Carl’s parents were divorced before we started first grade. For a few years, before Carl’s dad won a scratch off ticket and no one ever saw him again, I called Carl my best friend. His parents went broke for his affection. That first Christmas, Carl’s mother bought him the Ninja…

It had been twelve years, and I swore I would never work retail again. There was $11 left in my wallet. I had no food. I had a couple cigarettes. The plan wasn’t working. I went to the bar and found Kelly. I told her everything. That I smelled because…

It’s a bar called Circa Tabac and I first read about it when an author I don’t really like, Nick Tosches, called it “the last bar.” I don’t know where I read Nick Tosches saying that. Maybe Esquire. Circa Tabac is a cigarette bar, and until Tosches brought it to…