tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64980475542638437182024-02-01T23:00:31.100-08:001001 filthy nightsELSTABOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08294774844243743047noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6498047554263843718.post-86133372797138550692014-05-06T18:31:00.000-07:002014-05-06T20:19:56.753-07:00Halloween Night<br />
I cant recall much of my college days, it feels to me much like all a blur.
Part of the condition was due to the fact of all the constant drinking I did,
with my fellow artists at the time. This particular story was of one of those filthy
Halloween nights that me and Steve shared.<br />
<br />
We had once spoken about writing and illustrating the 8 years we wasted at the
Fashion Institute of Tech in NYC. This here is part of that project, enjoy!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqYTEtl6Oz0ssZxheALSVwnnicQPRUTj5WWULB0LBWEYSccmh4C5IjSqZXQEvPruZx5irAg4NgOAgG8Ai8__vLWIBwHeDfMUnXLlwuRh0KjpFVGmcQTMS5-3YdJocvgL5kY9QM_ebeukrZ/s1600/ween.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqYTEtl6Oz0ssZxheALSVwnnicQPRUTj5WWULB0LBWEYSccmh4C5IjSqZXQEvPruZx5irAg4NgOAgG8Ai8__vLWIBwHeDfMUnXLlwuRh0KjpFVGmcQTMS5-3YdJocvgL5kY9QM_ebeukrZ/s1600/ween.jpg" /></a></div>
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(art sketched by me and painted by Steve)<br />
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<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">1001 FILTHY
NIGHTS: A FILTH SLITHERS IN BROOKLYN <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">By: S.J. Wameling
II <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Though most
nights in New York City can yield weirdness,</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Halloween seems
to be king of them all. The popular belief is that all the </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">real degenerates
stay inside and let the amateurs have at it for a night...</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">teachers, Wall
Street types and other assorted retail salesman and pet shop </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">owners. This is
wrong. To others of a much different temperament,</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Halloween is just
a reasonable excuse to run amok in public, raving drunk,</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">dressed as
Margaret Thatcher, committing the most vicious of crimes and </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">giving small
trick or treaters’ and their parents, brain damage at the spectacle </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">of it all. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">As I recall this
particular Halloween started like many others, light </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">chatter around a
pitcher of beer wondering what parties we might attend and </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">how we might get
there. The call came in around 5:30 I think, to my friend </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Al who was
already half in the bag from too much drink and not enough </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">food. The call
was from one of his long lost brothers, from the felonious </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">side of the
family. Dase. Or Irving as his rap sheet might read. He had just </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">gotten out of
prison about a week before and wanted to get drunk and violate </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">his parole as
quickly as possible. Al hadn’t seen him in years. Not since</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Dase got sent up
on a whole laundry list of charges ranging from petty theft </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">and sneak
thievery, to sodomy and other wretched charges that even I won’t </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">repeat here. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Well….” Al said,
“My brother said we should pass through in like a <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">half hour.”</span><br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Where does he
live?” I asked. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Sunset Park.
We’ll have to take the bus.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“OK,” I said,
“But we’re going to need supplies, how long of a ride <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">is it?” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“About 45 minutes
I think.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Well… we had
better get moving then.” After 20 minutes or so of <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">gathering bags of
chips, liquor and other supplies at the china-man store </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">down the block,
we were finally ready for the bus. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">The wait wasn’t
long, and we boomed onto the bus like two bull elk <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">with tranquilizer
darts sticking out of our necks, bumping into people, </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">knocking things
over, grunting and cursing and not offering an apology to </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">anyone for any of
it. The bus was jammed full with people. There were </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">mainly young
mothers and there offspring dressed in they’re Halloween </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">costumes. Sweet
faced little monsters and other assorted trolls, spider-men,</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">hob-goblins and
glitter crusted ballerinas. Most of the children were </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">completely
overcome with sugar fatigue, eyes wide open and unresponsive. </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Foam decorated
they’re mouths from Pop Rocks, Pepsi and Now-N-Laters. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span> <span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Some were even
sleeping peacefully in they’re mother’s arms. They were at </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">least until Al
sat down with a huge thud and launched into a loud soul purge </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">about the
looseness of his bowls. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Jesus fucking
Christ.” he yelled. “I haven’t had a solid shit in <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">almost a week and
I can’t seem to stop farting.” Just then, a terrible rippling </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">noise erupted
from his seat and he laughed greedily. Al tore open a huge </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">bag of chips,
most of which ended up on his chest and eventually on the </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">floor. “I think I
need to cut down on all the grease I’m eating." He </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">continued.
