Refried

It’s hard for six people to gather around a 12-inch screen, but watching baseball on television is easy street compared to stepping out in the bitter cold.

“You don’t make much money when business is slow,” Alfredo says, “but you don’t freeze either.”

Alfredo delivers food in the Bronx. The pay varies, but the benefits are good.

“I love the refried ones,” he says jabbing his stubby fingers into a cardboard container.

When the kitchen finishes a rush of orders there are usually leftover French fries. They get redropped in the fryer and served to the deliverymen.

“Double-dunked with lots of salt and ketchup,” Alfredo explains. “Nice and greasy.”

He grabs his chest playfully in a mock heart attack. Everyone laughs. These are high times on easy street. No deliveries, lots of fries and Mexico is clinging to a 2-2 tie with Puerto Rico.

It doesn’t sound like much, but Mexico hasn’t won a game in the Caribbean World Series in almost two years. Alfredo is Mexican so others try to cover any deliveries while he watches.

Armando Rios ends the party with a two-run single in the 10th inning giving Puerto Rico the win.

Alfredo tips the cardboard container and shakes loose the last of the fries. “I could eat 10 pounds of these things,” he says.