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his hair. He was wearing a gray flannel suit and a black and gold bowtie like a rare butterfly. Round his waist was a black shoestring belt with a silver buckle. He wore black moccasins with pretty leather bows. Nina and I were goggling at him.
    â€œDon’t be greedy,” he said. “Save part of me for later.”
    He reached into his pocket for a cigarette case. He held it to catch the light and blind us. A moment later he was lighting a cigarette and watching Nina through the smoke. He was watching her in a way that forced me to look at her. Just about then he crossed his legs to show us gray socks with pink rabbits dancing on them. There was no place to go from the socks and so Nina and I went back to start with his hair again. So dazzling was he that a boy named Danny Poulos used to throw stones at him in the alley.
    â€œYou think this is something?” said Andy. “You should see my underwear. My underwear, that’s right. You’d applaud.”
    â€œReally?” I said.
    â€œYou’ve had enough excitement for one day,” he said. “And another thing. I forgot the plums.”
    â€œPlums?”
    â€œI always carry plums in my pocket. When I see someone with his mouth open like that I always put a plum in. A plum, that’s right. You heard me. Your ears don’t flap over.”
    He sat there sipping coffee and smoking cigarettes. Nina whirled around him with mop and broom and pail. Never had she worked so hard. The house was in fair order while Andy made those visits.
    â€œDon’t lift that couch,” he’d say, jumping up to help. “Listen, Nina, you should be more careful. You’ll strain yourself doing things like that. What’s the matter with Paul? You work like a slave here. A slave, that’s right.”
    My teacher Miss Riordan used to say that when a man called you a slave he had a change of masters in mind.
    â€œWhen do you rest around here?” said Andy. “Why are you on your feet all the time? Sit down a while. Who’s driving you? I don’t like this. For one thing you’ll ruin your legs. Your legs, that’s right.”
    Nina blushed. She looked beautiful to me with her black hair and those brown eyes flecked with gold. It seemed I was seeing her for the first time.
    â€œWhat do you do?” said Andy, turning to me.
    â€œI just started high school. Lincoln High.”
    â€œHe was set back twice in school,” said Nina.
    â€œDon’t worry about it,” said Andy.
    â€œThat’s why they set me back,” I said.
    â€œHow about the important things?”
    â€œWhat important things?”
    â€œCan you make change for a dollar?” he said. “Do you feel in your heart there’s happiness right around the corner? Are you willing to sacrifice yourself for the good of the team?”
    â€œWhat team?”
    â€œAre you a good athlete? Can you fly a kite? What if I bring a kite? Will you go out and fly it?”
    â€œSave your money.”
    â€œHold still then. I’ll carve your statue in this butter.”
    â€œCan you do it?”
    â€œI wish I had a plum.”
    He turned to Nina.
    â€œJust look at your hands,” he said. “Look how red and raw they are. They’ll look like liver in another month. Liver, that’s right. You should wear rubber gloves if you put them in water so much. All the girls do. Don’t you know that?”
    Nina was looking at her hands. She was on the verge of tears.
    â€œIt’s incredible and unbelievable,” he said. “Don’t you realize you’re like a prisoner in this house? Don’t you ever get out for a good time? Do you like music? How about it?”
    â€œOh, Andy,” she said.
    â€œDo you ever go dancing? Do they ever take you out to dinner or a show? Let’s start at the beginning. Now I want you to think hard. Did anyone here ever say thank you for anything?”
    â€œOh,