Hot and Cold Blood

Chapter 1

One day, a bit after the young Mathers were married for a year, Jaqueline went to the place where her husband worked. He sold tools and stuff and was pretty good at it.

• sell_sold (verb) – Exchanged something for money. – sold
• stuff (noun) – Things or objects. 

She walked into his office and said, “Oh, excuse me—”.

She didn’t know that her husband was talking to someone. The guy he was talking to was Bronson, someone she kind of knew. Jaqueline saw that her husband stood up from his chair and Bronson was shaking his hand really, really hard. When they saw Jaqueline, they turned to look at her, and she saw that Bronson had red eyes, like he had been crying.

• kind of – A little bit; somewhat. – kind of 
• stand up _ stood up (phrasal verb) – Got out of a chair or from a sitting position. – stood up
• shaking (verb) – Moving back and forth quickly, usually with hands. – shaking

Bronson walked past her and said, “How do you do?” in a shy way. Jaqueline went into her husband’s office.

She quickly asked, “What was Ed Bronson doing here?”

Her husband, Jim, smiled and made her sit on his desk. He said, “He just dropped in for a minute. How’s everything at home?”

• dropped in (phrasal verb) – Came for a short visit. – dropped in

“Fine,” she said, but she really wanted to know why Bronson was there.

She asked again, “What did he want?”

Jim just said, “Oh, he wanted to talk to me about something.”

“What?”

“Just some business stuff.”

“But why were his eyes red?” she asked.

Jim pretended not to know and then they both started laughing. Jaqueline got up and sat in Jim’s big spinning chair.

“You should tell me,” she said happily, “because I won’t leave until you do.”

Jim looked serious for a moment. “Well, he asked me to help him out.”

• help him out (phrasal verb) – Give him some help. – help him out

Suddenly, Jaqueline thought she knew what it was about.

“Oh,” she said with a change in her voice. “You gave him some money, didn’t you?”

“Just a little bit.”

“How much?”

“Three hundred dollars.”

Jaqueline was not happy.

“Three hundred! How much money do we spend in a month, Jim?”

Jim moved around, looking worried. “Um, about five or six hundred, I think. But listen, he’ll give the money back. He’s having trouble because he messed up with a girl.”

• messed up (phrasal verb) – Made a mistake or did something wrong. – messed up

Jaqueline was upset. “He knows you’re too nice and give money easily,” she said.

• upset (adjective) – Unhappy or worried. – upset

“No,” Jim said, not agreeing with her.

“Couldn’t I use that money? What about the trip to New York we wanted but couldn’t go?” she asked.

Jim’s smile was gone. He closed the office door.

“Listen, you don’t get it. Bronson is my friend. We eat lunch together. We played when we were kids. He needed help and came to me. I couldn’t say no,” Jim tried to explain.

Jaqueline didn’t want to hear it. She said, “All I know is he’s not a good guy. If he doesn’t want to work, he shouldn’t use the money you work hard for.”

They both sat across the desk and talked like they were trying to make a kid understand something. They kept saying “Listen!” and looked like they were running out of patience.

Finally, Jim said in a bit of an annoyed voice, “If you can’t understand, I can’t explain. Sometimes friends need help and you have to give it. My work also depends on being nice to people.”

• annoyed (adjective) – A little angry. – annoyed
• depends on (phrasal verb) – Needs something in order to work or happen. -depends on

Jim was putting on his jacket to go home for lunch with Jaqueline. They had to take the street-car because they sold their car and were waiting to buy a new one.

• putting on (phrasal verb) – Wearing or getting dressed in something. – putting on

That day, taking the street-car was a bad idea. They were already not happy because of the talk in the office, and the street-car made things worse. So they started to get really annoyed with each other.

They sat down close to the front of the street-car. It was the end of February and the sun was shining brightly. The sun was making the snow on the streets melt into little streams. Because of the nice weather, the street-car was not crowded. The driver had even opened his window and the fresh air was taking away the cold winter smell from inside the car.

Jaqueline felt happy as she looked at her husband Jim sitting next to her. She thought he was very good-looking and nicer than other men. She thought that maybe it was not a big deal that he gave money to Bronson. Three hundred dollars was not that much. Maybe Bronson would give it back. She was thinking that maybe she shouldn’t be so mad about it.

• mad (adjective) – Very angry.

But then, some passengers started moving around inside the car. Jaqueline wished they would cover their mouths when they coughed. She didn’t like taking the street-car because she was afraid of catching a sickness. She wanted to talk to Jim about getting a new car soon.

