His initial reaction was joy, but that lasted barely a couple of seconds. Almost at once, he became disgusted. Why was the man so drunk? It was only five o’clock. And slovenly? He was a party man, but he was dirty, boorish. He was fat, without discipline. And he had a braying, unpleasant voice. . . .

“Where the hell’s my drink?” the man screeched. He looked right at Vladek. “You! Get over here!”

The boy hurried over.

“Vagabond,” his father said. “Whoreson!”

Vladek poured, quietly. And listened.

“Speaking of whores,” one of his companions, a skinny fellow with a moustache, said. “Did you see the selection outside the door there?”

“Ugly bitches,” the party man said. He belched.

“I liked the redhead. Good legs. I might try her later,” said another.

“That’s Katya.” The moustached man leered. “I’ve had all of them. She’s okay.”

“You should watch yourself.” Vladek’s father grabbed his glass, vodka sloshing around the inside of it. “Some of them have the pox or crabs. Your dick’ll fall off.”

The other men laughed.Vladek stumbled back behind the bar and grabbed his broom again. He swept around their table, eavesdropping.

“Or worse,” his father said. “They’ll trick you and get knocked up. And expect you to pay for the bastard.”

Vladek felt his earlobes throbbing. He dropped his head to hide the redness in his cheeks, the blood burning on the tips of his ears.

“It happened to me,” the man said, self-importantly. “Years ago. The whore tried to pin it on me! Me, a family man.” He snorted in disgust. “I have real children. And a wife. What did she think, I was going to feed a hooker’s brat too?”

“Did she get rid of it?” the skinny man asked.

Vladek’s father shrugged. “Who cares? If she knew what was good for her. I told her she could do that or dump it in an orphanage. Nothing to do with me. A whore’s kid, better off dead anyway. Besides,” he added, gulping down his drink in one shot, smacking his lips, “I gave her some money. Told her to get out of town. Or else. You can’t be soft with these sluts, they go to your wife. Mess up your real family.” He banged his glass at Vladek. “More!” he yelled. “You, don’t you see I’m empty?”

Vladek turned, gave him a brilliant smile. “Right away, sir,” he said. He brought the bottle over and poured freely, for the whole table.

“That’s more like it,” his father grunted. He tossed him a coin; Vladek caught it expertly and put it in his pocket. Checking that Pyotr wasn’t looking,Vladek put the bottle down in front of his father.

“Compliments of the house,” he said.