I'm probably about a block from Kadie's when this little punk pulls a knife on me and tells me to give him my wallet. Stupid twerp is about a third my size and is probably no older than sixteen. Guess I can't give him too hard of a way to go, though. He's just another street punk from the slums of Sin City that don't know any different. His old man probably smacks him around every night and the Sisters at school give him enough grief during the day, I imagine. I don't need to rough him up or anything so I just flash Gladys at `im and that's enough to send him runn'n.

Gladys. Normally, I don't carry her around unless I know I'll be needing her but sometimes it's good just to feel her at my side. I've been taking my medicine lately so I don't have to worry about getting confused while walking around with her. I should be alright but if Lucille ever found out I had her, she'd be pissed.

I make it to Kadie's where Shellie serves me up a nice brew and a shot of Jack. Nancy ain't on stage yet so I just sit and drink, feeling the warmth of Gladys in my hip pocket. I think about the punk kid in the alley. Damn shame, really. I remember what it was like back then. Feeling Gladys like I'm doing now, it brings back memories and reminds me why I feel like having her around from time to time. When I was younger, the kids would do some pretty nasty things to me like tying me to a tree at night in the middle of the woods. Growing up in the ghettos like I did, you had to be just as nasty and just as mean to make it stop. I got mean and then some. That's when I first started getting confused. That's when I landed in Juvenile Hall.

Back in school, I had a buddy named Chuck but once I went to juvey and came back, he'd been long gone. I was in the last year or so of school and I was pretty much alone. Didn't bother me any. The kids stayed out of my way this time and it suited me just fine. No one bothered me… except maybe for about three people.

First, there was Sister Mary Gladys. She was about four foot-nothing and her age was almost in the triple digits but she was still the meanest old broad I ever saw. I still remember all the times she'd smack me with that ruler for not paying attention, or for talking back, or basically just for anything. She was the only sister in the school that was gutsy enough to do that. She always told me, "Marvin, you'll never amount to anything except for no good!" Guess she was right.

Then there was Blanche Micheals. She was the prettiest and richest girl in school and she let everyone know that. Even the grown men turned their heads when she walked by. She used her looks to get what she wanted out of the boys who would all drool and go bug-eyed whenever she used them and would come back for more once she was through.

No one would stand up to her except me. I'd tell her off but the damned thing was, she knew I checking her out when I did. Then she'd go and start talking over my head, making sure everyone heard her. Most of the time, I just kept quiet so I wouldn't look stupid. She knew I didn't hit dames and that was the only reason I never decked her.

Last, there was a kid by the name of Ricki. The guy was about as big as I was and was the only kid that would pick fights with me. We'd pound each other into the dirt almost every day after school when Ricki wasn't going after some other jerk who never did a damn thing to him. Sometimes I ended up sticking up for some of the kids when he was roughing them up on account I felt sorry for them. Gave me some of my best fights.

Funny how these people were the cause of me and Gladys meeting up in the first place. It was at my lunch hour. Sometimes, I would go behind the bleachers in the gym and smoke. One day, I was hearing some strange noises behind the bleachers and when I turned the corner, I saw Ricki and Blanche. I don't know why Blanche was alone. She was usually with four or five of her friends but this time, she was alone. Ricki had her on the ground and was taking her shirt off with one hand while the other had a gun pressed against her cheek. No idea how or where he got the gun from and I never saw it until that day but it was the first time I laid eyes on Gladys.

To be honest, I didn't care at first. They hadn't seen me so I started to just walk away. I figured she brought it on herself, always humiliating people like she did. Hell, she was probably strutting it all for Ricki to see just so she could have the satisfaction of telling him he couldn't have any. I wanted to walk away but I just couldn't do it and I hated myself for it. Dames shouldn't be treated like that. She never hurt no one. Not really.

Ricki was undoing his zipper when I ran up to him, giving him a good boot to the kisser. He dropped the gun but he got up and threw me against the metal railings under the bleachers, working my ribs and jaw with some decent punches. I managed to smash his face into the stands, splitting it wide-open but the guy still had some fight in him. I had another one of my black outs about that time. I got this condition where I get confused and I have trouble remembering things. This was one of the first times where it got really bad and when I came to, Ricki was on the floor, looking like hamburger. He was still alive though. Still not sure why I picked up his gun and put a bullet in `im. Didn't really have a reason for it. First time I ever actually killed a guy. Maybe I just wanted to see what it was like. Blanche had hightailed it out of there by that time. That was probably for the best. I decided to keep the gun, naming it Gladys after the meanest old nun in Sin City.

I was gone before anyone discovered the body. I figure most people knew it was me somehow but never said or did anything because they either didn't care or they were too afraid. Blanche hardly ever made eye contact with me after that but she left me alone. In fact, she didn't go around making fun of people much after that but especially not me. Since that time, Gladys has gotten me out of a lot of scraps. She's my best friend. My companion. I don't know what I'd do without her. Nancy finally comes on stage around the time I'm finishing my thoughts and my beer. I watch her and Gladys is at my side.