20 June 2013
The park was empty today except for Little Jake and Debbie. “Are you going for beer?” Jake asked Debbie.
“Yeah, I’m going. I’ll leave my jacket here.”
Jake commented, “You’re going the wrong way.”
“I can’t go to that liquor store, they won’t let me in. I have to go to the mall. Is there anything else you want?”
“No, just beer.
“I don’t know where everybody is today. Wolf and Shaggy were here this morning, but Wolf got too drunk. He had to go home. I think they got scared by the cops. After you left yesterday two cruisers pulled right up on the sidewalk.”
Debbie said, “Yeah, they had me in handcuffs. This cop wanted my last beer, so I shoved it in his chest. That’s when they grabbed me and put me in the back of the cruiser.”
“Did they let you go?” I asked.
“Yeah, after a while they gave me a ticket and let me go.”
Jake said, “They were going through our bags and everything. They aren’t allowed to do that — are they? I said, “Get the fuck out of my bag. You got no business going through my things like that.” I get mouthy when I’m pissed off. That’s just me. I walked away after that. A cop chased me. He gave me a ticket. This is going to be a bad summer, man. They’re really down on us.”
An attractive woman, looking slightly lost, came over to us and asked, “Do you know what time it is?”
“Yeah, it’s 12:20.”
“Oh, thanks.” She started to walk away, Frank asked, “Can you spare some change?”
“No, sorry.”
“Well be that way, then.” To me Frank asked, “What time did you say it was?”
“12:20.”
“Are you serious? I thought it was about five o’clock. What day is it?”
“The twentieth, summer starts tomorrow.”
“No, I meant the day of the week. Is it Wednesday or Thursday?
“Thursday.”
“I wonder why nobody’s around. Maybe there’s something going on that I don’t know about.
“I’m glad that Deaf Donald isn’t around today. I can only take him in small doses. I guess that because he’s deaf he doesn’t realize how fucking loud he is. His trick is to ask people for money so he can replace the batteries in his hearing aid. One time the cops came up to me and said they’d had complaints about somebody yelling. It was a couple of the regular guys. I said, ‘You guys know me. I don’t yell.’ After they left, I heard Donald, down the stairs in the park. Then I figured it out. He was cutting my grass.”
“So how are you doing today?”
“I made sixteen dollars, so far, but I spent some of it.”
“Did you ever get your furniture?”
“No, I was talking to my worker yesterday. You saw her. She’s always good to me, but still no furniture. I got a bed a table and a TV that doesn’t work. I got a radio and one lamp. The only thing for me to do is read. Bearded Bruce lent me a book, it’s part of a series of six. It’s called The Clan of the Cave Bear. He said I had to start with that one, but I’ve already read The Mammoth Hunters. It’s the third book, so I already know what’s going to happen. Now, I’m reading what went before.
“It takes place about thirty-five thousand years ago. There’s this five-year-old girl, Ayla, who gets lost because of an earthquake. She comes across another tribe called the Clan of the Cave Bear. The medicine woman feels sorry for her and takes care of her. When the clan gets a new leader he throws her out — she’s considered one of the ‘Others’, the tall ones who have blond hair and blue eyes.
“She changes the course of history. The Clan of the Cave Bear hunted horses for food, but Ayla traps a foal, raises it and learns to ride him. She befriends a wolf and a saber-toothed tiger. Ayla also discovers how to make fire. That’s as far as I’ve got, so far…
“I got to tell you — I always tell the truth; that’s something my mother taught me…”
I said, “I’m the same way. I don’t have a good enough memory to lie. I’d never remember what I said the time before. When Joy got busted for jumping the bus, they wanted her name. She asked, “What name did I give last time?”
“Anyway, I went to Metro last night and stole two pork chops. I took them over to Bruce’s place, cooked them with lemon juice, garlic, oregano and pepper. They were delicious. Sometimes Bruce and I try to outdo each other with our cooking… I’m a good cook. I grew up in a restaurant… I got to be maitre d at a five-star hotel. We served Austrian and Canadian food… I wore a tux and everything.
“For some reason I ended up at Steve’s place with half a bucket of ribs. I think some girl gave them to us.
“You heard that Shakes got robbed, eh? Yeah, he passed out… They took his pack, his three grams, his bottle, his change and his hat. Anybody who knows him would recognize that hat… I think I know who did it. His name is right on the tip of my tongue… What is it?… I hate when this happens… Anyway, the guy just got out of jail.”
I asked, “Would I know him?”
“No, he did about two years for something… I can’t remember… It’ll come to me…”
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Streetsister 