On the wet sidewalk, inside a television cardboard box, he cuddled with his dying rat. The rain soaked the flapping lid; the roof sagged. He removed his only shoe, a shrunken left, and forced the limp rodent inside it. The tail managed to pass through an eyelet of his wrinkled wingtip and stayed …

    Mama gave you coins from the mayonnaise jar and sent you to the bakery. She said, “Avoid Avo the thief at all cost. He’ll take your bread money and give you a stolen pack of cigarettes.” You took the shortcuts: the opium alley, the slaughter house, the pulverized railroad track, the gamblers’ garage. …