“The alimony check had been cashed at the Paradise Bank and the address was printed on it. Jesse drove out to Springfield and talked with him at 10:30 a.m. in a coffee shop on Sumner Avenue at an intersection called the X. The restaurant was out of the 1930s. Glass brick, and a jukebox near the kitchen.
“I’m a loser,” Bobby Portugal said to Jesse. “Tammy thought she was marrying a winner, but that was just my bullshit. I been a loser since I graduated high school.”
Portugal was medium height and husky. His dark hair was longish and he had a neatly trimmed beard. He wore a Patriots warm-up jacket over a gray tee shirt and jeans.
“We went together in high school. I was a big jock in high school. Running back, point guard. She thought I was a big deal.”
The waitress brought an order of English muffins for Jesse and a fried-egg sandwich for Portugal.
“Made All–North Shore League, junior and senior year, football and basketball.
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