But she saw that Jim was getting up and giving his seat to a woman who was standing. The woman didn’t even say thank you and just sat down. Jaqueline didn’t like this.

• getting up (phrasal verb) – Standing up. – getting up

The woman was around fifty years old and very big. At first, she was just sitting in Jim’s seat, but then she started spreading out more and more. Jaqueline felt like the woman was taking over her space too. When the car moved, the woman would slide towards Jaqueline and take up even more space.

• taking over (phrasal verb) – Using more space or control. – taking over

Jaqueline looked at Jim, who was now standing and holding onto a handle, and gave him an angry look. He looked sorry and tried to ignore the situation by looking at some posters in the car. The big woman moved again, pushing Jaqueline, and then coughed right in her face.

• pushing (verb) – Moving something or someone by applying force. – pushing

Jaqueline was really mad. She got up quickly, moved past the woman, and went to the back of the street-car. She stood there, very upset. Jim joined her, looking worried.

• join (verb) – To come together with someone or something. – join 

They didn’t talk but stood next to each other. Men sitting in front of them were reading newspapers and didn’t pay attention to them.

When they got off the street-car, Jaqueline couldn’t stay quiet any longer.

“You big fool!” she shouted. “Did you see that horrible woman you gave your seat to? Why don’t you think of me sometimes, instead of giving your seat to big, rude people?”

Jim tried to say something, but she was too mad.

“Did you see any of those men giving their seat to me? And you wonder why you’re too tired to go out. You’re always giving your seat to strong people who don’t even need it!”

They were walking fast on the wet street, stepping in puddles. Jim was confused and didn’t know what to say.

Then Jaqueline looked at him and said something really mean. She said, “The problem with you, Jim, is that you act like a young college student. You’re too nice and that’s why people take advantage of you.”

• take advantage of (phrasal verb) – Use someone’s kindness or weakness for your own benefit. – take advantage of

Chapter 2

They forgot about the bad thing that happened on the street-car. Jim was such a nice person that he didn’t stay mad for long. They stopped talking about it after a few days, and then it was like it never happened. But sometimes, things are not fully forgotten. Now, Jaqueline was getting ready to have a baby. This was a big job for her. She became stronger in what she believed and did not let things go easily.

• stay mad (phrasal verb) – Continue feeling angry.
• let things go (phrasal verb) – Stop being upset about something; forgive.

Now it was April, and they still did not have a car. Jim found out that he was not saving money and soon he would have a baby to take care of. This made him worried. He looked a little bit older and tired. His friendly eyes had little lines around them. He worked late, and sometimes he took work home. They decided to wait before buying a car.

On a sunny April day, Jaqueline was walking on Washington Street where all the shops were. She was thinking about how her life was changing because she was going to have a baby. The street was dusty, and the sun was shining on the windows and on the wet spots on the road, making them look like colorful rainbows.

Suddenly, Jaqueline stopped. Right near her was a shiny, new sports car. Next to it were two men talking. One of them was Bronson. She heard him tell the other man that he just got the car that morning.

Jaqueline quickly went to Jim’s office. She didn’t say hi to the lady at the front desk and went straight to Jim. He was surprised to see her come in so fast.

“Jim,” she said without catching her breath, “did Bronson ever pay you that three hundred?”

“Why—no,” he answered slowly, “not yet. He came here last week and said he didn’t have money.”

Jaqueline was really mad.

“Oh, he did?” she said loudly. “Well, he just bought a new sports car that must have cost a lot of money.”

Jim didn’t believe it.

“I saw it,” she said. “I heard him say he just bought it.”

“He told me he didn’t have money,” said Jim, looking lost.

Jaqueline made a big sigh.

• sigh (verb) – Breathe out slowly to show you are tired or disappointed.

“He was tricking you! He knew you were too nice and he used you. Don’t you see?

• use (verb) – Take advantage of someone’s kindness or resources.
• tricking (verb) – Making someone believe something that is not true.

He wanted you to give him money for the car, and you did!” She laughed but not in a happy way. “He’s probably laughing at how easy it was to trick you.”

“Oh, no,” said Jim, looking sad, “you must be wrong——”

“We walk—and he drives with our money,” she shouted. “Oh, it’s too much—it’s too much. It’s funny but it makes me so mad. Listen—!” Her voice got louder. “You always help people who don’t care about you. You give your seat to rude people on the street-car, and you are too tired when you get home. You do so much for others and get nothing back. You let people use you! I can’t take it anymore! I thought I married a strong man, not someone who always helps others but forgets about his family!”

• take it anymore (phrasal verb) – Continue to handle or tolerate something.