"I get pains right here.” He jabbed himself in the left part of his </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">chest with his
thumb.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“It’s fucking killing me.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Nonsense!” I
said sharply. “Would you rather be constipated? Eh? <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">7 or 8 whole days
without evacuation, painful cramps, yellow skin and </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">feeling so
impacted you actually entertain the thought of going up there </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">yourself with a
high powered drill of some sort. No…. your better off the w</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">ay you are. Less
stress on the colon and the small veins in your skull.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Maybe your
right.” he chomped, as potato chip shrapnel hit the <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">woman next to
him.</span><br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“I know I’m
right.” I said. The conversation was ugly and had turned <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">many heads in our
direction. We were getting many disgusted looks from </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">those around us.</span><br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Al had to be the
filthiest individual I had ever come across in all my </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">days. A foul mix
of Picasso, Cortez and at times Hitler himself. Hitler was </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">an artist you
know. And so is Al. This man jams through life like a </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">drunkard through
traffic at 2 am on a Saturday morning. Total disregard for </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">safety of any
type and no respect for the established norms whatsoever. I’ve </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">seen the man do
many strange things. Some of which might be considered </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">noble. But most
things I’ve seen him do would make anyone shrink away </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">with shame and
embarrassment. But the main nut, I think, of Al is to make </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">every one else in
the room or within ranting distance, as uncomfortable as <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">possible. If for
no other reason than to amuse himself. I have seen him </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">brazenly spit on
modern art pieces at the museum, boot people in the ass on </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">the way out of an
elevator before the door closes, and for no reason at all and </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">turn a whole drafting
table on its top, in the middle of class and then cackle </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">proudly over it
like some nut out of an Edgar Allen Poe story. Not to </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">mention getting
us kicked out of 2/3 of the bars in New York City, for.. if </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">you can believe
it, being too loud. We’ve even gotten kicked out many a no-<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">name Spanish bar
in the heart of Brooklyn for being too loud. Generally </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">speaking you can
rant and rave at the top of your lungs on almost any </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">subject in most
of those types of establishments. If you‘re not white that is.</span><br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">They’re very
suspicious of gringos, make no mistake, and those that hang </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">around them. Al
might say, “look at that shit, my own people turn on me.”</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Then, he tries to
blame it all on me, the white man. “It’s your fault fool!</span><br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">They don’t like
seeing your kind in they’re neighborhood and they take it </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">out on me. Fuck
you! Why do I even hang wit you?”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> “Look, I’ve done </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">nothing wrong,”
I’d say, “I’m just sitting here trying to have a quiet drink; </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">you’re the one
causing trouble. All that yelling in a strange language and </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">those jerky body
movements no wonder they won't look you in the eye.” </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">I </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">make a strong
case to convince him, and whatever weird folk that might be </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">in earshot, that
I am only an innocent bystander to all of his filth. That I’m </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">basically a good
person and it shouldn’t matter that I’m white. But the shot </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">glasses, light
bulbs, signs taken from the walls, coasters, bowls, half empty <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">liquor bottles
and other souvenirs falling out of my pockets betray my </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">argument. My
drunken kleptomania aside, it seems as though we are always </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">in search of a
new watering hole. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Answer your
phone.” I said. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">”Huh?” Al looked
around lazily. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Godammit! The
phone, answer it.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Phone? Oh
shit... that’s me. Yeeohhh…” he drolled in a low voice. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Ya, what up
baby, what you doin’?” </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Jesus fuck, I thought, there he goes </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">again… slipping
into his half dumb, Spanish Dean Martin persona. I’ve </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">never heard
anyone talk to so many different women at once. He has 4 </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">different fiancés
in 3 different foreign countries, and other assorted </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“playmates”
through out this one. And he seems to find at least two more </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">each week. The
funny part is he doesn’t even remember most of they’re </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">names. I’m always
