Then the dickhead had the nerve to ask him if he wanted to live with him and his broad. God, did the old man have rocks for brains or what?

Not that the old lady wasn’t without her problems before the breakup, but it was the broad that drove her over the edge.

The old lady was nuts, but the dickhead was worse. Pretendin’ he was so fuckin’ holy, then runnin’ out on both of them when pussy was flashed in his face.

The turning point. When Hank decided that pussy would never, ever have that kind of power over him. Better to buy the broads for an evening than to get involved with a chick. Besides, he was always more interested in lost kids—like himself. He’d teach them how to be a man, how to survive.

There had always been a good supply of lost kids. They came to him like bees to honey ’cause he was the one who gave them attention when their parents didn’t have the time. Man, he did a better job with kids than the dickhead ever did for him.

The old lady just couldn’t handle the breakup. She’d curl up in the corner, forgetting to bathe, forgetting to eat, for crissakes! Him, having to spoon-feed her, undress her, and dunk her in the tub. Man, she screamed every time she took a bath. It got so bad that he just gave up.

But then he had to deal with the smell.

And the old dickhead, saying he wasn’t without sympathy.

Wasn’t without sympathy.

Didn’t you just love that little diddy?

Hersh, I’m not without sympathy, but there’s nothing I can do for her anymore. I’ve got my own life to live and Mama isn’t a part of it.

That’s when the dickhead made his offer. Live with him.

Oh, yeah, right!

The broad hated him almost as much as he hated the broad.

Well, they got theirs.

Ha-ha, the joke was on you, asshole.

The old lady. God-only-knew what the hey she was doing. He couldn’t be bothered thinkin’ about her. He had his own life to live.

Hey, you know how it is.

Like father, like son.

Noam wiped the tears away from his eyes and hoisted the plastic lawn and leaf bag full of laundry over his shoulder. Of all the stupid things he’d ever done, this was the stupidest. Everything they ever told him turned out to be true. He was nothing but a loser.

How was he gonna get out of this mess? He thought of running away, hitchhiking back. But he was afraid of the weirdos that might pick him up, what they might do to him. Hersh was scary but he never touched him in that way. Boruch Hashem for small blessings.