He is a stout, balding man of almost 50, and is wearing all brown – slacks, shoes, tie and spiffy sports coat. He is surprised to find that the blind man doesn't carry a cane or wear dark glasses. The narrator can see his eyes. At first glance, they look like regular eyes. But a closer look reveals that there is something different about them. There is too much white around the iris, and the pupils seem to roam around in their sockets uncontrollably, something he finds disturbing.
He offers the blind man a drink-they have a little of everything, he says, as it is one of their pastimes. The blind man responds that he's a Scotch man, calling the narrator "Bub." The narrator pours three big drinks – one for him, one for his wife and one for Robert, and the three of them make small talk about Robert's trip. They have one drink for the trip from the west coast to Connecticut, and another for the trip from Connecticut by train. The blind man lights up a cigarette, which surprises the narrator. He thought the blind didn't smoke.
Before dinner, the narrator says a prayer that the phone won't ring and the food won't turn cold. They dig in silently. After dinner the nearly comatose and sweaty-faced group leaves the dirty dishes and moves into the living room, where they drink more. The narrator listens as his wife and Robert talk about the last 10 years. He waits for his wife to mention him, but she doesn't. Occasionally, the blind man turns to him, making small talk. Finally, the narrator gets bored and turns on the television. His wife stares him down. She asks Robert if he has a TV and, to her surprise, he responds that he has two. She calms down a little. She tells the blind man to make himself comfortable-he says he is-and goes upstairs to put on her robe.
The narrator and the blind man sit in silence, watching the weather report. The narrator gets nervous, worrying that his wife has gone to bed.