waiting for him to slip up but it never comes. Perhaps </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">he has an
elaborate system of flash cards that I don’t know about. He says </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">he remembers
asses, not faces or names. Most half bright Puerto Rican men </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">can usually get
away with that kind of stuff. But constant drink and other </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">abuses over the
years, seem to have warped his brain farther out of whack </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">than most Ricans
I’ve run into, and that makes him a dangerous type of </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">animal to be
around. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Who are you on
the phone with now, God dammit?” I demanded. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Just this
tramp.” he replied. “No, no, not you baby, yeah that’s <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">right.” he
continued. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Hey fool, I
think we’re here.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“What?” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“We’re here!” I
hissed. “Don’t we get off at 59th?” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Yeah. Let’s go.”
he said as he stood up and shook his body like a <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">wet dog, sending
a meteor shower of crumbs onto everyone around him <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">while wiping his
face with his greasy free hand. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Watch what your
doing!” One woman shouted, while brushing chip <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">fragments out of
her child’s hair. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Shut your mouth
wench!” Al snapped back as we filed past all the <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">other passengers
and slithered off the bus. “No, not you baby.” he said </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">again. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“It’s a good
thing we got off of there when we did… ” I said. “They <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">were ready to
lynch us.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Never.” he
replied. “They’re my people, they understand.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“So which way do
we go?” I asked as he hung up the phone. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Up.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Up?” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Yeah fool, up
this way. We still have four blocks to walk.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">I had no idea
where I was. I knew of course, I was in Brooklyn but I <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">had no idea how
to get home if I had to go it alone and that was a distinct </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">possibility with
this one. You could never predict when he might disappear </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">from right under
your nose and call three days later, asking what happened,</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">not able to
remember how he woke up four hours upstate. It’s happened </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">before. Twice.
Would I really have to take a 45 minute bus ride just to get </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">back to the
train, alone? Then, an hour ride on the train back to Queens?</span><br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Shit… and if so…
what bus would I even take? That would blow. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Especially in the
condition I knew I was soon going to be in.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Where’s the Bacardi?” I asked. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Oh Fuck!!!” he shouted and slapped his
forehead. “I must have left <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">it on the bus…
Son of a bitch.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“You worthless
fucking Mexican!!!” I screamed. “You and your <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">fucking trollops…
the next bottle is all you, slick!” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">As we came up
onto the block, right away I noticed about 5 or 6 <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">criminal looking,
thugs, yelling, screaming and carrying on outside of an old </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">building. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Jesus Christ.” I
said. “Look at them…. maybe we should cross the</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">street here.” I
fondled the knife hitched to my belt. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“What for?” Al
asked with a grin. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“I don’t want to
get all tangled up with the likes of them; they’ve <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">probably been up
for 3 days straight, doing cocaine, speed and crystal </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">meth… eating
unsuspecting white people every four or six hours just for fun. </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">I can smell the
blood on they’re breath from here.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“You woman!” Al
snapped. “Where you think we going? Bah ha! <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">That’s my brother
right there!” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Oh… great.” I
said, as we continued our walk. Suddenly he broke <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">into a run up the
sidewalk and punched the biggest one straight in the arm. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Hey fucker!!” Al
shouted. Four or so of the guys grabbed him by <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">the arms and held
him fast, while two grabbed hold of me. Terrible <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">gibberish in
Spanish, can’t understand a word. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">The big one
squinted, “Oh shit!” he exclaimed, rubbing his arm. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Al!! You can let
him go, dats my brother right dare.” Al looked over at me </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">still in a meat
hook hold. “Mi amigo Steve.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> He said and the gorillas </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">reluctantly
released me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Yeah… hi ya
doin?” They wanted to eat me. I could tell by the look <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">in they're eyes.
