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Ozzie

“Hey, Mom,” I call from the front of Pearl’s Pawn Shop and Liquor Store My mom is Pearl I’m thirty-two years old, and I’m not even embarrassed to aduess it by looking at ether, so it is what it is

She’s handing over a brown paper bag to a customer as she looks my way “Hey, Ozz!”

Walking toward the counter, I see she’s helping oldas I can re the sa, Mr Tate?”

He holds up the bottle “Good Good, son How you doing?”

I laugh as he opens the bottle before he even gets out of the store “I’ood See ya later, Mr Tate”

I’o unnoticed by my mother “Well, there’s that set to see it a lot, so let et my camera”

“Har, har, Mom You’re funny”

“Well, it’s the truth” She’s shaking her head like I’rown man that towers over her “So what’s the smile about?”

I hold out the envelope to her “This Paid in full”

She doesn’t hold her hand out, which she never does I always have to force her to take the htfully hers

“Let’s not do this again Just take the ue with you about it”