Welding with Children

“Tuesday was about typical. My four daughters—not one of them married, you understand—brought over their kids, one each, and explained to my wife how much fun she was going to have looking after them again. But Tuesday was her day to go to the casino, so guess who got to tend the four babies.”

The terse first sentence sets the stage for the story that begins in medias res. Bruton’s annoyance at his daughters is evident in his sarcasm as he mockingly paraphrases his daughters’ claim that his wife will have “fun” with the children. Additionally, the use of “you,” and Bruton’s rhetorical question at the end, lends a conversational tone to the passage and gives the illusion that Bruton is addressing the reader directly. Bruton’s casual and intimate tone is particularly evident when he defensively describes his daughters as unmarried and urges the listener to fill in the gaps. This admonishment to the reader underscores Bruton’s feelings of shame around his daughters’ unmarried status.

“It was a sad sight, I guess. I shouldn’t have had that greasy old engine hanging from a Kmart chain in my side yard. I knew better.”

Although Bruton claims seeing the grandchildren swing on the engine is a sad sight, Bruton’s qualification of “I guess” suggests he is not convinced enough to clean up his yard. The sentence reveals the gulf between Bruton’s belief of right and wrong and his actual actions.