I have seen that look before. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Come on, lets go
inside. I been waitin' for hours,” Dase rasped. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Where the hell
you been at?” Al and I shuffled up the steps and followed </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">him in. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Your friends
ain’t coming?” I asked. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Nah, I don't
know dem. Only just met 'em tonight.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Still attracting
the worst riff raffs in Brooklyn I see.” Al observed. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“You fuckers are
here aint ya? So shut the fuck up! Ha-ha, it’s good <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">to see ya Al.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> Dase
led us down two flights of stairs until we reached a </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">rickety paint
chipped door.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> “We gonna have ta hang out down here tonight. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Da wife on da
warpath. Told her I was going for cigarettes.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“And how long ago
was that?” Al asked. </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“I don’t know…
afternoon time.” Dase replied.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Nice.” Al said. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Dase unlocked the
door and we started down a new set of stairs in the </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">dark, Dase was
fondling the wall. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Goddamn… oh,
dares dat fucking switch.” Dase said triumphantly <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">and flicked it. A
single light bulb was hanging overhead. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">We descended the
rest of the stairs and came into the basement of the </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">tenement.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> A dirt
floor? I remember my surprise, and as I looked around I </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">noticed several
holes dug in the dirt. There must have been ten or twelve of </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">them. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Why are there
holes down here?” I asked. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Don’t know.” Dase
replied. “Didn’t dig ‘em.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Mira paga esa
madita luz!” A voice whined from under a big <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">sombrero in a
corner. I was shocked to see a small Mexican man slumped </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">over a card table
with a half bottle of white Bacardi in his grip. Dase stalked </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">up to him and
pushed him right off the pile of boxes he was sitting on. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“We playin'
dominoes here, fuck off!” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Dominoes?” the
little man said. “Mi gusta dominoes.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Get your ass up
here then.” Dase said. He went to the far end of the </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">cellar and
reached his hand into a big whole in the wall, where at least four </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">bricks were missing
and retrieved a full bottle of white Bacardi and a few </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">dusty Styrofoam
cups. I remember wondering how many other bricks down </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">here were either
missing or loose and how much it would hurt when the w</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">hole tenement
came down on our heads. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“We need ice.” he
said. “Come on Al; give me a walk to the store.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Wait I’m going
too, you’re not leaving me down here with him.” I <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">said, as I
started to put my coat back on. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Nah wait here…” Dase
said. “We gotta go see duh doctor too. He <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">don’t like white
people he don’t know.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Doctor?” I said.
<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Yeah… the tree
doctor.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Tree doctor?” My
brain began to work. “Ahh… trees… right.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“So it’s you and
Meh-he-co over there.” Al said as he and Dase <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">clomped up the
stairs and disappeared. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">I was soon to
find out the little Mexican spoke almost no English and </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">I spoke almost no
Spanish. We stared at each other for a while. His </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">drunken babble
broke the silence. I shrugged my shoulders. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“I can't
understand you.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">He babbled louder
and faster. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“I…CAN’T…UNDER…STAND…YOU!”
I said, matching his <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">volume and pitch.
The little man sniffed at me and pounded his fists on the </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">card table,
jabbered wildly and kicked up a huge dust cloud. He was growing </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">angry, I could be
sure of that much. But I was prepared if things got ugly. I </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">was armed with my
usual cache of weapons, not just the small knife hitched </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">to my belt, but
also an obscenely large bastard nestled in my boot. He </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">picked up the
Bacardi bottle shook it, and pointed at me.</span><br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Yeah,
yeah…okay.” I said, as I picked up one of the cups and blew <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">some of the dust
off it. The little Mexican laughed as he poured me a full </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">cup. His eyes
were like slits and he began to look more like a china-man </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">than a Mexican.
