said—
"What a coincidence, I 'm getting hungry too."
So we went into a building and up the stairs and those stairs kept moving.
"Another year and that many beers won't even touch a guy your size," said Vinny. "But one or two beers is always gonna be enough to roll me over."
It was some kind of Chinese restaurant or something and Vinny ordered food I didn 't know what. They brought some soup with coconut taste and chicken and it was good and they brought vegetables and spicy stuff and it was good. Then Vinny ordered a drink that came in a big glass like a flower vase and it was purple so I thought it was grape juice. Vinny poured it into glasses for each of us and held his up.
"To us," he said. "Best friends forever."
"What?"
"It's a toast, stupid," he said. "You're supposed to raise your glass. Ain't you got no culture?"
So I raised my glass like he told me and he bumped his glass into mine and then he said it was okay to drink.
I started and stopped almost right away.
"Vinny, this juice tastes bad."
"You lug, it's wine."
"Oh no!"
"Look, kid, these people here don't care if you're under age or not, so long as you don't go making a big scene about it. So settle down and drink up."
I did as I was told and tried to stomach it. Wine didn't taste anything like juice.
Vinny made me drink some more and then I felt so full on all the drinks and all the food so I went to the bathroom to pee. I looked in the mirror and saw my lips and teeth were purple and I laughed. I wanted to pee but before I could make it to the urinal, all of a sudden, it just erupted out of me, all of it, and I felt so bad for a second and it was all on the floor. I cried a little, then washed my mouth out and went back to Vinny.
"Vinny, I got sick."
"What?"
"In the bathroom. I got sick on the floor."
"Oh, great. Well, it happens. Let's get out of here."
It was dark outside. Walking up Haight Street we passed people who asked for money. Vinny ignored them. But one man said something different.
"Green buds?"
Vinny stopped. "How much?" he said.
The man took out a small bag of something. It was kind of green, I guess. Vinny told me to wait a minute and he stepped off the main street into an alley with the man. He came out a minute later and we walked into the park. When we got there, he looked around like he was trying to find something.
"What are you looking for, Vinny?" I said.
"Peace and quiet. Ah, there, that'll do."
We went to a grassy hill and sat down. Vinny took out the bag of green stuff.
"You know what this is?" he said.
"No, what?"
"Pot," he said.
"That's not a pot," I said.
"Just watch."
He took some of it out of the bag and held it out to me.
"Get a whiff of that, kid."
I smelled and it didn't smell like anything I know. Vinny took out a small piece of paper and put some of the green stuff into it, then rolled it all up into a little tube. He took out a lighter and set one end of the paper on fire.
"Oh, it 's like a cigarette," I said.
"Right."
Vinny inhaled the smoke and held his breath in, then he coughed.
"Kind of rough, but it will do," he said.
He held the cigarette out to me.
"You want me to smoke it?" I said.
"The kid wins the prize. Yeah, take a puff, don't choke."
"I don 't really like cigarettes," I said.
"This one 's special," he said.
I was still wobbly from the wine and didn't put up much resistance. I held the cigarette like he had done and inhaled. I held onto it in my lungs just like Vinny. And then it started tickling and I coughed it out. Just like Vinny. He laughed.
"Good job, kid. You're on your way."
I laughed. I couldn't help it.
"Hey, Swan, how old is your aunt Anne?"
"I don 't know," I said. "Why?"
Vinny laughed. I laughed too. I'm not sure why we laughed.
It was late when Vinny got me home. Before I got out of the car he stopped me.
"Hey, buddy, we had a good time tonight, right?"
"Yeah," I said.
"Glad to hear it. You ever want ice cream again just give your pal Vinny a
"What a coincidence, I 'm getting hungry too."
So we went into a building and up the stairs and those stairs kept moving.
"Another year and that many beers won't even touch a guy your size," said Vinny. "But one or two beers is always gonna be enough to roll me over."
It was some kind of Chinese restaurant or something and Vinny ordered food I didn 't know what. They brought some soup with coconut taste and chicken and it was good and they brought vegetables and spicy stuff and it was good. Then Vinny ordered a drink that came in a big glass like a flower vase and it was purple so I thought it was grape juice. Vinny poured it into glasses for each of us and held his up.
"To us," he said. "Best friends forever."
"What?"
"It's a toast, stupid," he said. "You're supposed to raise your glass. Ain't you got no culture?"
So I raised my glass like he told me and he bumped his glass into mine and then he said it was okay to drink.
I started and stopped almost right away.
"Vinny, this juice tastes bad."
"You lug, it's wine."
"Oh no!"
"Look, kid, these people here don't care if you're under age or not, so long as you don't go making a big scene about it. So settle down and drink up."
I did as I was told and tried to stomach it. Wine didn't taste anything like juice.
Vinny made me drink some more and then I felt so full on all the drinks and all the food so I went to the bathroom to pee. I looked in the mirror and saw my lips and teeth were purple and I laughed. I wanted to pee but before I could make it to the urinal, all of a sudden, it just erupted out of me, all of it, and I felt so bad for a second and it was all on the floor. I cried a little, then washed my mouth out and went back to Vinny.
"Vinny, I got sick."
"What?"
"In the bathroom. I got sick on the floor."
"Oh, great. Well, it happens. Let's get out of here."
It was dark outside. Walking up Haight Street we passed people who asked for money. Vinny ignored them. But one man said something different.
"Green buds?"
Vinny stopped. "How much?" he said.
The man took out a small bag of something. It was kind of green, I guess. Vinny told me to wait a minute and he stepped off the main street into an alley with the man. He came out a minute later and we walked into the park. When we got there, he looked around like he was trying to find something.
"What are you looking for, Vinny?" I said.
"Peace and quiet. Ah, there, that'll do."
We went to a grassy hill and sat down. Vinny took out the bag of green stuff.
"You know what this is?" he said.
"No, what?"
"Pot," he said.
"That's not a pot," I said.
"Just watch."
He took some of it out of the bag and held it out to me.
"Get a whiff of that, kid."
I smelled and it didn't smell like anything I know. Vinny took out a small piece of paper and put some of the green stuff into it, then rolled it all up into a little tube. He took out a lighter and set one end of the paper on fire.
"Oh, it 's like a cigarette," I said.
"Right."
Vinny inhaled the smoke and held his breath in, then he coughed.
"Kind of rough, but it will do," he said.
He held the cigarette out to me.
"You want me to smoke it?" I said.
"The kid wins the prize. Yeah, take a puff, don't choke."
"I don 't really like cigarettes," I said.
"This one 's special," he said.
I was still wobbly from the wine and didn't put up much resistance. I held the cigarette like he had done and inhaled. I held onto it in my lungs just like Vinny. And then it started tickling and I coughed it out. Just like Vinny. He laughed.
"Good job, kid. You're on your way."
I laughed. I couldn't help it.
"Hey, Swan, how old is your aunt Anne?"
"I don 't know," I said. "Why?"
Vinny laughed. I laughed too. I'm not sure why we laughed.
It was late when Vinny got me home. Before I got out of the car he stopped me.
"Hey, buddy, we had a good time tonight, right?"
"Yeah," I said.
"Glad to hear it. You ever want ice cream again just give your pal Vinny a
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