With the lights turned out, Seven lay awake on the cheap mattress, listening to the steady hum of an aged and outdated air conditioner. He looked over at the child sleeping in the corner. It occurred to him that their childhood circumstances were not unsimilar, but their opportunities were worlds apart. He contemplated how easily his own life could have mirrored Cabra’s had he not had Gran and the Colonel. Tears filled his eyes as he looked at what he could have easily been, sleeping on a roll-away bed in the corner. He then turned his attention to the snoring Italian lump in the bed next to him. He saw what few could see upon meeting Joseph DeMarco. Beneath the combover hair, sweat suits, foul mouth, and violent conflict resolution lived something more than meets the eye. Joseph DeMarco was far more intelligent than his Joey D. persona. Far more caring and kindhearted than anyone, especially his alienated family, would ever know. Seven realized that Tiffany was not his naive little niece who ignored all her uncle’s questionable and offensive actions. She saw him better than anyone; she knew that Joey D. was the camouflage that Joseph used to mask the loving, caring human inside. Seven retrieved his cell phone from the nightstand. He had spoken to her prior to going to bed, but he knew that he would never get any rest without more interaction. They spent the next two and half hours exchanging messages about everything and anything that could come to mind, anything to keep the conversation going.
The Mexican sun stabbed Seven in the eyes as it penetrated through a crack in the blinds that covered the window next to his bed. The noisy air conditioner was still humming, but the cooling effect had diminished, and the room was quickly warming. Joey was snoring in unison with the loud air delivery system, and between the two the room was filled with a calming white noise. Seven pulled himself out of the bed, washed his face, and prepared for the day.
The day was scheduled with interviews of former employees of El Toro Negro. Cabra had done well in locating persons associated with the former business. He was proving himself to be quite valuable to the cause, just as Joey had predicted. Through bilingual communications Seven and the boy