He held the bottle up garbled out what I thought might be </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">a toast and took
a huge swallow right out of the bottle. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Salute!” I said
as I took a drink from my cup. The Mexican wiped <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">his nose and
laughed again. “So... Meh-he-co... you... ah... come here </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">often?” I joked. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Que?” he
puzzled. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Never mind.” I
said, and began building a castle out of the <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">dominoes. He
smiled and seem to approve of the construction. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">We drank in
silence for what was probably a half hour, when door <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">crashed opened
and two a sets of footsteps came down the stairs. Dase </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">appeared, and Al
staggered down the stairs behind him. They were both </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">clearly altered.
Al cracked one of the rickety stairs and weaved wildly to the </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">side catching his
balance at the last moment but clanging the liquor bottles </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">and ice he was
carrying, against the stair case. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“God fucking damn
it!!” he snarled. As Al walked the few feet to the <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">table I could see
that the bag was pissing clear fluid. He had broken one of </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">the bottles. Al
clanged them into the warped card table, which quickly filled </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">with rum and
started to spill onto the ground making a mud puddle.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Jesus, no… oh
god!! Why does this stuff have to happen??” Dase </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">ried. He threw
himself onto the ground into the puddle to catch the Bacardi </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">dribbling off the
table, in his mouth. Al took the other bottle out and poured </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">the liquid
contents of the bag out onto the table, sending a deluge of rum, </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">dirt and broken
glass over the edge and into Dase’s eyes, down his throat </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">and up his nose.
He choked and snorted and shrieked and tried to sit up,</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">clawing wildly at
his eyes. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">"Oh God!” he
shrieked. “Oh God... I can't see, Al, I can't see!” He <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">finally managed
to get to his feet and began to run blindly around the room. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">It looked like
something right off the Spanish channel. But there were no </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">dancing girls and
no one was dressed in a bee suit. We were all laughing </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">and hooting at
him like a pack of drunken owls. The little Mexican lost his </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">balance and fell
backwards off the crate he was perched on, crashing into a </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">pile of boxes
where he seized violently with laughter. Dase finally tripped </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">in one of the
holes and did a face plant into the dirt. He rolled onto his back, </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">alternately
groaning and crying and cursing in Spanish, still rubbing at his </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">eyes. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Well…” Al said,
as he wiped his tears away. “That mouth full of <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">dirt ought to
keep him quiet for awhile… Fucking animal.”</span><br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Fuck you Al.” Dase
hissed from the floor. </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“You didn’t get
the soda.” I said. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“We didn’t have
enough after the trip to the doctor’s office. What’s <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">the matter you
can’t drink this shit straight? Here fool.” He poured my cup </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">full of rum.
“Drink this it’ll make you swim better.” I shot him an ugly </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">look. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Are you the one
who told me that?” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Told you what?”
Al answered. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Never mind.” I
said. He had already forgotten. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“So are we going
to play fucking dominoes or what?” Al demanded. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Mi gusta
dominoes.” The little Mexican said happily and clapped his <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">hands. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Get up out of
that hole you retard! Come on!” Al threw back <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">another slug of
straight rum and shivered. Dase was doing his best to get to </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">his feet and get
to the table. His face was covered in dirt, stuck to his face </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">with the rum. If
he doesn't wash his face, I thought it would glaze over and </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">set up hard, like
glue. But I wasn’t about to say anything. What fun would </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">that be? <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Dase sat down
with a thud. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyhmDD89AkjXup2N1O5qEumPEoOwhkyi0ndJof2Xv1oD4rxbJZOkopDHJCjYEqf1eJ0AY9mejmzgiuzWW8yqE72y5gFiGnb6X9XpwKrMKegvXaaBWLJpQbgi2ZP3mJB3RM-a0FTzM7M8l_/s1600/6p.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyhmDD89AkjXup2N1O5qEumPEoOwhkyi0ndJof2Xv1oD4rxbJZOkopDHJCjYEqf1eJ0AY9mejmzgiuzWW8yqE72y5gFiGnb6X9XpwKrMKegvXaaBWLJpQbgi2ZP3mJB3RM-a0FTzM7M8l_/s1600/6p.jpg" height="248" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“I can’t see Al.”
