A Family Man
By Donald Hutter, first published in The Saturday Evening Post
A middle-aged man awaiting divorce papers meets up with an old acquaintance from high school and gets into a heated argument with the friend’s wife.
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Plot Summary
Sparling, a middle-aged man, works as a banker for the army and has been held up in his current position due to his pending divorce. While he waits for the agreements to be settled, he has been gathering donations for a tribute to a high school friend who passed away. The last person to contact is Louie Wexler, the only Jewish student from their class. Louie is happy to hear from Sparling and even invites him to dinner with his family. After their call, Sparling hears from the divorce lawyer who says the papers have been settled and only need to be signed by him now. Sparling goes to Louie’s apartment in the evening and meets his pregnant wife, Sandy. They make amicable conversation and talk about their time in college. When they reflect on memories from their Episcopal boarding high school, Louie brings up a memory of when Sparling coined the cheer “Louie the Jew.” Sandy is immediately upset by the name and accuses him of acting prejudiced. They get into a heated argument, and Sandy starts guessing at the privileges Sparling must have enjoyed and even takes a jab at his divorce. Sparling criticizes her for stereotyping him and clarifies information about his divorce, revealing that it was his wife who cheated on him. He angrily leaves the apartment, and Louie catches him on the way out and apologizes. He writes a $100 check for the tribute and invites Sparling to keep in touch. On his way back to his own apartment, Sparling cries. At home, he signs the divorce papers.
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