Jose One Eye-- A True Story

It was Jose's left eye that was the "bad" one. He could see out of it, but the lid was always half closed, and the eye itself looked downward. He was born with this condition, and he adapted to it by favoring his right or his good eye which, in all respects, was normal. 

When I first met Jose, I had graduated from Law school several months previous. We were both standing in front of a Deli in Roslyn New York, drinking our morning coffee while waiting for a Painting Contractor to pick us up in his truck for work that day. Jose was standing on my right, and I couldn't help noticing his left eye when he turned and asked me for the time. But after that first encounter, and especially after a week or so of working with Jose, I hardly noticed the eye at all.

It was probably because of the way that Jose wore the brim of his cap a bit lower than most people would, and also the way in which he habitually angled his head so that the right side of his face was partially, if not fully profiled and turned slightly downward whenever I was near him. 

But also, I don't generally go about peering very closely at people's faces during a typical day, be it a day of work, or even leisure for that matter. If I greet someone for the first time-say in the morning- I might shake a hand and smile as that person usually smiles back. Then, if a conversation ensues,  I might carry on my part with a lot of inflection in my voice, and a lot of hand gestures-- but all without too much eye contact.

Maybe that is my peculiarity, or maybe it is an American cultural thing. I don't know. I did notice that the Latino "Spanish Guys" I worked along side of tended to do a lot of staring directly at people all day long. Someone once explained to me that this was because many of them did not understand the English language very well, and therefore augmented their informational intake with a lot of visuals.

That person, deceased now, was probably correct, but still, as I came to know the workers more and more as the weeks and months passed, I also mused that perhaps the greater eye contact was an extension of a Latino culture that was more open and honest, and that greater eye contact was simply another way of expressing themselves with greater frankness.

Some of the American white guys referred to Jose as "One -Eye",  in a crude way which was both cruel and amusing to them. 

Thinking he could not understand English, they would sometimes say it directly to him and, as always, Jose would respond with a smile.  Jose never seemed to mind, although his friends did.

There was one large and rather oafish (in my opinion) fellow in particular who latched onto the nickname and used it quite often and with delight; and he always, in the typical and universal pattern of  abuse,  followed the use of the nickname up with a conciliatory remark such as:

"I'm just kidding Jose." Or: "You know I'm only joking Buddy, right?" Or: "You know we're Pal's  right?" and the ex-football player would sometimes buy Jose coffee later on without being asked.


This softening, though still very strong and imposing ex-Jock was, as I say, a large fellow. A big boy who used to play football in High School, and the evidence of heavy weight training still showed in his 220 pound plus frame at the age of 28, especially in his thickly developed neck.

Jose couldn't have been taller than five foot seven, and must have weighed about 150 pounds with not an ounce of fat on him at the age of 42, which made him "viejo" as his friends would playfully remark sometimes.

I was only 31 at the time, and to me Jose seemed pretty old as well, although, looking back from my now 46 years, he really wasn't viejo at all.

To be Continued 

Top Row: Mike (A great guy and not the ex-football player from the story) , Me, Nino, Nestor

Bottom: Jose, Tony, Jesus of "Chungo" (Spelling)


Go here for more Re: this pic:


http://esquirepainting.blogspot.com/2010/12/my-first-job-after-law-school.html