Jaqueline was so tired from being mad that she had to sit down.

“At this time,” she said, her voice shaking, “I need you. I need you to be strong and to hold me. And if you give all your time to others, there is not much left for me——”

Jim went down on his knees next to Jaqueline and put her tired head on his shoulder.

• knees (noun) – The part of your legs that bend.

“I’m sorry, Jaqueline,” he said quietly, “I’ll be more careful. I didn’t realize what I was doing.”

• realize (verb) – Understand something clearly, sometimes suddenly.

“You’re the dearest person in the world,” Jaqueline said with a rough voice, “but I want all of you and the best of you for me.”

• dearest (adjective) – Most loved or most valued.

He gently touched her hair. They sat like that without talking for a little while. They felt peaceful and understood each other. Then Miss Clancy, a lady who worked there, came to the door and said something.

“Oh, I beg your pardon.”

• I beg your pardon (phrase) – A polite way to ask someone to repeat what they said or to apologize.

“What is it?”

“A boy’s here with some boxes. It’s C.O.D.”

Jim stood up and followed Miss Clancy to the other room.

“It’s fifty dollars.”

Jim looked in his wallet, but he didn’t have enough money because he forgot to go to the bank that morning.

“Just a minute,” he said, thinking about Jaqueline in the other room. He wanted to help her because she seemed so sad. He went across the hall to another office and said hello to a man named Fred.

“Morning, Fred,” said Jim.

Fred, a small man with glasses and no hair, stood up to shake hands.

“Morning, Jim. What can I do for you?”

“Well, a boy’s in my office with some boxes and I need to pay him. Can you lend me fifty dollars until later today?”

• lend (verb) – Give something to someone temporarily, expecting it to be returned.

Fred looked at Jim for a moment, and then slowly shook his head, saying no.

“Sorry, Jim,” he said in a cold voice, “I never lend money to friends. It can make friends not like each other anymore.”

• cold voice (phrase) – A voice that sounds unfriendly or lacking warmth.

“What?”

Jim was shocked. But then he tried to be polite and not make Fred feel bad.

• polite (adjective) – Showing good manners and respect towards others.

“Oh, I see.” He acted like he understood and agreed. “That’s okay. I wouldn’t want you to break your rule.”

They talked for a little more. Fred smiled, thinking Jim was very nice about it.

Jim went back to his office, still being polite. But when he saw Jaqueline looking sad at the window, he felt mad inside.

“All right, Jack,” he said slowly, “I guess you’re right about most things, and I’m wrong as hell.”

Chapter 3

In the next three months, Jim thought a lot about his past. He had been very happy in his life. He didn’t fight with people or have many problems. But now he understood that he was too nice sometimes. He would do things for others even if it made things hard for him.

For example, he had lent money to people, about thirteen hundred dollars in total. Now he understood that he would never get that money back. Jaqueline knew this before him because she saw things clearly. Jim only started to miss the money now because he needed it for Jaqueline and the baby.

Jim also saw that what Jaqueline said was true. He was always helping people, doing small things for them. It made him happy to be liked. But he started to think that maybe he just liked the feeling of people liking him. Maybe he was being a bit selfish in a way. But Jim was not being fair to himself. He was really just a very kind and dreamy person.

Jim thought that doing all these things for others made him tired and not so good at his job. And he couldn’t be there for Jaqueline as much as he wanted. Jaqueline was getting more tired and bored as the months went by. She would wait for him to come home on the porch.

Jim didn’t want to let Jaqueline down, so he stopped doing some things. Like, he gave up being the head of a group for people who went to the same college as him. He also stopped helping in other ways. When people wanted him to be in charge of something, he said no. He also started to stay away from people who always wanted favors.

• let Jaqueline down (phrasal verb) – Disappoint Jaqueline or fail to meet her expectations.
• favors (noun) – Helpful actions done for someone.

The way Jim acted changed slowly. He was not a person who didn’t know how the world works. But what happened with Fred not lending him money really shocked him. It made him think about things in a new way.

Now it was the middle of August. It was really hot. Jim was worried because Jaqueline was getting headaches and his work was not going well. He even got mad at Miss Clancy, but said sorry right away. He was working very hard in the heat.

Miss Clancy came to his door.

“Mr. Edward Lacy.”

“All right,” he said without energy. Jim knew Mr. Lacy a little. Mr. Lacy had been successful a long time ago, but not anymore. Jim wondered what he wanted.

• successful (adjective) – Achieving what you want or having done well in life.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Mather.”

A small man with gray hair stood at the door. Jim stood up and said hello politely.

