The Fourth Stall

Mac interrupts his narrative to reveal how his business began. When he was in kindergarten, he moved to the Bella Vista trailer park, where Vince welcomed him and introduced him to others. Vince lived right next door, and soon the two became good friends. They enjoyed make-believe games in a particular sandbox in the trailer park’s common area and playground. One day, another young child, Kristoff, was in “their” sandbox. They told him to move to a smaller sandbox; Kristoff refused. Mac threatened to beat Kristoff up; Kristoff ran home but returned with his older brother Mike, who ran Mac and Vince not just out of the sandbox but out of the playground entirely.

Mac and Vince soon discovered others whom Mike and Kristoff kicked out of the sandboxes and off the swings; they concocted a plan to take back their park. Mac asked his father to play football after his favorite TV program. By the time Mac’s father approached the playground, Mac and Vince had moved onto Mike and Kristoff’s “turf,” and Mike was preparing to beat Mac. Mac’s father rescued Mac and Vince, reprimanded Mike severely, and threatened to tell Mike and Kristoff’s parents about their behavior.