“I’m looking forward to a beer and a burger. Besides, Alicia clearly wanted me to come or she wouldn’t have asked me.”

“Unless she was being polite.”

“Or she thinks you’re a clueless putz.”

I would’ve kicked him out of the car except he was driving his rented Chevy Impala. It was a big step down from the sports cars he went through as a drug dealer. But it was a big step up from my ancient, decrepit station wagon that I used to deliver newspapers.

Alicia had changed into jeans and a throwback Phil Simms Giants jersey. When she saw us, she smiled and said, “I decided I needed to dress properly for the sports bar.”

It was a pleasant conversation over pretty good food. Natty made some comment about how important it is to work for the community.

He looked at Alicia and said, “That’s why I’m in paramedic school. That’s why you’re in nursing school. That’s why Mitchum…” He didn’t even have the decency to smile like it was a joke. “I guess that’s why Mitchum delivers newspapers. Or whatever he can deliver now one or two days a week.”

I said, “I remember when you first got community spirit. Wasn’t it ordered by a judge? I bet with all the court-ordered time you’ve done on the side of the road, you’ve picked up a record amount of garbage.” It was childish, but satisfying.

Natty wasn’t done, either. “I’m selling you short, Mitchum. You did your time in the Navy. Even if you didn’t make it into the SEALs like you wanted. What ended that dream? Oh yeah, you weren’t a good enough swimmer. Pretty much the one thing every SEAL is known for, you didn’t practice.”

I didn’t come back with anything. One reason was it was accurate. That was exactly why I washed out of SEAL training in the final week. The other reason was that it was clear Alicia wasn’t enjoying this exchange. She was too nice to appreciate typical burns that brothers laid on each other. Especially brothers trying to impress the same pretty girl.

She said, “I probably need to get home to study.”

She only lived a couple of blocks away from the pub. I offered to walk her home, claiming that it was an easy walk to my car at the diner after that.

Natty didn’t push it and said his good-byes inside the pub. As Alicia and I strolled down the quiet streets of Marlboro, I turned to her and said, “I’m sorry for my childish behavior in there. Natty and I tend to be competitive. It really is harmless. We get along better now than we have in years.”

“Why’s that?”