He was hardly in a position to be so callous now that Jackie needed him. It was as if his own body waited for him to have a partner before it broke down. Jack’s back was such a mess that he couldn’t bend over to tie his shoes, or climb stairs without help, or tolerate riding in a car. He walked with crutches, an obscenity to him. They both knew a wheelchair was next. There was a surgery that might help, but it could very well kill him. Joe begged him not to have it; he had already lost three children and he couldn’t bear the idea of losing Jack, his favorite.
