The burritos were the size of a football player’s forearm, and someone two blocks away could probably smell the chorizo.
Blanco laid down a brand new blanket he bought that day at the dollar store, and wore some cologne he squirted on in the men’s room of The Stiletto when he was dropping Hani off for his lunch bartending shift.
The city had just mowed The Ratterpatch, and the fresh cut grass smell blended into the chorizo.
Blanco said “Hi, I’m Donald Jones.”
He would explain that people called him Blanco because he was the only white kid in the neighborhood.
Would I tell her my best friend worked in a strip club? Was that necessary?
Blanco wished he had a mirror.
He took a bite of the burrito.
Should I use a knife and fork?
Blanco looked around The Ratterpatch. Years ago, when the city had a bounty on rats, he and Hani and Diego Rey and Diego Poco lit up this vacant yard with 22s, shooting rats.
He took another bite of burrito and felt chorizo on his chin.
That wouldn’t work.
You gotta wait for her to eat first, homey.
He said “Hi, I’m Donald Jones,” out loud again, then realized she’d already know his name.
I can tell her my nickname, right? It’s not vulgar. It’s just…
Blanco imagined cutting his burrito from El Parian with a knife and fork.
He made the motions, staring down at the burrito he wanted to just devour.
He had a pop next to him.
Should I bring her wine? Like with a real cork?
He wondered if he could.
It would be his luck for his parole officer to see him buying wine.
“It’s not for me, Charles, Mr.Culshein, honestly, straight up, I have a date with this woman from Marygrove Nursing School.”
Donald Jones wasn’t sure he could get any of the women from Marygrove to go on a date with him.
But he knew if he could, he would do it right.
It would be a perfect picnic. It wouldn’t be in The Ratterpatch.
He wouldn’t tell her his best friend worked in a strip club, or that he had been incarcerated for six years, two months, ten days. Not at first, anyway.
He’d eat with a knife and fork, and tell her she was pretty.
***
He’s on the right track
Nice.