“Maybe something happened. Maybe I’ll be driving to the softball...

“Maybe something happened. Maybe I’ll be driving to the softball game, and I’m sad. Cause something bad happened. I’m gonna keep that moment kinda private. If I need to talk through it, I’ll call someone. So when it’s time to step out of the car, I’m happy. I like to keep that image. This guy Jay, he’s always happy. If you talk to Jay, he’ll brighten up your day. Sometimes it drives the guys at work crazy. I work in Sanitation. Our shift starts at 5 AM. These guys are coming in from all over: they’re tired, they’re dragging. But I’m whistling. I’ve got my Dunkin Donuts coffee. I’m saying: good morning, bro. What’s up? We’re about to make some money. Good, honest day’s work. Every time you get to the end of the block, you look back. You see the whole block is nice and clean, the sidewalk’s nice and clean. So I’m smiling. The guys call me Smiley. Billy started that. He said I’m the only one who comes to work smiling. But I’m like: how can you not be happy? Maybe it’s just the way the dominos have fallen for me. I have great friends, a great career, a great family. My brother is like my best buddy. Been dating a girl for three years. She teaches dance to little kids. We go out dancing together, salsa dancing. Yo, she’s great man. It’s like, how could I ever have a bad day? Been that way since I was a kid. Nobody could put me down. In the morning I’d be like: Another day of school? Let’s do it! And listen, when I got home, if Grandma made the skirt steak. With the rice and beans, and the plantains. She’d be like: yo, Jay. Tonight I made your favorite. And bro, I would get hyped.”