his shopping excursion. Once the purchases were scattered on one of the beds in the room, he saw that Joey had been buying items for his new friend. Assorted hygiene and clothing items covered the mattress. Cabra looked as if it were Christmas morning; he smiled as he organized his bounty. Seven noted that Joey also added a personal touch to the gift basket. Neatly folded at the top of the bed near the pillow were five perfectly folded “Joey D.’s Gentleman’s Club” T-shirts. Now, all of the city of Matamoros would know where they could find “Big Hair, Big Titties, and Big Fun” should they ever find themselves in the greater Tampa area.
A knock on the hotel room door startled Seven but not Joey D. or Cabra. Since crossing the border, Seven had already experienced the foul taste of Mexico when a thirteen-year-old boy attempted to rob him at gunpoint. He feared most of what Mexico had to offer. An unexpected knock on his hotel room door would surely call for some level of anxiety.
Joey calmly walked over to the door and unsecured it without checking the peephole or the adjacent window. The knock was not unexpected for Joey. He opened the door fully and walked out into the humid Mexican air. Seven heard the creaks and clangs of metal bumping metal followed by the rolling of plastic wheels.
Joey rolled the folding bed into the room and searched for a space large enough to open it up. He found a corner near the bathroom and proceeded to prepare the space. He looked over at Seven as he was exiting from the bathroom.
“The kid needs a place to sleep tonight,” he said.
“Sure,” Seven replied.