It's February 20th, it's Friday, I'm driving to work on Sonoma Mountain Parkway, 6.46am. And I want to go into more detail about chapter 1, Chocolate Siggurettes. It was getting near my curfew, my signal to go home. The sulfur-colored Mars-colored street lights were beginning to light up. I was hanging out with my friends at the empty lot. I actually scratched that. Let's start from the beginning, from when, from the cigarette. There it was sitting on a pile of nudy mags. It was Playboy, Pint House, or Hustler. I can't remember. It's hard to believe I can't remember that part. It seems so strange now that that was what set me off. Just to pack a cigarette. It's all it was. A wet pack of cigarettes. It had been opened. I could see the butts that had been smoked by whoever owned this pack and left it behind. They were scattered all over the ground. It was a muddy, muddy evening. And I was just staring over it. Just staring, wondering who was it was, who could have been here. And why they left their cigarettes. Are they still around? Then Michael came over. What are you doing? He said. What are you staring at? What is that? Two cigarettes. That shit will kill you. No, it won't. One isn't going to kill you. Are you saying what I'm thinking? Do you want a smoke one? Maybe. I never had one. I want to try it out. Are you going to need a lighter? I'm going to need matches. You don't got either one of those. And the lights are about to come on, dude. Your mom's going to smell that smoke all over you. I know. Because my big sister, Kathy, she came home one night, wreaking of it. My parents grilled her up and down. They searched her stuff. They didn't find anything. But I found it later. And I showed it to her. She was so pissed at me. I made her clean my room for a week. She wanted him back. Then Matt came over. Are we going to... Dude, guys, we're waiting for your turn to go around the track. What are you pussy looking at? You're the pussy. Anyway. Ah, cigarettes. Give me one now. Dude, your mom will be all over your case. No, won't. I'm going to sell him to my sister. Sell him? I. Can't you get her own? Anyway. Then Kirk and Chris came over. What you guys looking at? Oh, shit, Miss June. Man, check her out. Never mind me. Aren't the lights about to come on? Don't we got to go home? That'll be okay. What you got there, Matt? We found them. They're wet. They're no good. Sure they are. I said. You just got to dry them out. Dude, do you even... Have you ever even had a cigarette? You don't know what you got to do. You can't just dry them out. They're no good after they get wet. It's just tobacco. It's a leaf. Leaves get rained on all the time and they're fine. The trees are fine. But it's a leaf that's been burned. Once you get it wet, it doesn't dry out the same way. What do you guys know? I want to dry them out and then try it. Yeah, good luck with that. But you know what? You should divide them up. If you think... If you think we should have a bet, each one of us should try them. If they're better when they're wet, I'll get my sister to buy us a whole fresh pack. And then we can try the fresh ones to see if they're the same. Maybe. Anyway. Looks like tomorrow is the first day of summer. I ain't got no plans. Okay. Dialogues getting out of control here. I've got to figure out who are these friends. What are they doing in the empty lot? What time of years did and really how old are they? Are they all the same age? Are they all in the same class, same school? Protagonist. How old is he? Let's say he's... A late... Let's say he's just recently turned 11. And school has ended. He's like... He's 11 years old in the 5th grade for like one month. So he's like a May 1st birthday or something like that. And what's his name? What is his name? What is his name? What is his name? That's both... Arab, Egyptian, and American. They're Sami. I don't know, I mean Sami is just... What is his name? What is his name? Anyway, that's got to be his name. I was calling him Sami for now. And his friends is going to have... Michael Matthew Kirk and Chris the core. And those are the ones that are... Well, Mike Kirk and Chris are all in the same class. Matthew is in the next class. So he's in junior high. He's finishing sixth grade and he's the one passing all the myths about sixth grade to the other three. And they each have their own siblings and there are other kids in the neighborhood that will get to them. They're all riding their bikes around... You know, the empty lots or the neighborhood. There's two empty lots. There's... Got to have nicknames for the empty lots. Called... Called the... The big one, the one with the track. Ironworks. And then called the... The other one. The void. And then there's the cemetery. Yeah. That ought to be good. And so they hang out either at ironworks or the cemetery or the void at any given time. And... Ironworks is cool because it's got a track and that's where they race. And it's big. But they never go