The night before Alphonse is released, Angelo and Mikey go to Vincent’s house. They each hand him two hundred and fifty dollars to give to Alphonse. Vincent looks at the two, hugs them, and shakes their hands.
“You didn’t need to do this,” Vincent says, “but I certainly appreciate the gesture—and I’m sure Alphonse will, too. We need to keep him out of trouble for as long as we can.”
They volunteer to go with Vincent, but he wants time alone with his friend. Vincent promises they will all get together soon.
Vincent packs a bag with clothes, shoes, and other necessities for Alphonse. He stuffs an envelope with the five hundred dollars from Angelo and Mikey, along with another thousand dollars of his own. Then he kisses his mother goodnight, sets his alarm clock, and goes to sleep.
He arrives at the prison at 5:30 a.m. He’s told to wait in the parking lot. They’ll notify him when and where to pick up Alphonse. At 6:30, he’s called over and led to a gate. Soon he sees Alphonse approaching with a frown on his face. But upon seeing Vincent, he breaks into a wide, crooked smile. His curly hair is cut shorter, and maybe he has added another ten pounds of muscle to his five-foot-seven frame, but he looks basically the same since the last time Vincent saw him. Even his green eyes have the same intense shine. They bear no sign of sorrow or fatigue.
“You look great, you piece of shit. What did they feed you in there?”
“Shit, but that’s that.”
They embrace. Alphonse looks over Vincent’s shoulder to see if anyone else is with him.
“You must have convinced my mother and Ralphie to stay home.”
“When you see your mom, you should look human—I mean, at least as close to looking human as that freakshow mug of yours can get. I got some clothes and stuff for you in the car.”
They drive to a restaurant, and Alphonse changes in the bathroom before breakfast. When he gets back to the table, Vincent hands him the envelope.
“What’s this?”
“Something from me, Angelo, and Mikey to help you out. Don’t say anything. Just take it and shut the fuck up.”
A pearl of a tear shines in Alphonse’s eyes. He nods his head. “Thank you, pal. I really appreciate this.”
While they eat, Alphonse tells Vincent some jailhouse stories. “I only got one shot while I was in.”
“Wait, you got shot?”
“No, no. A shot is like a disciplinary action or some shit. I don’t fucking know. Anyway, I got a shot for reckless eyeballing,” he says, trying hard to stifle a laugh.
“What the fuck is reckless eyeballing?”
“The bosses, that’s what you call the guards, do not like it when inmates stare or give them looks, which they call eyeballing. You can also get a shot for silent insolence.”
They both laugh again.
“But anyway, I became a barber and cut hair. Everyone must get at least one shave and haircut every week, so there was always lots to do. Other than that, I worked out in the yard, read, and pretty much kept to myself, which is the smart thing to do. You don’t want to get into jailhouse politics, so I stayed out of all that.”
“That’s good, Alphonse. Hey, listen, there was another reason why I wanted some time alone with you. I found your rat partner. Mario.”
Alphonse does not say a word. He slowly nods his head in acknowledgment. There is nothing more to be said. When Alphonse wants the information, Vincent will give it to him. They talk about other things and finish eating.
The drive home is mostly in silence. Alphonse is eager to see his mother and brother. When they reach his street, Ralphie and his mother are waiting on the stoop. His mother cries out when she sees him get out of Vincent’s Thunderbird. She covers him with kisses. His brother hugs him. The neighbors and some of his old buddies congratulate him for graduating “college”—the Neighborhood term for doing time.
Vincent gives him his telephone number and tells him they will see each other later. Before he goes, Alphonse’s mother tells Vincent to thank his mother for her. Teri sent over a couple of lemon meringue pies—she remembered that Alphonse loved them.