“Are you busy, Mr. Mather?”

“Well, not so very.” He made it sound like he wasn’t too busy.

Mr. Lacy sat down and looked nervous. He held his hat in his hands and held it tight.

“Mr. Mather, if you’ve got five minutes to spare, I’m going to tell you something that—that I find at present it’s necessary for me to tell you.”

• at present (phrase) – Right now; currently.

Jim nodded. He felt that Mr. Lacy might ask him for a favor. But Jim was so tired, he was okay with listening to something different for a change.

“You see,” Mr. Lacy started, his hands shaking as he held his hat, “back in eighty-four your father and I were very good friends. You’ve heard him speak of me no doubt.”

Jim nodded.

“I was asked to be one of the people to carry his coffin. We were really good friends once. That’s why I came to you today. I have never asked for help like this before. When you get old, friends move away or don’t talk to you anymore. Your children might die before you. You end up alone with no friends. You feel all by yourself.” He gave a small smile. His hands shook a lot now.

• carry his coffin (phrase) – Help at a funeral by carrying the box with the body.

“A long time ago, about forty years, your dad asked me for a thousand dollars. I was a bit older than him and didn’t know him that well, but I thought he was a good man. Back then, that was a lot of money, and he had nothing to give me if he couldn’t pay back. But I liked how he looked at you with his eyes – you look like him, by the way – so I gave him the money.”

• by the way (phrase) – A phrase used to add extra information.

Mr. Lacy stopped for a bit.

“He had nothing to give me if he couldn’t pay back,” he said again. “But it was okay for me. And he did pay me back with extra money for letting him borrow it.”

Jim was looking at his desk, drawing shapes with his pencil. He knew what Mr. Lacy was going to ask, and he got ready to say no.

“I am old now,” Mr. Lacy’s voice was shaky. “My life didn’t go well. But let’s not talk about that. I have a daughter who is not married. She lives with me. She works with a typing machine and has been nice to me. We live together in a small house.”

• shaky (adjective) – Unsteady or trembling, often due to weakness or nervousness.

The old man gave a shaky sigh. He was trying to ask for something, but he was scared. It was about insurance. He had an insurance paper that was worth a lot of money. But he needed four hundred and fifty dollars or he would lose it all. He and his daughter only had seventy-five dollars. They didn’t have friends who could help and couldn’t get the money.

• worth (adjective) – Having a certain value or being important.
• insurance (noun) – A contract where you pay money to protect yourself against loss or damage.

Jim couldn’t listen to the sad story anymore. He didn’t have the money to give, but he wanted to stop the old man from feeling bad about asking.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Lacy,” he said in a kind voice, “but I can’t lend you that money.”

“No?” The old man looked at him with old, tired eyes that didn’t seem to feel anything anymore.

Jim looked at his desk.

“My wife and I are going to have a baby soon, and I have been saving money for that. It would not be right to take money from my wife and baby.”

He talked more quietly. He said that work wasn’t good, but he didn’t really mean it.

Mr. Lacy didn’t argue. He stood up and didn’t look sad. But his hands were still shaking, and that made Jim feel bad. Mr. Lacy said sorry for asking at a time like this. Maybe something good will happen. He thought that if Jim had extra money, he could ask him because he was the son of his old friend.

• argue (verb) – To have a disagreement or fight with words.

As Mr. Lacy left the room, he had trouble opening the door. Miss Clancy, Jim’s helper, helped him. He walked down the hallway looking old and sad, his tired eyes blinking and his mouth a little open.

Jim stood by his desk. He put his hand on his face and shook like he was cold. But the air outside at five in the evening was very hot.

Chapter 4

It was still very hot in the evening when Mather stood at the street corner waiting for his tram. It took twenty-five minutes to get to his house by tram, and he bought a newspaper with a pink cover to keep his mind busy. Lately, life seemed less exciting and happy. Maybe he knew more about how the world works or the fast-paced days were taking away the excitement little by little.

• tram (noun) – A type of public transportation that runs on tracks in the street.
• fast-paced (adjective) – Moving quickly, with a lot happening in a short time.

This afternoon was different from anything he had experienced. He couldn’t stop thinking about the old man. He imagined him walking home in the heat to save money, entering a hot small apartment, and telling his daughter that he didn’t get help from his friend’s son. They would talk the whole night without knowing what to do. They would say goodnight and go to sleep, but probably stay awake feeling sad and lonely in their separate beds.

