I had this guy’s file pulled this morning, along with the rest of your neighbors. His name is Desperado.”

Pause. A few seconds passed. He was waiting for my reaction.

“Did you say Desperado?” I couldn’t stop the snort of laughter that bubbled to the surface.

“Yeah,” the Director confirmed. “He changed his name when he turned eighteen. It was Melvin.”

I was still laughing. “’Cause Desperado is so much better than Melvin.

Autore: Laura Kreitzer