off into the uncharted territory, unpaved territory. And it had boys and berries growing in it that they could pick wild berries. And the void was different. The void was like forest you could see through. It was probably about an acre. And it was two houses down from sammies. And... Maybe... And then Sammy liked to play there. There wasn't really a track just a path that went through the lot from one street to the other. And... Yeah. So what's the deal with the other boys? Or how much of a role do they play? It's hard to tell. Maybe they... Okay, so when a group of 10-year-old boys see an object that represents breaking the rules, what do they do? They talk about breaking the rules. One guy is in favor of not breaking the rules. The other guy is in favor of not breaking the rules and not getting caught. Another guy says, you can break the rules all you want. Getting caught is not that bad. But it never happened to him. Maybe he uses anecdotal evidence for it. So don't break the rules. Break the rules ain't that bad. And then this is like... You can only break the rules. If you're absolutely certain you're not going to get caught. So... Why aren't you supposed to break the rules? So maybe Michael comes on the scene first and tells him, don't break the rules. You don't want to get caught. Actually, no, that's not the reason why he tells him not to get caught. He tells him because it's a rule. Rules are meant to be. He's kind of a rule follower. Yeah, he's going to be the nerdy one. There's got to be a nerdy one that they follow. And then... Yeah, we could make up Kamalia son's name. And... And what else? So he's the one who says, don't break the rules. And Kirk and Chris pull up. Chris is dad owns the local supermarket which you got him. You got him map out. And he knows people break the rules because he's seen it happen. And he knows that he's not a superman. And he knows really it's about the right rule. And it's about... The best rules are the ones that scare about 80% of the people and leave 20% to either break them and get caught or break them and not get caught. You know, people will always break the rules. You just got to make sure that it's hard to get to not get caught. And then maybe he'll be talking about... He could have just got us some cigarettes that he tried to swipe some cigarettes at his dad's store. Or maybe he saw one of the employees try to steal cigarettes from his dad's store. And he didn't get caught for a while until he got desperate. Once he got desperate, that was it. He couldn't... He didn't have self-control, he didn't have his wits about him. And then he just got caught and fired. And Kirk's all about... Just break it, dude. Just break the rule. He doesn't... He lives with his grandparents. And... They are not as tough on him, so he's kind of spoiled. His mom and dad come and visit every now and then, but they're just not around. So he's just... Rules to him are... Or the things that landed him... Where he... I mean, he was. No one's enforcing them, so it doesn't matter. And when it is enforced, it's just a slap on the wrist. Because his grandparents feel sorry for him, so they don't really... They're not very strict. And when his parents do visit him, they feel sorry for him too. And again, they're not as strict. So... He's all about... Just... He's just about... Just break him. See what happens. Can't be that bad. So this... That's what... The discussion around... The pack of cigarettes leads to. After that... Now, what happens to... What about the discussion of sex and the Newtie Mags? Does that discussion happen at this age? Possibly. It could be because of Matt. That's why. He's not interested in cigarettes. He's more interested in Newtie Mags. And he'll say, boys, guys... I mean, boys... It's not a... It don't matter... What about one bit? How many cigarettes you can smoke? You got to be able to please the wind. Look at these ladies in here. And go off talking about them. You got to be able to one day grow up and please these wind... That's what my brother tells me. He's got an older brother. And maybe he'll talk about how he... He exploits or his attempts at going all the way with his girlfriend, Christina or Wendy, one of those names, I forget Abigail. It's Catholic, Mike's Lutheran, and Kirk and Chris are nothing. Anyway, the discussion is about girls. You ever kissed a girl? You ever felt a girl out? That kind of stuff. Maybe it's a sixth grade class that's about to, you know, hitting for summer and middle school starts in seventh grade. Yeah, something like that. I'm thinking this conversation is probably 1112-ish as opposed to, is it 12 is when the bragging starts because 11, when you're 11, you just flat out, you run the risk of being honest and then looking like a douchebag, if you're inexperienced. So then at 12, you don't want to look like a douchebag. You've grown a bit, you've learned to lie. I think that's better. So after this conversation, Sammy has to go