I will be grateful for it for the rest of my life.

Chapter 13 — Everything He Told You Is a Lie

“Do you know,” Sal asked me, “what your son does with every paycheck?”

I frowned into the phone.

It seemed a strange thing to ask.

“He’s saving it,” I said.

“For what?” “A bicycle,” I said.

“He’s been saving up for a bicycle for six months.” And I heard Sal exhale, slowly, a long breath down the line, and when he spoke again his voice had changed, gone gentle in a way that frightened me more than harshness would have.