The wineglass from the floor was put back in the cupboard. Normally, a box of cereal sat out waiting for me with a carton of milk, a bowl, and a spoon. This was the first day it wasn’t there. I quickly gave it a “Whatever” and headed out the door toward the Castle. When I showed up at the side entrance, Renaldo was already there, smoking a cig. “Donovan! What’s up, man? You look bummed.” “Ah it’s nothin’, just . . .” “Mom shit, huh?” “Yeah.” “Well, dude, no offense, honestly, but who gives a fuck? You shouldn’t. I don’t. No point worrying about that now. Take a look around—it’s Friday at the pier and the weather is killer. That means two things: chicks aaannnd . . . chicks! Get ready to rock, motherfucker!” I gave Renaldo a funny look. “I mean mother . . . Just like, dude, fuckin’ A!” We hung out at the base of the pier and waited for the first Castle workers to call us up the ramp and place an order. We traded turns getting the orders while shooing away any competition, which was pretty easy since they were mostly younger kids, easily intimidated by a flash of Renaldo’s brass and my height.
