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The pair walk to the backyard where a private boat landing has been established. Sonny eagerly skips ahead. “All aboard the Sonny and Ralphie!” Sonny cheers, walking onto the dock. They climb onto the speedboat. Within minutes, they’ve traveled to a secluded grove of palm trees. It’s a cold day for Miami, and the wind whips across Sonny’s face. “You know,” the man begins, “I could tell you to start a brawl with anyone who teases you about your hearing. That’s what your old man would’ve done when he was in school.” Sonny picks at a leaf that has fallen into the boat. “Yeah.” “It always felt good to hit them,” he continues. “They’d say something I didn’t like, and they’d be on the ground. End of story.” “I bet,” Sonny says absentmindedly. His father situates his chair so he’s facing him head on. “But you know the best way you can get back at kids like that? And it doesn’t involve your fists.” Sonny’s father asks. His son looks up at him. “What’s that?” “You be smarter than them.” He says, pointing a finger. “You grow up and you become a doctor, a lawyer, a businessman. While they’re bootlegging to get by, you’ll be charging people $6 an hour just to talk to you. College, Sonny, I’m telling you. Those nose-pickers will be working for you in ten years.” The man says with a satisfied smile. Sonny takes in every word. He absorbs it for a few moments before saying, “I don’t know if I’d hire any of those bastards.” The man laughs, starting the boat. “Don’t let your mother hear you say that.”

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The pair walk to the backyard where a private boat landing has been established. Sonny eagerly skips ahead. “All aboard the Sonny and Ralphie!” Sonny cheers, walking onto the dock. They climb onto the speedboat. Within minutes, they’ve traveled to a secluded grove of palm trees. It’s a cold day for Miami, and the wind whips across Sonny’s face. “You know,” the man begins, “I could tell you to start a brawl with anyone who teases you about your hearing. That’s what your old man would’ve done when he was in school.” Sonny picks at a leaf that has fallen into the boat. “Yeah.” “It always felt good to hit them,” he continues. “They’d say something I didn’t like, and they’d be on the ground. End of story.” “I bet,” Sonny says absentmindedly. His father situates his chair so he’s facing him head on. “But you know the best way you can get back at kids like that? And it doesn’t involve your fists.” Sonny’s father asks. His son looks up at him. “What’s that?” “You be smarter than them.” He says, pointing a finger. “You grow up and you become a doctor, a lawyer, a businessman. While they’re bootlegging to get by, you’ll be charging people $6 an hour just to talk to you. College, Sonny, I’m telling you. Those nose-pickers will be working for you in ten years.” The man says with a satisfied smile. Sonny takes in every word. He absorbs it for a few moments before saying, “I don’t know if I’d hire any of those bastards.” The man laughs, starting the boat. “Don’t let your mother hear you say that.”

The pair walk to the backyard where a private boat landing has been established. Sonny eagerly skips ahead. “All aboard the Sonny and Ralphie!” Sonny cheers, walking onto the dock. They climb onto the speedboat. Within minutes, they’ve traveled to a secluded grove of palm trees. It’s a cold day for Miami, and the wind whips across Sonny’s face. “You know,” the man begins, “I could tell you to start a brawl with anyone who teases you about your hearing. That’s what your old man would’ve done when he was in school.” Sonny picks at a leaf that has fallen into the boat. “Yeah.” “It always felt good to hit them,” he continues. “They’d say something I didn’t like, and they’d be on the ground. End of story.” “I bet,” Sonny says absentmindedly. His father situates his chair so he’s facing him head on. “But you know the best way you can get back at kids like that? And it doesn’t involve your fists.” Sonny’s father asks. His son looks up at him. “What’s that?” “You be smarter than them.” He says, pointing a finger. “You grow up and you become a doctor, a lawyer, a businessman. While they’re bootlegging to get by, you’ll be charging people $6 an hour just to talk to you. College, Sonny, I’m telling you. Those nose-pickers will be working for you in ten years.” The man says with a satisfied smile. Sonny takes in every word. He absorbs it for a few moments before saying, “I don’t know if I’d hire any of those bastards.” The man laughs, starting the boat. “Don’t let your mother hear you say that.”