As they walked out, the warm afternoon sun felt good on David's face. It had been just a few days since the fight but David had been indoors too long for his liking. He also had many questions on his mind. Just who were his attackers, and why did they say he was just practice? Why Clyde had confided in him so much and still not ventured to seek him out yet? Also how was T.J. related to all this and what this all meant for Liz? This was the man reason he wanted to get out, for answers.

They walked outside through the same streets they did a few weeks back after his father's funeral. The same streets he walked as a kid with Cheeto only the problems were much more different. The street didn't look the same as they did then either. They looked dirty, and much smaller than he remembered. It was as if they were dying. They resembled a chained dog slowly starving.

"Ese (That) Rocky! You up and walking already. Looks like you can take a good beating," suddenly shouted off someone in the distance. It wasn't a threatening voice though. It sounded old and worn. David thought for moment that it was Clyde but once he found the source he realized it wasn't.

"Ese (That) Capt'n!" replied Cheeto to the person.

Capt'n was one of the local vagrants. An old Mexican-American veteran that had been roaming the streets since David was a small boy. Having served during the 80's in the marines, he was one of the many veterans lost in the system. He served in a time when there was little to no support from the public. The horrors he lived in conflicts that were lost in the public's consciousness, since they were not associated with wars, were left for him to carry alone. The pain, physical and mental, he carried were what drove him to the streets. Time is what kept him there.

"You won the war yet?" asked inappropriately Cheeto as he met his friend.

"What would you know about it? You wouldn't know 'bout being a man aside from squeezing your balls in the morning son," replied the Capt'n jokingly as if for the thousand time to his young friend.

"I've seen you around. I remember you from when I was a kid," said David. It was the first time he recalled speaking to the Capt'n given his mother always forbade it.

"I remember your skinny ass running home every time your momma called for you," replied Capt'n. David nodded in agreement.

"Uhhh she would be tripping if she saw what you let those boys do to you. Ha!" continued the Capt'n.

"Eeeh man, see! I told you. Why you let those fools get a jump on you like that. Even the bums heard about yo ass-kicking," chimed in Cheeto again, slapping Capt'n on the back as good acquaintances do.

"I'm a bum by choice, not some little bitch that gets kicked out of the house," taunted back the Capt'n as he playfully slapped Cheeto in the back as well.

"Ahh Orale (hey), orale (hey). You know I only be leaving to avoid the man tell me what to do," said Cheeto in the smoothest way possible.

"Chingao (Fuck), it's your own momma that is kicking you out most the time!" replied Capt'n letting out a vociferous laugh as he continued to tease Cheeto.

"Moms can be a difficult woman sometimes," replied Cheeto coyly.

"Hahaha that's why I haven't lived with one in twenty-five years," replied Capt'n in a thick accent, even though he had been born and raised in the U.S. A thick beard and mustache cover his gapped mouth with missing teeth that made his accent more pronounced. He smelled heavily of beer and other strong odors that life on the street leave on a man. David realized Capt'n was a veteran but still wanted to confirm it.

"They call you Capt'n, does that mean you served?" he asked.

"Yes Sir, I sure did!" First Capt'n Joseph Perez of the 21st battalion at your service!" he said with great pride and vigor. The dignity of a great man contrasting the worn out, beaten face, of a figure long forgotten to have any by the society he swore to protect. But this did not matter to him. He had lived and participated in a world he believed in and shared a brotherhood few were members of and he accepted that the world around him did not understand.

"I'm serving too. Ranger with the 22nd," a discernable smile as David said it.

"Ha! Rangers. That explains why you got your butt handed to you. Can't do nothing without a marine saving your ass," boast Capt'n as he now patted another friend who had come out of the tree shade to join in.

"We've been known to hold our own from time to time," replied David.

"Your friend here also served Capt'n?" asked David of the fellow joining as he was pleased to finally meet fellow service men.

"Ramba here? No he wishes. Little tweaker just follows me around. He's young too, should have did something with himself instead of shooting that shit up all day," said the Capt'n.

"Listen here son, from one service man to another. Don't get in on with those boys who beat you. You whooped them, they whooped you, best to leave it at that," said Capt'n. His moustache moving unevenly as he spoke.

"Thank you for the advice. But I don't think that I'm in any shape to go on a revenge spree. You seem confident of who whooped me though. I don't even know who it was," replied David fishing for information.

"Eeeeh right here Grunt," said Capt'n pointing to his head. Grunt being a nickname to army personnel. "Intel boy, and this man right here is the best for it. Nothing gets by past him," jumped in Ramba.