Dase rasped. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Suffer boy!! I
can't help you with that.” Al replied. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">We played several
hands of dominoes and continued to drink heavily. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Dase managed to
wipe the mud from his eyes but left most of what was on </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">his face. He
looked like a reverse raccoon. We were about to choose </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">dominoes for
another hand when we heard the door open at the top of the </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">stairs. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Who dat?!” Dase
demanded. No answer. Footsteps started down <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">the stairs. A
huge black man appeared. He had on cut off jeans shorts, no </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">shirt, dirty
socks and a cheap, black, plastic fedora cocked off to the side of </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">his head. He wore
a thin mustache that consisted of maybe four or five hairs </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">on either side of
his lip. What sideshow did this freak wander away from, I</span><br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">wondered. He
staggered over to the table, put down the half full bottle of </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Old Granada, let
out a burp and jamming his index finger up his nose, </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">began to burrow.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Yo... let me get
your phone Dase. he demanded. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Don't have it.
It's upstairs. Da wife got it.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Yo... let me get
your phone man.” he said to Al. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Nah man, I don't
know you.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Yo.. I'm
starting ta git pissed, somebody better give up they phone. </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Come on white
man, let me get your phone.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“No.” I said
simply. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“You know this
clown?” Al asked his brother. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Yeah, he live
down da block.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Who you callin'
a clown?” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“You fucker, wit
dat hat on. Where you got dat from?” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Beat up some
white guy, like him.” he waived his digger finger at <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">me. “Now, give up
dat phone whitey.” </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">He got right in my face, stinking </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">like that bottle
of Old Granada. I snaked my hand down to my boot for my </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">knife, not sure
if I was really going to cut him or just try to scare him off of </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">me. Just then I
could see Al rise silently behind him. He was wearing a </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">cartoon character
grin and had a half full bottle of Bacardi in his hand. He </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">swung. Smashing
the bottle over his head. Glass and rum went everywhere. </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">The black face
went blank and his strength left him. He fell and sprawled</span><br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">out on top of me
sending us both to the dirt floor. I was covered in glass and </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">rum. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Fuckin' animal.”
Al said.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Jesus Christ...
Ya killed him!!” I shrieked.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“He's not dead.
Come on help me drag him over here.” Al grabbed <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">an arm.</span><br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Come on!” </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Alright,
alright.” I grabbed the other arm. “The police are coming for </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">you, you know.” </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Police...” Dase
cried. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">The little
Mexican watched in amazement and made no comment. He <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">seemed a little
shaken by Al's violent outburst. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Come on Dase get
to work.” Al ordered. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Fuck you Al, I
ain't goin' back! They lock me up forever for dis.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Al and I dragged
him across the cellar and curled him up in one of the </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">holes in the
corner. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Gimme that
bottle over there.” Al called to Dase. “The one thats <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">almost empty.” He
complained but brought the bottle over. Al took the </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">bottle and drank
from it, then handed it to me. I drank, then poured some </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">rum into the
parted lips of the sleeping prince in the hole. I put the bottle </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">down and wrapped
his arms around it. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Well... that's
that.” Al said, wiping his hands together then waiving </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">them in the air.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">
“Come on lets play these dominoes.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“We can't stay
here!!” Dase said. “Dat guy knows me, he'll kill me <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">when he wake
up!!” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Tough titty.” Al
said. “Sit down and take a drink. I come all the <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">way out here to
hang wit you and all you wanna do is leave. Fuck him. He </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">wakes up... I'll
crack him again.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“I think he's
right.” I said. “He'll be out for a while. I picked up the </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">dented, black
plastic hat and put it on. Al poured some rum into one of the </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">cups and handed
it to Dase. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Who asked you,
white man?” Dase asked. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Just drink
this.” Al handed him his Styrofoam cup. “The drunker you <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">are, the less
you'll care.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Jesus...” he
