IAN CROSS: The God Boy Read this extract, and then answer the question that follows it: 'She is friendly to me and her eyes are all right then. She's been that way ever since she was sick that time. She looks as though she picked up sixpence and lost a pound note as they say. That was silly, her getting sick, and he blaming her for getting sick.' 'It's hard to say when people are being silly,' said Jack. 'Little boys don't understand what is going on, and perhaps they should not pay attention. Grownups should be ignored sometimes, kind of, by children.' 'It's hard not to pay attention,' I explained, 'especially when they shout. Do you think I'm queer and imagine things?' I said. 'No, it's not that,' said Jack. 'You're hearing right, I don't doubt a second. It's just that you're hearing what you shouldn't be. Most of the trouble in the world starts that way, Jimmy, with people hearing or seeing something they shouldn't be. You think if you never bothered to look or see anything much you wouldn't be worrying.' 'I'd have to be very dumb to be like that, I said. 'Then be dumb,' he said. ‘See nothing, hear nothing.' 'I can't, I can't,' I said. ‘I can't help hearing. I can't help seeing. I can't help it unless I run away. 'Then just don't care,' said Jack. 'Don't care. Like for instance you know about that fire down at Albertville a couple of days ago and six people got burned to death?' I nodded my head. Everybody knew about that fire. We'd even talked about it at school. 'Well,' said Jack. 'You know about the fire, and yet it doesn't drive you out of your head thinking about it, does it?' 'No,' I said. 'I'm sorry, even so.' 'Of course you are sorry, but you don't care. Well, be the same with your Mum and Dad. Be sorry but don't worry or care. They can take care of themselves. They both are nice to you aren't they?' 'Yes.' 'That's all you got to worry about then. They're nice to you. Let them worry about the other business.' 'I'll try,' I said. We were both quiet after that, with old Jack just staring down into the water around his line as though he could see the fish, and me looking everywhere at once. Then I thought that I would ask him about his troubles, if he had any, seeing he was so decent about mine. With that advice and stuff. 'Don't you worry about a thing, Jack?' I asked. 'Nope,' he said. 'What about being all by yourself, and nobody to look after you, as you told me once you had no family?' He moved his chin up and around and jerked at his line. 'Nope,' he said. 'Don't worry.' 'You mean you never worried?' I said, wondering if he thought I had been a little sissy for telling him what I had earlier. 'Worried a long time ago about my wife. All of thirty years ago it must be. Worried myself nearly sick. Then she ran away and I never did see her again and I never did worry much again, either. He was a fat little bloke with a beard, all the time dressing up, and having smelly oil on his hair, thinking he was a great one, he was. 'Who was?' I asked. 'He was,' he said. That was Bloody Jack all over. He was always getting mixed up like that, without making sense, when he talked about himself. So I tried another subject. How does Cross make this conversation between Jimmy and Bloody Jack so sad? Support your views with detail from the extract.