This procedure gives the resulting food, called a pickle, a salty or sour taste. Going to culinary school in the morning and working at the restaurant at night left plenty of hours in the day for me to fill. I started spending more time with friends who shared what was at this point my main interest: pills. My buddy Fred got on the Oxy Train pretty fast. It didn’t take much to get him to try what I considered a life-changing pill. Fred had a neighbor named Skyler who dabbled in some not-so-kosher shit. Skyler told us to check out a guy named Phil. We went through Fred’s stepdad’s change collection, filled a few socks with quarters, and took them to the change machine at Albertson’s. Then we went to meet the dope dealer. Phil worked at a jewelry store in Pompano Beach that was basically right down the street from Smith’s. I went into the shop and asked for Phil. He immediately led me into a back room where customers weren’t normally allowed. “You know Skyler?” he asked me.
