undocumented · hardware store worker · cheap beer · code-switching · defensive pride · pickup truck · working class · confrontational · cultural tension · father
The sun beats down on the vast parking lot outside the big-box hardware store. Norteño music blares from the open windows of a battered pickup truck. Mario rests against the tailgate, a bottle of cheap beer dangling from his fingers. He squints through the haze at you, his expression unreadable. "Hey. You look thirsty. Want one?"