The wooden counter in front of Gustave is littered with tiny pieces of
spring, tiny keys, almost invisible screws and odd-looking tools. Gustave
himself is a large man with ponderous eyebrows and a thick nose. He stands
behind his counter in the North Wells Street repair shop looking much too
large for the store itself and grotesquely out of proportion with the
springs, keys, screws and miniature tools before him.
Attached to Gustave's right eye is a microscope. It is fastened on by aid
of straps round his large head. When he works he moves the instrument over
his eye and when he rests he raises it so that it sticks out of his
eyebrow.
Gustave is a watchmaker. When he was young he made watches of curious
design. But for years he has had to content himself with repairing
watches. Incased in his old-fashioned leather apron that hangs from his
shoulders, the venerable and somewhat Gargantuan Gustave stands most of
the day peering into the tiny mechanisms of watches brought into the old
furniture shop. Gustave's partner is responsible for the furniture end of
the business. As Gustave grows older he seems to lose interest in things
that do not pertain to the delicate intricacies of watches.
* * * * *
I had a watch that was being fixed. Gustave said it would be ready in a
half-hour. He slipped the microscope over his eye and, bending in his
heavy round-shouldered way above the small watch, began to pry with his
thick fingers. A pair of tiny pincers, a fragile-looking screwdriver and a
set of things that looked like dolls' tools occupied him.
We talked, Gustave answering and evading questions and offering comments
as he worked.
"Not zo hard ven you ged used to it," he said. "Und I am used to it.
Vatches are my friends. I like to look into dem und make dem go. Yes, I
have been vorking on vatches for a long time. Years und years.
"No, I vas vunce in the manufagturing business. Long ago. It vas ven I vas
married und had children. I come over from the old country den und I start
in. Preddy soon ve had money to spare. Ve came oud here to Chicago und got
a house. A very nice house.
"My vife was a danzer in the old country. Maybe you have heard of her. But
never mind. I had dis vatch factory over here by the river. Dat vas thirty
years ago. Und we had a barn und horses.
"But you know how it is! Vat you have today you don't have tomorrow. Not
so? My vife first. The nice house und the children vasn't enough for her.
She must danze also. I vas younger und my head vas harder den. Und I said,
'No.' Alzo she vent avay. Yes, she vent avay. Und der vas two kids. My
youngest a girl und my oldest a boy."
The microscope fastened itself closely to the inanimate springs and keys
and screws. Gustave's thick fingers reached for a pair of baby pincers.
And he continued now without the aid of questions in a low, gutteral
voice:
"Vell, business got bad und I gave up the factory. Und I starded in
someding else. Den my youngest she died. Yes, dat's how it goes. First vun
ding und den anoder ding. Und preddy soon you have nodings.
"I tried to find my vife, but she vas hiding from me. Perhaps I vas hard
headed in dem days. Ven you are young you are like dat. Now id is
diff'rend. She iss dead und I am alive. Und if she had been my vife righd
along she vould still be dead now. Alzo vat matter does it make?
"Dat vas maybe tventy years ago or maybe more. Maybe tventy-five years
ago. Dings got all mixed up and my businesses got vorse und vorse. Und den
my son ran avay und wrides me he become a sailor. So I vas alone."
"Dis vatch," sighed Gustave, "is very hard to figx. It iss an old vatch
und not much good to begin vit. But I figx him. Vat vas ve talking aboud?
Oh, my business. Yes, yes. It goes like dat. I don't hear from my vife und
I don't hear from my son. Und my liddle vun iss dead. Und so I lose my
fine house und the horses und everyding.
"Preddy soon I got no job even und preddy soon I am almost a bum. I hang
around saloons und drink beer und do noding but spend a little money I
pick up now un den by doing liddle jobs. Ah, now I have it. It vas de
liddle spring. See? Zo. Most of dese vatches iss no good vatsoever. Dey
make vatches diff'rend now as dey used to. Chust vun minute or two more
und I have him figxed so he don'd break no more for a vile. Und vat vas we
talking aboud?
"Ah, yes. Aboud how I drink beer und vas a bum. Dat's how it goes. Ven you
are young you have less sense den ven you are old. Und I used to go around
thinking I vould commit suicide. Yes, at night ven I vas all alone I used
to think like dat. Everyding vas so oopside down und so inside oud. Vat's
de use of living und vy go on drinking beer und becoming a vorse und
bigger bum?
"Yes, it goes like dat. Ven I vas rich und happy und had my factory und my
vife und children und horses und fine house I used to think vat a fine
place the vorld vas und how simple it vas to be happy. Und den ven
everyding vent avay I vas chust as big a fool und I used to think how
terrible the vorld vas und how unhappiness vas all you could get.
* * * * *
"Yes, ten years ago, it vas. I started in again. I started in on vatches
again. I got a job figxing vatches und a friend says he vould give me a
chance. Und here I am. Still figxing vatches. Dey are my friends. Inside
dey are all broken. Dey have liddle tings wrong vid dem und are inside oud
und oopside down und I figx dem.
"I don' know vy, but figxing vatches made a new man from me. I don' think
no more aboud my troubles und how oopside down and impozzible everyding
is. But I look all de time into vatches und make dem go again. Yes, it iss
like you say, a delicate business, und my fingers iss getting old for it,
maybe. But I like dese liddle tools und all dese liddle things aboud a
vatch I like to look at und hold und figx up.
"Because it iss so simple. Ezpecially ven you get acquainted vid how dey
run und vy dey stop. Und der are zo many busted vatches. Zo nice outside
und zo busted inside. I can'd explain maybe how it iss. But it iss like
dat. Ven I hold de busted vatches under the micgrozcope, I feel happy I
don' know. Some time maybe somebody pick me up like I vas a busted vatch
und hold me under a micgrozcope und figx me up until I go tick tick again.
Maybe dat's vy. Here. All done."
Gustave shifted the microscope up over his eyebrow and smiled ponderously
across the counter.
"Put it on," he said, "but be careful. Dat's how vatches iss busted
alvays. By bumping und paying no attention to dem."