52.220 align:middle line:90% 00:24:52.220 --> 00:24:55.250 align:middle line:90% Janet and I are married. 00:24:55.250 --> 00:25:00.080 align:middle line:84% We cheat very little on our tax returns. 00:25:00.080 --> 00:25:03.540 align:middle line:84% We're still trying to have a child. 00:25:03.540 --> 00:25:07.100 align:middle line:84% Sometimes she dreams about Uncle Hersch. 00:25:07.100 --> 00:25:12.740 align:middle line:84% In the morning, she tells me, he was here for dinner. 00:25:12.740 --> 00:25:15.170 align:middle line:84% He said he'd been away in a sanatorium, 00:25:15.170 --> 00:25:17.330 align:middle line:90% but now he's all right. 00:25:17.330 --> 00:25:20.120 align:middle line:90% He looked the same. 00:25:20.120 --> 00:25:22.880 align:middle line:84% Then she screws up her eyes and forehead, 00:25:22.880 --> 00:25:25.760 align:middle line:90% something she does too much. 00:25:25.760 --> 00:25:29.480 align:middle line:84% I want to see her lying on the beach, stretched 00:25:29.480 --> 00:25:33.770 align:middle line:84% out and relaxed, turning brown in the sun. 00:25:33.770 --> 00:25:37.640 align:middle line:84% But these days, we live hundreds of miles from the water. 00:25:37.640 --> 00:25:41.240 align:middle line:90% 00:25:41.240 --> 00:25:42.440 align:middle line:90% [APPLAUSE] 00:25:42.440 --> 00:25:43.340 align:middle line:90% Thank you. 00:25:43.340 --> 00:25:49.090 align:middle line:90% [APPLAUSE] 00:25:49.090 --> 00:25:52.000 align:middle line:90%