said, took the cup and drank off the slug. “Jesus...” he </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">said again. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Jesus isn't
here... " I said, "and if he were, he wouldn't help you <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">anyway... stop
asking for him.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">We drank and
played dominoes for another hour, maybe two, <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">finishing off Big
Black's bottle of granada. We got drunk, very drunk and </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">the Mexican
passed out in a hell of a dramatic fashion. He stood up and </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">slammed the half
full bottle of Bacardi on the weak card table which </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">promptly
collapsed. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“I have to get
home.” He said. “I'm late and my mother is waiting for </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">me.” Then he
weaved forward and caught himself but over compensated </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">and did the
“Nestea Plunge” into the pile of boxes behind him. Al and I </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">looked at each
other and promptly rose. We dragged him by the arms over to </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">one of the holes
where I began to shovel dirt onto him. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“You know
English, you little fuck.” I hissed at him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“We're getting a
collection over here.” Al said. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Yeah... now I
know why these holes are here. Should I put dirt on <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">this guy too?” I
pointed to the black man. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Yeah we better.”
Al said. “Fair and equal treatment.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Righto, don't
wanna get sued.” I finished shoveling dirt onto the <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Mexican and
packed him in tight. I looked at the black man all peaceful and </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">snug in his hole.
He was sweating profusely. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“He doesn't look
cold.” I observed. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Maybe we better
leave dat fucker alone. Don't wanna wake him.” I <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">agreed and we
made our way back to the crumpled table. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“We playin' more
dominoes, er what?” Al was getting sloppy. “We <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">gotta put dis
fucking table back up.” he kicked at it and missed. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“I've gotta
piss.” Dase announced. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Go piss. There's
two unconscious fools over there... give you <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">something to aim
for.” Al said. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“ Dats a good
idea, Al...” Dase grinned and struggled to get out of the </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">chair. But he
couldn't move. He shot both arms up in the air and swung </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">them down like a
diver, trying to build up enough momentum to get up out </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">of the chair.
Grunting each time. After many attempts he was breathing and </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">sweating so
heavily that he had to stop. Some of the caked on dirt began to </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">come loose and
drip on his shirt. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“I can't get up
Al.” he breathed. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“So?” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“But I gotta
piss.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Quit your
whining... just piss. Turn around, pull the pecker out and </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">piss.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Dase swiveled the
chair away from the table and dug for the zipper <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">under his massive
gut. Finally, we saw the arc go up, glisten in the light and </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">come down to make
a pitter sound in the dirt. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Oh God!” he
grunted. “ Yo... yo, dis is da best fucking piss I ever <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">took, Al. I'm
tellin' you.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Al got up to get
the Mexicans' bottle of Bacardi laying on the ground, </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">lost balance and
almost ate the corner of the table. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Jesus Christ,
you're all fucked up too. Hey Dase, you see that? Your </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">brother almost
took one on the chin from that table. Dase. Dase!” Al </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">struggled to his
feet and weaved over to his brother and swung him around.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Dase was sound
asleep with his cock still in his hands. It was still dribbling </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">piss.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> “Oh fuck
man, turn him back around. I don't wanna see that.”</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“DASE!” Al
shouted into his ear as loud as he could. The force of <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">which took him
off his feet and into the dirt. Dase made no stir. Al crawled </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">on his hands and
knees back to his chair and slithered onto it. </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Add one more to
the body count!” I said. “Well...what now?” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“I think we
better get outta here.” and all at once, he stood, wrestled </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">his coat onto his
back and swung his bag over his shoulder. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Okay... I guess
we're leavin'.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">I gathered what
was left of the bottles and put them into my satchel. </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">We made our way
to the stairs and climbed. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“What about
them?” I asked. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“They'll keep
till morning.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Your gonna leave
your brother?” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">"Do you want to
try to pick him up with his joint flopping around like </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">that?” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“No.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“You wanna put it
away for him?” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“No.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“All right then.”