home. He sees the lights, turn on the street lights, and he knows that's his cue to go home. And let's just say they're looking at the Playboy magazine trying to, they don't realize that their eyes are having difficulty adjusting because the street lights haven't come on. And it's getting dark. But anyway, that's what happens. So Sammy then gets on his bike. Oh, and with each kid, he got to describe their bike. The bike is an extension of themselves. Kirk and Chris are the real BMX racers, the rest of us, not even close. So they both have the best bikes. And they tease Kirk and Chris are the only ones who will stand up to Matthew, the older one, because they're just more like, they can say real, but they're the ones who, they're tougher. They see Kenna right through. So yeah, got your diamond back, your mongoose, your red line, diamond back, mongoose and red line. And what else do we got? Three there. There's some other well known brands at the time. The swin, although no one wanted to ride a swin. Kuhahara. Yeah, because at the time, I think the other bikes, we're still made in the US. Yeah, and so I remember some of the riders too. Well, what else was there? Kuhahara was the Japanese one, mongoose, there's GT, it's GT. There was Hutch, all these brands, but... Yeah, so with each bike, I got to think more about that, but anyway. Maybe Matt is starting to talk about either mountain biking or cycling that he wants to get into one of the two. Although mountain biking would probably be the right one, he'll start talking about his... Eddie Fisher, I think. So yeah. So you got what are their hair types? Michael's blonde hair, blue-eyed pale. That's kind of heavy set. He's got kind of... he's dirty blonde. And then there's Kirk and Chris, who are kind of dark hair. And Chris is covered with freckles, Chris is a redhead. So yeah. But anyway, Sammy comes home and he does the usual park's bike in the back. He tries to open the back door and his mom yells out, you're going to have to bring that in. And he's even tomorrow and can't sit outside all summer. And he's like, what? What's happening? He's got a little brother who's probably... If he had just turned 12, or if he's going to turn 12 at the end of the summer, then... his little brother should be like nine. And so what happens next? So there's how many different scenes in this chapter. The first scene is at the empty lot. And third scene is in airport security. So empty lot at home, airport security. And that's the end of the chapter. And the discovery that he's going to Egypt. So the idea with the first part of the chapter is that, oh, this kid's just another American kid. And the second scene they realize, oh, there's more to him than just being an American kid. And his dad just died. Actually, do they know that maybe maybe they don't know that yet? It will have been a year. So, yeah. And then maybe he'll run through all the options of airport security of the getting caught question at airport security. So, like... But the beginning and end of each scene is when the second scene, the first scene, starts with the stack of magazines and the packet cigarettes and semi-staring at them. Then might comes over and Matthew then Kirk and Chris. And then they reach an agreement about the cigarettes and divide them up. And then start checking out the nudie mag when Sammy discovers he's already passed Kirkview and he needs to get home. What happens next when he arrives here, pulls the packet fence open that goes to the back of his house and starts knocking on the back door of the house. And then the next scene, which is kind of like the kitchen. And he tells his mom answers, but tells him, actually his brother answers first and says, you need to start packing. You need to start packing. We're flying tomorrow. And his mom comes and pulls him away and says, Sammy, there's a suitcase on your bed. I've washed all your clothes, take them out of the laundry basket and start packing. Yeah, there's a laundry basket in your room. The laundry's in your room. It's all clean. Take, start folding them and packing your suitcase. And Sammy's like, you're not serious. Are you? And his mom's like, I was serious when I told you the first time we're leaving tomorrow. We're going to be gone all summer. And so I want to see what you think you can take while we're there. And then he'll say, but I don't even know these people. Why are we going to spend three months with people we don't even know you need to know them? They are your family. They love you and want to get to know you. But it's Egypt, mom. Egypt. Did we thought about that? It's not as far as it sounds. You'll realize you have a lot more in common with these people than you think. I don't want to have anything in common with them. Just get packing. So that's kind of the dialogue that occurs in the packing scene. So I storm off to my room, find this Samsonite suitcase, the tag of a gorilla on it. And plastic laundry basket with plastic