“You still bummin’,â€? the gorilla said to me. A silverback ape could rend a human in half in the blink of an eye; silverbacks avoided Sonny.

“Yeah, Sonny,â€? I replied. “Yeah.â€?

“Stop callin’ me Sonny, man. Makes me feel like I’m in some old, faded Gangsta movie.â€?

He didn’t get it. It was a sign of respect. Sonny and Junior were serious names, ones you used only for heavy hitters. It was old school. I was old school. I am old school. I’m not in kindergarten anymore. If I go down, I don’t point fingers or call names. Most people didn’t care all too much anymore, but those who did knew me and paid me well.

I didn’t like to be seen with Sonny. He did things I didn’t like getting caught up in, things that would put me on the radar screen. Right now, I didn’t care. I pushed the stool next to me out a bit, giving Sonny the chance to sit. He took it.