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I had ht I was buying a hohborhood of St Paul, but afterside of the street, that I had actually h I won’t admit it to anyone but et out of the city, not with a crowbar He purchased his parents’ ho his children in the house where he was raised directly across the street from Merriam Park, where he and I played baseball and hockey and discovered girls

I parked on Wilder in front of his house It took me a few er seat If I hadn’t fumbled my car keys in the process and had to pick theht not have looked up and seen the white Ford Escort parked about a block behind me, its exhaust fumes plainly visible in the cold air

I carried the machine up the sidewalk, across Bobby’s porch, and knocked on the door While I waited, I directedin the park that interested esture, but casual--for the benefit of my tail I watched him out of the corner of my eye, or rather I watched the car I couldn’t see as in it

Shelby opened the door with a sht Which in turnht she would look as attractive as a wrinkled grocery bag, but failed I had known her since college, known her, in fact, for three er than her husband--the exact length of Madonna’s "Open Your Heart," the song they were playing e ood toat the box

"A 2554 Macho Pop popcorn popper"

"Of course it is Do you need help carrying it in?"

"I’ve got it Can you get the door?"

Iroom carpet

"What’s that?" Bobby asked

He had come from the kitchen, a newspaper in his hand

"Popcorn ht?" I asked him

"Lost 2–1"

"Nuts"

When I went back outside, he followedand watched the world evolve in fits and starts, in disappointments and small victories He was s most of the time, and since we lived in the same place at the same time forever, ere able to cole word or sentence fragment or a raised eyebrow

He liftedone hundred dozen rappled with on 1911 Brand Sno-Cone Machine I do like my treats

"Where’s the Jeep Cherokee?" he asked

"In the garage"

"I thought the Audi was going to be the su a Chevy Blazer I was chasing outraced me on the freeway The Audi satisfied ain

"Why are you home?" I asked

"Accumulated time off I put in sixty-seven hours last week"

"Nice hours if you can get theht actually have tiirls?"

"They had better be in school"

"Why wouldn’t they be?"

"Gee, I don’t know Maybe because their surrogate uncle likes to tell them stories about how he and their father used to skip class to run around the city and they think it’s cool"

"Sorry ’bout that"

"I can tell"