Nakashima’s house and seventeen Diet Coke cans at Willy’s. Now we had so many we had to get a couple more grocery bags. We went out to the patio and sat at a table with a shady umbrella in the middle. The grass in Willy’s backyard was freshly mowed. It smelled good. We dumped the cans onto the table and counted them. Fifty-seven! “What’s fifty-seven times five cents?” “Wait.” Willy ran into the house and came back with a pencil and a piece of paper. “Okay … let’s figure it out… oh, and here’s four quarters I had in my room.” “But—” “It’s a loan. Don’t worry about it.” “Fine, a loan.” I grabbed the pencil. “So, fifty-seven times five.” Willy hunched close. “How much is it?” I frowned at my calculation.