Mather’s tram arrived, and he sat near the front next to an old lady who didn’t look happy to move over for him. At the next stop, many girls from the shopping area got on, and Mather started reading his newspaper. He had stopped giving his seat to others lately. Jaqueline was right, young girls could stand just like him. Giving up his seat was just a nice gesture, but most women didn’t even say thank you.

• gesture (noun) – A movement or action that shows an idea or feeling.

It was really hot inside the tram, and he wiped sweat from his face. The tram was very crowded, and a woman standing next to him bumped into his shoulder when the tram turned a corner. Mather took a deep breath of the hot, stuffy air and tried to focus on a funny picture in the newspaper.

• wiped (past verb) – Cleaned or removed something by rubbing.
• bumped into (phrasal verb) – Accidentally hit or touched someone while moving.
• stuffy (adjective) – Unpleasantly warm and lacking fresh air.

“Move to the front of the tram, please!” The tram driver’s voice was loud and annoyed. “There’s more room at the front!”

People tried to move forward, but there was no space. The tram turned another corner, and the woman bumped into Mather again. Normally, he would have given up his seat to avoid this, but he didn’t. The tram was very uncomfortable. He thought they should have more trams running on hot days like this.

He looked at the funny pictures in the newspaper for the fifth time. There was a picture of a beggar, and he couldn’t stop thinking about Mr. Lacy in the place of the beggar. What if Mr. Lacy didn’t have food or jumped into the river?

“He once helped my dad,” Mather thought. “Maybe if he hadn’t, my life would be different. But Mr. Lacy had money then, and I don’t.”

Mather tried to think about Jaqueline to forget about Mr. Lacy. He thought he needed to help Jaqueline instead of Mr. Lacy, who already had his chance in life. Jaqueline needed her chance now.

Mather looked at his watch. He had been on the tram for ten minutes. Fifteen more minutes to go, and it was getting hotter. The woman bumped into him again, and he looked out the window and saw that they were turning the last corner in the town center.

Mather thought maybe he should give his seat to the woman after all. The last time she leaned on him, she seemed very tired. If he knew she was an older woman, it would be easier. But from her dress, she seemed like a young girl. He didn’t look up to check. He was scared that if she was old, she would look very sad, and if she was young, she would look angry.

For the next five minutes, he kept thinking about if he should give up his seat. It felt like a big problem. He felt that doing this nice thing would make up for not helping Mr. Lacy earlier. It would be bad to not help two people in one day, especially on such a hot day.

• make up for (phrasal verb) – To do something good to balance out something bad.

He tried to look at the funny picture again, but couldn’t. He thought about Jaqueline. He was very tired and if he stood up, he would be even more tired. Jaqueline needed him. She would be sad and would want him to hug her for a long time after dinner. When he was tired, this was hard. Also, she would ask him to get her medicine or a glass of cold water. He didn’t want her to see he was tired because she might not ask for help if she needed it.

The girl leaning on him seemed very tired too. Everyone was tired, like this woman who was leaning on him. But he had to think about his home and Jaqueline who he loved. He needed to save his energy for her, so he decided not to give up his seat.

• leaning on (verb) – Resting against something for support.

Suddenly, he heard a sigh and a shout. The girl wasn’t leaning against him anymore. People started talking loudly. The tram stopped quickly.

“Girl fainted up here!”

• fainted (past verb) – Lost consciousness or passed out.

“Too hot for her!”

“She just fell down!”

“Make way!”

People moved around. Some tried to help, but others just watched. The bell rang and people started talking loudly again.

“Did they get her out?”

“Did you see that?”

“This company should do something!”

“Did you see the man carrying her? He looked very pale too.”

• pale (adjective) – Having less color in the face, often because of illness or shock.

“Yes, but did you hear?”

“What?”

“That man, the pale one who carried her. He was sitting next to her. He said she’s his wife!”

When Mather got home, it was quiet. Jaqueline was lying on a long chair with her head in his arms. After some time, she moved a little and touched his face with her hand.

“I think I’ll go to bed now. I’m so tired. Will you help me up?”

He helped her up and then made her comfortable with pillows.

“I’ll be with you in a minute,” he said kindly. “Can you wait for just a minute?”

He went into the living room where the lights were on and she heard him looking through a phone book. Then he made a phone call.

“Hello, is Mr. Lacy there? Yes, it is important… if he’s not sleeping.”

• important (adjective) – Having great meaning or significance.

Jaqueline heard birds outside while waiting. Then she heard her husband on the phone.

“Is this Mr. Lacy? This is Mather. About what we talked about this afternoon, I think I can help you now.” He spoke louder as if the person on the other side couldn’t hear well. “Yes, James Mather’s son. About what we talked about this afternoon…”

The End