"Ain't no big secret. You gotta know who you stepping up to around here. Doesn't take a genius to figure that out," said the Capt'n.

"Did you know who it was?" asked David of Cheeto. "Pues (Well) know, know like no, but you know," Cheeto mumbled.

"See even this poor fool knows. Take my advice, lick your wounds, drop it and move on," was the knowledge the Capt'n dropped on David.

"So who was it then? Since you are so sure of it," asked David.

"Chances are you already ran into them before. No sense in naming names. Just drop it," repeated the Capt'n.

"You're probably right. Better leave this to the professionals," resigned David, referring to the police.

"Ha, nothing is gonna get done about it son. The only professionals around here are the slingers and pushers. Just be happy you got a limp and hope them boys don't look to finish their work," butted in Ramba.

"That's true. If I were you, I'd keep low and mind my own. Those guys don't like being shown up," warned the Capt'n.

"That's a shitty way to go through life don't you think Capt'n? We didn't serve this Country and fight to just have to mind our own here at home," replied David with rising determination in his voice. Capt'n replied with a sly dismissive tone, "this aint no home to be fighting for son."

Cheeto sensing the mood getting long and heavy and in need of some levity leaned over to David and said "Hey wanna see the old guy lose it?"

"Ya ve (see now) Capt'n. You killed all those babies for nothing."

"You dumb bastard, that's what's wrong with you kids. Your generation is one big pile of shit. You just sit around jerking off and don't know the sacrifice one has done to give you the freedom to say dumb shit like that. You have no respect for what we did," shouted off the Capt'n as he got all riled up, chasing Cheeto around with a legitimate look of harm in his face. His voice beginning to crack as it became apparent he was tearing up. Cheeto laughed as he ran away amused at the level of agitation he had caused with little effort.

"Get him Capt'n! Knock his ass out!" shouted Ramba as he stumbled about as well. David disturbed by the sight quickly intervened.

"Stop, stop!" he ordered trying to calm Capt'n down and hold him back.

"I served my country with pride. I believed in our missions and believe this is the greatest country in the world!" said the sobbing Capt'n.

"I sacrificed everything for this flag and these little fucks can't even wipe their own asses without running home to their mommas," he continued agitated.

"Ehh-hehe! He's so pissed," said Cheeto laughing, flicking his fingers in amusement.

"Ya (there) Capt'n don't get mad," said Cheeto as the Capt'n spoke.

"Dude, that wasn't right. Don't ever do that to him especially in front of me," said David sternly as he pulled Cheeto to the side.

"Ah man don't be all mad too. It was just a joke. The old man knows I love him," said the oblivious Cheeto as he put his arms around the Capt'n.

"We cool right Capt'n? You know I love ya. Let me buy you a chela (beer)!" said Cheeto as he tried to appease the agitated Capt'n who tried to push Cheeto off for what seemed the hundred time of a ritual that had been carried out with frequency. The two of them eventually embraced as the promise of a cold drink was too good to pass by.

"Hey man. I get one too!" interjected Ramba.

David was somewhat relieved by the affectionate embrace by the two in the end but also by the pride Capt'n still had. Perhaps his own sacrifice was not in vain.

"I'll get you guys later though. Gotta go handle some business first," said Cheeto as he and David departed from the marauding duo.

"Ahh, brother you headed to go see that honey at the kid's center. When you goanna give up. She don't want nothing with ya stumpy ass!" teased the Capt'n.

"You been chasing after that for years and you haven't got no more than a look at it to keep yourself stiff at night," continued the Capt'n as he slapped hands with Ramba.

"He just chasing smoke. Just like smoky the bear," said the shaking tweaker.

"Psh, whatever homies. You don't know what's up. I'm working my game on her. Girl like that needs time. Can't pick her up like the hood-rats you be getting with. This girl needs finesse," said Cheeto as he punctuated with a delicate hand gesture. The three other men started laughing at this point.

"Where did you even learn that word from? That's too complex of a word to be coming out of your mouth," laughed the Capt'n.

"Problem is you aint got none of that. You don't have any game and for-sure you don't have no finesse," continue the Capt'n.

"You have the finesse of a pit in heat, except they get some and you don't!" said Ramba to which all three started laughing again.

"You too homie?" said the incredulous Cheeto at David's laughing outburst.

"Sorry man it was funny."

"Chale (Damn), I'm out. You guys suck," said Cheeto seeking comfort elsewhere.

"Hold on Cheeto, don't take it too hard," said David as he limped to catch up, hearing the other pair still in stitches at their own hilarity who continued to tease Cheeto.