He saw his mother, looking concerned, sitting at the kitchen table. He
saw Mickey Shea, sitting across from her. Mickey looked awful. He was
soaking wet, and he kept rubbing his hands over his forehead and down
his nose. He began to sob. Eddie's mother brought him a glass of water.
She motioned for him to wait, and walked to the bedroom and shut the
door. She took off her shoes and her house-dress. She reached for a
blouse and skirt.
Eddie could see all the rooms, but he could not hear what the two of
them were saying, it was just blurred noise. He saw Mickey, in the
kitchen, ignoring the glass of water, pulling a flask from his jacket and
swigging from it. Then, slowly, he got up and staggered to the bedroom.
He opened the door.
Eddie saw his mother, half dressed, turn in surprise. Mickey was
wobbling. She pulled a robe around her. Mickey came closer. Her hand
went out instinctively to block him. Mickey froze, just for an instant,
then grabbed that hand and grabbed Eddie's mother and backed her
into the wall, leaning against her, grabbing her waist. She squirmed,
then yelled, and pushed on Mickey's chest while still gripping her robe.
He was bigger and stronger, and he buried his unshaven face below her
cheek, smearing tears on her neck.
Then the front door opened and Eddie's father stood there, wet from
rain, a ball peen hammer hanging from his belt. He ran into the
bedroom and saw Mickey grabbing his wife. Eddie's father hollered. He
raised the hammer. Mickey put his hands over his head and charged to
the door, knocking Eddie's father sideways. Eddie's mother was crying,
her chest heaving, her face streamed with tears. Her husband grabbed
her shoulders. He shook her violently. Her robe fell. They were both
screaming. Then Eddie's father left the apartment, smashing a lamp
with the hammer on his way out. He thumped down the steps and ran
off into the rainy night.
WHAT WAS THAT?" Eddie yelled in disbelief. "What the hell was
THAT?"
The old woman held her tongue. She stepped to the side of the snowy
circle and drew another one. Eddie tried not to look down. He couldn't
help it. He was falling again, becoming eyes at a scene.
This is what he saw:
He saw a rainstorm at the farthest edge of Ruby Pier—the "north
point," they called it—a narrow jetty that stretched far out into the