“I guess you’ll never forgive me until it happens to you, huh.”

I didn’t answer.

“Well then I hope you never have to forgive me,” he said.

I never expected the old man to break, so when he did and he hugged the roof of the car, I didn’t know what to do. I just stood there, sweating and feeling a little sick to my stomach. Finally I couldn’t handle it. “Jesus Christ,” I said, and I walked back inside.

The next day when I was leaving to thumb back to Cornwall, the old man was in his easy chair eating out of a half gallon carton of ice cream. He was only wearing boxer shorts and one of his grapes hung out. The chair had been permanently stuck in the reclining position for years, so the old man had to climb over the arm to sit down and spread his feet to watch television. I don’t know whether it was his pale legs or the vanilla around his mouth or the grape or what, but suddenly I felt bad for the guy. He looked old and I’d told him off and I wished to hell I hadn’t.

“Gonna eat that whole thing?” I said.

“Just picking.”

“That was full last night.”

He smiled. “It’s good stuff. Breyers. Supposed to have all the natural preservatives in it, none of the fake junk. Here.”

He gave me a spoonful.

“That’s good,” I said.

“You should try this other kind they got. ‘Heavenly hash.’ Oh, madonne, you can’t even get the stuff no more. I got to bribe the kid at Norm’s to hide some for me.” The old man laughed.

I felt like hugging him but I was weak and didn’t.

“I’m taking off,” I said, and I stood there.

“One thing before you go.”

“Yeah?”

“That little girl you’re running with.”

“What about her?”

“You putting the wood to her?”

“What?”

“Don’t give me that ‘what’ shit, you think I don’t know what goes on? You listen to me. Be careful. It’s the guy’s responsibility as much as the girl’s. Don’t go getting your friend there in trouble. You kids think you can fuck everything you meet and not pay the price. Well, you can’t. These poor girls, they got feelings.”

“I know,” I said.

“All right, you just remember that.”

“I will,” I said, and then I picked up my bags and left home.