He slammed his bandaged hand on the table.

“What happened?” I asked.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” he said, looking up at the Bruins game on the tube. “Every time I think of it I get more pissed off.”

“Think of what?”

The Wire banged his empty glass on the table and filled it up from the pitcher.

“You know that mutt they keep inside the gate by the power lines?” he said.

“The one they put there because of your brother,” DeCenz said.

“Yeah.”

“Well, he’s always barking and snapping at—”

“Hold it,” I said. “You mean the big one that looks like an albino German shepherd?”

“Yeah,” the Wire said, “the white bastard.”

“That mutt never barks at me,” I said.

“Forget about it. He never used to bark. The last six months or so something’s been chapping his ass real bad. Anyway, I walk by him every day on my way home from school with my hands covering my ears because he’s always barking at me. So one day I come along with a skull-busting headache, and I wasn’t in no mood for his shit. So I go, ‘Come on, buddy, would you please shut up,’ and he keeps barking, so I go to myself, ‘I’ll fix this mutt.’ He’s standing right behind the fence, you know. It’s one of those wooden ones with the pointy tops.”

I nodded.

“So he keeps barking with his snout pressed right up against the fence and ‘POW!!!’”—the Wire uncorked an imaginary right jab—“I punched him right in the nose. I mean I cracked the prick. Right on the beak.”

“But you busted—”

“Hey,” Drugs said, “you guys ever notice how the floor in here is half tiles and half cement?”

“But you busted your hand on the fence?” I said.

“No,” the Wire said. “My wrist got stuck and the cock-sucker lunges at me and rips a slab of pork out of my hand.”

“He even had to get a tennis shot,” Drugs said, momentarily returning to earth.

“You deserved it,” DeCenz said.

“I know, it was stupid,” said the Wire. “I should’ve just shot the prick.”

DeCenz looked at me. “You believe this guy? Goes around beating up dogs for barking at him. He’s gonna be great with kids.”

We drank a few more beers, and then I did exactly what I’d promised myself not to do. When I slipped and mentioned Jane, I felt embarrassed so I said, “You wouldn’t believe this chick’s bod.”

“How’s her helmet?” DeCenz asked.

“Incredible. Prettiest girl in the school.”

“How’s her toilet?” the Wire asked.

“Perfect,” I said. “Great ass.”

“Big floats?” Drugs asked.

“No, but nice ones.”

“She rich?” asked the Wire.

“I don’t know,” I said. “Probably. I’m telling you, the girl shits Twinkies.”

“So what’s the scoop?” DeCenz asked. “You banging her?”