Leon skipped out on going to Chang's with us for three nights in a row now.
His excuses were always lame. His latest ones went along the lines of
"having too bad of a hangover to do it all over again" or "Nah, I got some
other stuff to do. You guys go without me." So, by tonight, we were pretty
surprised when we found Leon trailing behind us on our walk.
"You back in the game, dawg?" Vince asked him, as we lumbered down our street and passed a Walgreens.
"Yeah, for tonight, anyway." Leon kicked at a pebble and looked into the windows of the small drug store. He stared into them for a full minute and a half before Vince kicked his boot and told him to move his ass. We continued down the street to Chang's bodega and arrived just as a band of wild-looking teenagers were running out of it. Chang was chasing them out with a broom and yelling in Chinese, probably swearing. The kids jumped into an old El Camino and sped away, leaving dust clouding behind the rusty vehicle.
"It's the three amigos," Chang joked as he saw us walk up. He set down the broom that he had been brandishing at the teenagers and chortled with laughter. "What will you be having tonight?"
Leon, Vince, and I followed Chang into the bodega.
"My usual," I replied.
"I'll just have a beer," said Vince.
"Make mine a bottle of water on the rocks," answered Leon. Three heads turned toward him.
"Bro, we came all the way here and you want water?" Vince asked incredulously.
"I'm trying not to drink so much, dawg."
"Yeah, right." Vince wasn't convinced. He took his beer and paid Chang. I did the same.
"See you on the beach," I said. Vince and I took our beverages out to the little wooden bench that we usually passed out on and settled ourselves in the warm sand. Above us, the sun was setting and the beach was emptying out. Leon came a few minutes later with a bottle of Dasani water. He dropped to the sand and sprawled out next to Vince.
"So, what's this new obsession with phone calls, water, and Walgreens?" I began. I kicked Leon's shin lightly and sipped from my bottle of tequila.
"Nuttin', dawg."
"Is it a chick?"
"Yeah."
"From Walgreens?"
"Yeah."
"Who doesn't like guys who drink too much?"
"Yeah."
"Who calls the house?"
"Sometimes."
"Wow."
It was very, very late when I finally heard Leticia's new SE-R pull up behind the bench and shut off. Leon and Vince were both fast asleep, but I hadn't drunk that much so I was still up, thinking. Her booted footsteps echoed in my head as she got closer to us. Instead of hauling me off to her car and driving me away, she plopped down into the sand next to me. Very gently, Leticia pried the half-empty bottle out of my hands and placed it into the sand next to her. She rested her head on my shoulder and sighed. I breathed in. I smelled ocean, sand, alcohol, Letty's sweet-smelling hair, and . . . feet. Vince had his boots off.
"You back in the game, dawg?" Vince asked him, as we lumbered down our street and passed a Walgreens.
"Yeah, for tonight, anyway." Leon kicked at a pebble and looked into the windows of the small drug store. He stared into them for a full minute and a half before Vince kicked his boot and told him to move his ass. We continued down the street to Chang's bodega and arrived just as a band of wild-looking teenagers were running out of it. Chang was chasing them out with a broom and yelling in Chinese, probably swearing. The kids jumped into an old El Camino and sped away, leaving dust clouding behind the rusty vehicle.
"It's the three amigos," Chang joked as he saw us walk up. He set down the broom that he had been brandishing at the teenagers and chortled with laughter. "What will you be having tonight?"
Leon, Vince, and I followed Chang into the bodega.
"My usual," I replied.
"I'll just have a beer," said Vince.
"Make mine a bottle of water on the rocks," answered Leon. Three heads turned toward him.
"Bro, we came all the way here and you want water?" Vince asked incredulously.
"I'm trying not to drink so much, dawg."
"Yeah, right." Vince wasn't convinced. He took his beer and paid Chang. I did the same.
"See you on the beach," I said. Vince and I took our beverages out to the little wooden bench that we usually passed out on and settled ourselves in the warm sand. Above us, the sun was setting and the beach was emptying out. Leon came a few minutes later with a bottle of Dasani water. He dropped to the sand and sprawled out next to Vince.
"So, what's this new obsession with phone calls, water, and Walgreens?" I began. I kicked Leon's shin lightly and sipped from my bottle of tequila.
"Nuttin', dawg."
"Is it a chick?"
"Yeah."
"From Walgreens?"
"Yeah."
"Who doesn't like guys who drink too much?"
"Yeah."
"Who calls the house?"
"Sometimes."
"Wow."
It was very, very late when I finally heard Leticia's new SE-R pull up behind the bench and shut off. Leon and Vince were both fast asleep, but I hadn't drunk that much so I was still up, thinking. Her booted footsteps echoed in my head as she got closer to us. Instead of hauling me off to her car and driving me away, she plopped down into the sand next to me. Very gently, Leticia pried the half-empty bottle out of my hands and placed it into the sand next to her. She rested her head on my shoulder and sighed. I breathed in. I smelled ocean, sand, alcohol, Letty's sweet-smelling hair, and . . . feet. Vince had his boots off.