Strange Encounters

Beno: I should have left him for dead where he lay baking away on the hot boulevard concrete, but I didn’t. The temperature reached a tipping point in the valley of neon on the streets where the lost survive off the excess of things that are used.

Shit used to the point of finding an apple in the garbage can and take the last bites of what’s left of it. Or even better yet imagine people so hungry that they would still chomp at the bit of a cob just to savor any stale flavor to quench their badly abused bellies. Shits fucked up.

I mainly walk on foot. Occasionally, I take the bus, but that’s just to get to work and back.

Every day my routine is plotted out. Which direction I will take. Which corner I’m gonna cross. What time of the day it is depending on which side of the street I walk because of the relentless sun. Of course, I walk in shade from the building’s deflection of the sun. And usually, I’m consistent in my everyday routine. And as usual, I see that same poor bastard laying sprawled out on the concrete right next to the bus stop. I feel like that fools been there for 3 days in the same fucking position and hasn’t moved… Almost everybody walks over him… Shit even some trip over him and get mad with their heads in their phones not paying attention. Dam g that shit ant right., but who the fuck am I to do anything about it…

Let me get some wraps not flavored and a pack of Newport’s real quick.

Yeah, the singles. Two. Oh, you know what let me grab a brew real quick…

This guy Jonny told me this place got inspected cause they serve food and it’s pretty dam good. I know they keep afloat barely from the neighborhood, so I give them my business. The Neon City always trying to push poor people out and revamp and expand their profits, but when that happens rent will go up and hard-working decent people get relocated because they can’t afford the increases in living.

How much? Ok, thanks g. Have a good one.

Oh shit, I see the police got themselves another day-tripper. Fucking meth heads. Dam and it’s blocking the path I take home. Fuck I gotta cross the street… Ain’t that a bitch.

And who else do you think would be in my path, but that poor miserable bastard laying on the concrete. Fuck.

As I got closer to him I could faintly smell a foulness approaching my nose. I keep staring at him, but I wasn’t gonna do him dirty and walk over him. I thought I would just go behind the bus bench and be on my way.

I thought wrong. Just as came within inches of this smelly bastard. The motherfucker grabbed my pant leg and moaned out something…

I pulled my leg from his grip as he cracked a crusty eye. I sorta punked him by flexing as if I was gonna stomp him with the foot he tried to grab, but he didn’t even flinch… It’s as if he wanted me to stomp on him.

I said to the bum… “Yo wake the fuck up man your in the middle of the sidewalk blocking everyone’s path… Go lay in the goddam shade.”

The fool started to slowly raise his hand… At first, I thought he wanted help up so he could go in the shade after I suggested it to him. But Nah man. This fool was reaching for my brown bag that covered my brew that I just bought. I slapped his hand away and started to move forward towards my crib. And just as I turned my back the stinking bastard said he was dying.

I turned around and told him. “Why don’t you go down the street to the Y and check yourself in.”

Now both his crusty eyes were upon me.

The stinky one said “I don’t have the energy… I walked from Cheyenne.”

And then the old bastard passed out. He was a frail man. Grayed and withered. Probably about 6 feet.

I can’t believe this old bastard walked that far… Probably surviving from garbage can to garbage can.

As I was contemplating his journey to the point where he gave up. Two people walked by and stepped right over him like he was invisible. Fuck. Of course, I heard my mother’s voice in my head reminding me of what kind of man I was to my auntie one day on the phone and how proud she was of me. Of course, I heard it…

So bent down and grabbed the old man. Surprisingly he was light, but the smell made his weight seem like 300 tons. Each pound of flesh rotting and jabbing like a boxer at my nostrils.

I put him around my shoulder and carried him to my apartment at the weekly. It wasn’t that far from the bus stop. I got him up the stairs and into my place and put him right in my bathroom tub.

I planned to get him fed and hydrated and cleaned up and then escort him to the Y, make sure he checks himself in and I did my good deed for the day.

I grabbed some towels and some old clothes put them on the sink of the bathroom. Then I went to the kitchen and reheated some leftover chili my mother made. I kept trying to wake the old man, but he was out cold. I said fuck it and turned the shower on.

That woke his ass up. Eyes wide open. Confused, delirious, and probably staving.

I turned the shower off and handed him the bowl of chili. Here man eat this… Hold on let me get some bread too. Here you go. The gallon of water to your left is all yours too, drink that shit.

He didn’t say a word. His eyes were focused on the free meal he was devouring. He drank the water so fast that he started to choke.

“Yo man drink that shit slow.”

I told him that he had 2 hours. There are towels and fresh clothes on the sink and a plastic bag for your dirty stinking clothes. Take a shower. Dry yourself off and then I’m taking you to the men’s Y.

Don’t come out that door till you are finished with what I said. You got me?”
He just stared back at me. Not in a dazed look, but a look of curiosity. I shut the door behind him and sat on a kitchen chair across from where the bathroom was.

I heard the showerhead turn on after twenty minutes had passed. I guess that food gave him a boost. Just what I suspected. I slowly started to hear some noise…

It sounds like singing, so I put my ear to the bathroom door to listen. He had a scraggly voice, deep. I give it to him. The bum could hold a tune. After about 45 minutes he turned the shower off and I knocked on the door… Are you ok in there?

No response.

I went and sat back down. ten more minutes pass and just as he was trying my patience the door crack open and the old man walked out. He cleaned up pretty well from what he looked like previously. He walked out and said let’s go.

I took a peek in my bathroom and it looked like a grenade full of dirt exploded in there. Fuck! I told him I was gonna walk him to the Y to get help and make sure he didn’t bullshit me about it.

I can tell he was still very weak but was able to stand on his own. We got to the stairs and I helped him down step by step. The Y was like twelve blocks away. Now and again we stopped so he could take a breather. I really didn’t have anything to say. I was sorta aggravated that this took time out of my day off, so I really didn’t want to shoot the shit with the bum. He seemed like he didn’t want to talk either. Maybe he didn’t have the mental strength or maybe he was bitter. Either way, I didn’t give a dam. I just wanted to get to the Y.

As we approached the front doors of the Y the old man was a little hesitant.
I said, “Look man you’re gonna go in there and sign in and they will get you situated.” He didn’t respond as we proceeded into the Y.

We got to the front desk and the lady behind the counter asked me what the deal was and I told her I found him half dead lying on the hot concrete for the past couple of days, so I couldn’t carry him all the way here so I cleaned him up and got him back on his feet and brought him here. He’s your problem now. Take care of yourself, you old bastard.

I started to walk towards the door of the Y and right before I opened it I heard the lady ask him his name.

And with his scraggly deep voice, he said back “Demetrius Sweetwater”

I stopped dead in my tracks and turned around and walked back… What did you say your name is? He looked at me with his grizzly eyes and said “Demetrius Sweetwater”

I asked him where he was from…

He said “Huntsville…Alabama..” Get the fuck out of here!

I picked up my phone and called my mother.

“Ma.. you’re never gonna believe this when I tell you… Listen to me…

I found Uncle Dee.”