It’s been an incredible night. Seven qualifiers in the past half hour. The count is ninety-nine. We’re on our feet, gazing up and down Main Street, checking out every car. Suddenly I grab Herbie’s arm and point uptown. It’s Kenny, about two blocks away, leaving work and coming in this direction.
And then I look downtown and here comes Joey, walking alone, looking cocky and satisfied. I glance back at Kenny, then at Joey. They’re the same distance away, in opposite directions, bearing down on us. It’s like they’re racing for the title.
But Kenny veers off just before he reaches us, turning in to the Turkey Hill lot. He must be getting cigarettes. And Joey is upon us, ready to be declared the victor. He stops short of me.
I look him in the eye. It’s Tuesday. “Didn’t you work tonight?” I ask.
“Don’t work there no more.”
“Why not?”
“Got fired.” He looks like he’s proud of it. “I told Carlos what happened.”
“And?”
“I gave him fifty bucks. He said he’d forget the whole thing.”
“Man, you suck. I already gave him forty.”
We both laugh. Herbie pushes my head so I can see Kenny passing on the sidewalk, headed for O’Hara’s Tavern. “The winner?” Herbie says.
I don’t answer. I turn back to Joey. “Think we’ll ever get another job in this town?” I ask.
He shrugs. “Maybe. Maybe not.”
But I figure that probably isn’t the worst that could happen. I mean, we’re finished with that place at age fifteen. Kenny’s got a lifetime sentence.
Herbie’s staring at us. I grab Joey’s arm and pull him aside and we start walking up Main. Herbie doesn’t follow.
“Why’d you confess?” I ask.
“Got awful lonely working there.”
“It’s only been a couple days.”
“I couldn’t stand it, though,” he says. “Place almost cost me a friendship.”
I nod. “That and other things.”
He makes one of those short, exhaley laughs, shaking his head. “Girls,” he says.
“You’re not giving them up, are you?” I ask.
“Not hardly,” he says. He stops walking and gently swings a fist at me, hitting me in the shoulder. I swing back, bringing my fist against his.
We break into big grins. “You suck,” I say, and we both know that means something else, like We’ve been a couple of jerks, but let’s put it behind us. I’ve gained a lot in the past few months: new friends like Herbie and Rico, a tiny start toward understanding women, new confidence as an athlete. But I almost lost something that outweighs all of that, and I can tell Joey feels the same.
We walk back toward the bench.
“So who’s the winner?” Herbie asks again. I stick my hand out to him. He shakes it, but he’s got a puzzled look.
“I’m willing to share the title if you are,” I say.
Joey puts his hand over ours and squeezes. “I’ll take a piece of that, too,” he says.
Herbie just shakes his head and an embarrassed smile spreads across his face. “Okay,” he says. “We earned it.”