The pawn shop was just off the main street, wedged between a liquor store and a barber's with a busted neon sign.
SHAWN'S PAWN & GOLD BUYERS
Best Prices in Estrella
Yeah. Right.
A little bell tinkled when I stepped inside.
It smelled like old leather and dust.
Rows of glass cases gleamed with everything from cheap engagement rings to antique cameras, cheap gold chains, scratched guitar amps, dusty porcelain figurines, and a cracked TV played—Love Island reality show.
Behind the counter sat Shawn.
A massive man in a Hawaiian shirt that looked two sizes too small. He had thick arms shiny with tattoos…dragons, dice, a grinning skull smoking a cigarette with his long black hair.
He had a heavy gold ring on each finger and tiny gold glasses perched on the tip of his nose.
He was lazily eating sunflower seeds, spitting the shells into a Styrofoam cup.
When he saw me, his dark eyes lit up.
