Chapter 20I had continued to buy some of my supplies at AZC, so I ran into Carlos Quintana a couple of times over there. I looked forward to those casual meetings even though they cost more than they paid: thirty seconds of camaraderie followed by a long down-slide and a stone ache afterward. But this morning, he wasn’t at the store. When I asked about him, I was told he’d quit last week to follow his girl to Tucson. No one had heard from him since.
His sudden disappearance, plus missing Walter just a little bit drove me to work harder. It was tough on my personal life, but helpful to the professional. Pretty soon, it seemed as if that was all I had. The personal Wilum didn’t exist anymore.
My father had virtually taken over the apartment I’d rented for the girls and my mom, but there wa
