{"id":"01KG077P3YJXN955BMZMJXD3FP","cid":"bafkreibdwlylv3g5arnq7kombqxyfdvghemeogzdliofff4egmpej5ji24","type":"chunk","properties":{"end_line":2098,"extracted_at":"2026-01-27T17:15:17.643Z","extracted_by":"structure-extraction-lambda","label":"Chunk 2","source_file":"01KFYTG9MG93RTB6YAW34V48XG","start_line":2047,"text":" 1960\tI stopped having a conversation with him, if he was going to get so damn touchy\n 1961\tabout it. But he started it up again himself. He turned all the way around again, and said,\n 1962\t\"The fish don't go no place. They stay right where they are, the fish. Right in the goddam\n 1963\tlake.\"\n 1964\t\"The fish--that's different. The fish is different. I'm talking about the ducks,\" I\n 1965\tsaid.\n\n\n 1966\t\"What's different about it? Nothin's different about it,\" Horwitz said. Everything\n 1967\the said, he sounded sore about something. \"It's tougher for the fish, the winter and all,\n 1968\tthan it is for the ducks, for Chrissake. Use your head, for Chrissake.\"\n 1969\tI didn't say anything for about a minute. Then I said, \"All right. What do they do,\n 1970\tthe fish and all, when that whole little lake's a solid block of ice, people skating on it and\n 1971\tall?\"\n 1972\tOld Horwitz turned around again. \"What the hellaya mean what do they do?\" he\n 1973\tyelled at me. \"They stay right where they are, for Chrissake.\"\n 1974\t\"They can't just ignore the ice. They can't just ignore it.\"\n 1975\t\"Who's ignoring it? Nobody's ignoring it!\" Horwitz said. He got so damn excited\n 1976\tand all, I was afraid he was going to drive the cab right into a lamppost or something.\n 1977\t\"They live right in the goddam ice. It's their nature, for Chrissake. They get frozen right\n 1978\tin one position for the whole winter.\"\n 1979\t\"Yeah? What do they eat, then? I mean if they're frozen solid, they can't swim\n 1980\taround looking for food and all.\"\n 1981\t\"Their bodies, for Chrissake--what'sa matter with ya? Their bodies take in\n 1982\tnutrition and all, right through the goddam seaweed and crap that's in the ice. They got\n 1983\ttheir pores open the whole time. That's their nature, for Chrissake. See what I mean?\" He\n 1984\tturned way the hell around again to look at me.\n 1985\t\"Oh,\" I said. I let it drop. I was afraid he was going to crack the damn taxi up or\n 1986\tsomething. Besides, he was such a touchy guy, it wasn't any pleasure discussing anything\n 1987\twith him. \"Would you care to stop off and have a drink with me somewhere?\" I said.\n 1988\tHe didn't answer me, though. I guess he was still thinking. I asked him again,\n 1989\tthough. He was a pretty good guy. Quite amusing and all.\n 1990\t\"I ain't got no time for no liquor, bud,\" he said. \"How the hell old are you,\n 1991\tanyways? Why ain'tcha home in bed?\"\n 1992\t\"I'm not tired.\"\n 1993\tWhen I got out in front of Ernie's and paid the fare, old Horwitz brought up the\n 1994\tfish again. He certainly had it on his mind. \"Listen,\" he said. \"If you was a fish, Mother\n 1995\tNature'd take care of you, wouldn't she? Right? You don't think them fish just die when it\n 1996\tgets to be winter, do ya?\"\n 1997\t\"No, but--\"\n 1998\t\"You're goddam right they don't,\" Horwitz said, and drove off like a bat out of\n 1999\thell. He was about the touchiest guy I ever met. Everything you said made him sore.\n 2000\tEven though it was so late, old Ernie's was jampacked. Mostly with prep school\n 2001\tjerks and college jerks. Almost every damn school in the world gets out earlier for\n 2002\tChristmas vacation than the schools I go to. You could hardly check your coat, it was so\n 2003\tcrowded. It was pretty quiet, though, because Ernie was playing the piano. It was\n 2004\tsupposed to be something holy, for God's sake, when he sat down at the piano. Nobody's\n 2005\tthat good. About three couples, besides me, were waiting for tables, and they were all\n 2006\tshoving and standing on tiptoes to get a look at old Ernie while he played. He had a big\n 2007\tdamn mirror in front of the piano, with this big spotlight on him, so that everybody could\n 2008\twatch his face while he played. You couldn't see his fingers while he played--just his big\n 2009\told face. Big deal. I'm not too sure what the name of the song was that he was playing","title":"Chunk 2"},"relationships":[{"peer":"01KG0725EFD6HYGB5WBTY79C4G","peer_label":"12","peer_type":"chapter","predicate":"in"},{"peer":"01KFXT0KM64XT6K8W52TDEE0YS","peer_label":"More Classics","peer_type":"collection","predicate":"collection"}],"ver":1,"created_at":"2026-01-27T17:15:18.142Z","ts":"2026-01-27T17:15:18.142Z","edited_by":{"method":"manual","user_id":"01KFF0H3YRP9ZSM033AM0QJ47H"}}