I had the worst crush on Mikey Pierce's dad. As excited as I was to graduate high school and go away to college, what I looked forward to more was returning home a grown man who might fit in with the guys Mr. Pierce invited over for poker at his place. Whenever I spent the night at Mikey's, I always wanted to join in their game. The week before leaving for college, I stayed at Mikey's one last time. While Mr. Pierce and his buddies gambled, Mikey and I stole a couple of beers and watched movies upstairs. By the time it was my turn to sneak downstairs to get more drinks, the card game was over and I thought all the visitors had left. But Mr. Pierce was in the dining room. He wasn't alone. The man in there with him owed Mr. Pierce a couple hundred bucks from playing cards, and I had a ring-side seat as he paid up.