Mr. P. can see how it was that day. He figures it was hot. In a country over there like that, it was probably always hot. And that cross He had to carry was heavy. He wonders if Jesus cried from all the pain they put Him through. Just thinking about anybody being so mean to Jesus that He’d cry is enough to make Mr. P. want to cry. He wishes he could have been there to help Jesus that day. He’d have helped Him, too. If he could have known what he knows now, and could have been there that day, he’d have tried to rescue Jesus. He could have fought some of the soldiers off. But there were probably so many of them, he wouldn’t have had a chance. He’d have fought for Him, though. He’d have fought for Jesus harder than he’d ever fought for anything in his life, harder than he fought on the beach at Okinawa. Given his own blood. Maybe he could have gotten his hands on a sword, and kept them away from Jesus long enough for them to get away. But those guys were probably good sword-fighters back then. Back then they probably practiced a lot. It wouldn’t have mattered to him, though. He’d have given his blood, all of it, and gladly to help Jesus.

The kids are all gone now. Old Frank’s gone. His wife’s still at the beauty parlor. She won’t be in for a while. He gets another drink of the whiskey. It’s awful good. He hates to stop drinking it, but he hates to keep on. With Jesus watching him and all.

The clock’s ticking on the mantel. The hair needs sweeping off the hearth. He knows that cow’s still got that white stuff running out from under her tail. But somebody else’ll just have to see about it. Maybe the guy who sells the siding can see about it.

Mr. P. figures he ought to make sure it’ll work first, so he pulls it out from under the couch and points it at the screen door in back. Right through the kitchen.

He figures maybe they won’t be able to understand that. It’ll be a big mystery that they’ll never figure out. Some’ll say Well he was making sure it’d work. Others’ll say Aw it might have been there for years. They’ll say What was he doing on the couch? And, I guess we’ll have to go to town for a haircut now.

They’ll even talk about how he borrowed it from Hulet for rats.