flower decorations all over it. And my clothes. I'm wearing back then. I got my Levi's. I got three pairs of Levi's 501's. What else do you need? Kind of socks. Ocean Pacific socks. But actually I'm going to need to pack shorts. Ocean Pacific cordoroids. Kind of t-shirts. I don't think about the t-shirts. Either surfer shirts or something I can't. But anyway. My vans had to pack my vans. And sunglasses. I'm going to get my varnets with leather, ski, fake leather sunglasses on the side. So I packed a couple BMX actions. And a couple music magazines. And I packed my walkman with tapes of journey naturally. And I packed my vans. And I packed my vans. And I packed my vans. And I packed my vans. Yeah, that would be really cool. Then actually would he have reported it for his trip? Or would he have just reported it for the sake of recording radio? You got to think about that too. And what else does he pack? Does he read a book? Or does he just pack music magazines? So think about that. What book would he pack? If he could. So anyway. Then. And then there's the next day. That's a description of the airport. That old Houston. Look, it's cutting. The airport can have a description where the halls to the terminals clearly have this feel like you're walking through the time machine. There we go. Or another planet. The airport didn't feel like an airport. It felt like a space station. And I was going to another planet. Planet Egypt. Maybe his brother makes some kind of comment. Mom, this is so cool. This looks like a space station. And maybe he'll quote some line from a movie. And then Sam will be like, yeah. And we're going to an alien planet Egypt. So. Yeah, now when does. When and why he doesn't talk about that because he knows to even say his dad just to say dad. Or maybe he does say it at the end of the night and regrets it. To say that would be to like. Make his mom break down. So he doesn't want to do that. So yeah. So the next day. I'm trying to remember when you actually deal with airport security. I think it's. It's not right away. Everything was open. And you didn't have security until. I mean, the way airports were designed. This is. You know, the waning years of the inner continental airport. And. You walked down. To the gate. Trying to remember. How the security was designed. So yeah. But anyway. It would be kind of cool to. Maybe pack some comic books to go forget about that. It would be kind of cool to design that space to drive. But yeah. So anyway, they go. Really depends on whether or not he has a pack or one cigarette to get through. Security. How many does he have. Pack or one. And he realized it's better if he breaks up. From his mom. It's just security mom. It's not a big deal. And so his mom kind of lets him go through by himself. And but he picks a bunch of like business travelers to. And then around in hopes of hiding. The cigarette. Now, I don't know if it's good that that he gets away with it or does he get caught. Remember, this is going to come back to the very first statement. Is it better. Or get away with it. Or to get caught. If he gets caught, then she's going to have the eye on him about cigarettes. And that's what I have to say. And so he's going to be able to get caught. And that's what he wants to say. And he's going to have the eye on him. And so he's going to have the eye on him. And so he's going to have the eye on him. And so he's not by the airport security. And not by his mom. Does he get caught? But not allowed to keep the cigarettes. Does he find someone? Maybe that's even funnier. And does he give someone the cigarettes to walk through security and then give them back to him? Yeah, that's probably the best way to do it. Some dude will be like, hey, man, I'll hold those for you. And he'll see that it was like, you know, maybe the janitor. Or maybe another traveler, an older kid, who's traveling, looks like he's traveling to Europe. And he knows the kid. He knows Sammy won't ask for his cigarettes back because it'll cause a scene. And his mom will find out. Plus the guy's going to walk off anyway with his cigarettes and Sammy can't go after him because his mom is going to be calling out for him. And so he's going to walk away. And so he's going to walk away. So anyway, that would end the security scene. And does take the entire... He does get caught but not by his mom. That's actually the most comical. That's the best way to end it. And he still wants a cigarette. The fact that he had one in his possession actually was started. I mean, he was already obsessed about it. And then one was essentially accidentally put in his possession. And that's what starts this whole chain reaction where that's it. I've got to smoke a cigarette now. So now he's like, I don't care. I'll bite myself if I'm allowed to or if I have to. Now I have to have that cigarette back. So it's grown to be like a sentimental object. So yeah, that's kind of funny. And there because you are now in Berkeley.