He switched the light off and closed the basement <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">door. We made it
to the front steps and Al had to take a rest. He drew in a b</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">reath as if to
speak, then blew chunks all over the stoop. It seemed to take </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">him by surprise.
It had a kind of, creamy quality to it. I remember </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">wondering how,
since the Bacardi was clear. He continued to wretch and </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">convulse and
sputter. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“What a filthy
night.” he said and spat on the side walk. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Yeah. Come on we
gotta leave. It fucking stinks here now. Can you <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">walk?” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Yup.” He stood
up and fell forward all in the same motion as if he <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">meant to do it
that way. He lay spread eagle on his back on the sidewalk, as </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">if to make a snow
angel. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“They're not
gonna let you sleep there.” I said. “You better straighten </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">up, man. I can't
take you on the train in this condition.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“You got any
water.” he asked. “I just wanna... I just wanna rinse my </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">mouth.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“No, but I got
this Bacardi left.” I reached into my satchel. “Here <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">man, you want
this?” I shook the bottle in front of his face. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“No.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“No? Come on,
it'll disinfect your mouth after puking, this is actually </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">good for you,
it's better than water.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“ Oh fuck... give
me the fucking thing.” I held it out again. He sat up, </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">seized the
bottle, unscrewed the top and took a gulp. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Your not
supposed to swallow it stupid, just rinse!” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Oh, fuck you
I'll drink when I want. You my mother now?” He was <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">getting nasty.
"You shat me outta your womb?" <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Alright...maybe
you better smoke a joint and calm down.” I said. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“It's all gone.”
He said and took another gulp. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“You smoked it
all?” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Yea... on the
way back to the building.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Well, your
fucked then. We gotta go. Can you behave yourself long <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">enough to make
the train ride home?” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“I'm just gonna
rest here for a minute.” He said and laid back down. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“You can't sleep
on the sidewalk, we've been over this. Listen... any </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">minute now a
patrol car is going to roll by and see you sprawled on the </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">sidewalk. Once
they see your not white they'll get out and beat you on the </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">kidneys with
clubs on general principal. They'll demand you tell them what </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">your doing out
here alone at this hour of the morning.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Alone?” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Yes alone, you
don't think I'm gonna be around for this squalid act, </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">do you? Just what
do you think will happen when they look in that b</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">asement? Hmm?
Two half buried bodies, broken rum bottles, busted card </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">table, one
drunken Puerto Rican, with his cock out... and another one trying </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">to sputter out an
explanation for it in between fits of vomiting. All of you </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">will be dragged
down to the station, babbling about some phantom white </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">man that no one
can find.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p> A</o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">l sat up, took
another gulp of the rum and brooded heavily. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Sure, yeah, we
gotta go.” I took the bottle from him and drank off <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">the rest. After
much effort Al managed to drag himself up off the pavement. </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">He put his arm
around my shoulder and we weaved in perfect unison to the </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">top of the train
station steps. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Okay, come on
fool, one step at a time.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“I got dis.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“No you don't” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“I got dis,
fucker! Let go.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Alright asshole,
it's your wheelchair.” He made the first two steps <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">and stopped.
Grinning with pride. Al was confident now and took the next </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">few in quick
succession with a suave arrogance. Then as I knew he would, </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">he tripped over
himself and tumbled all the way to the landing. He made no </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">outcry and didn't
even try to stop himself. I descended in a calm, deliberate </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">manner and knelt
down beside him. He was groaning softly. </span><br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“You have another
flight of stairs to go ya know.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“I know. I just
wanna rest here a minute, maybe... take a little nap.” </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“You can't lay
here. The police are coming.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“What police?
Right now?” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Right now.” I
told him. “They're going to arrest you for public <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">drunkenness and
indecency, sodomy, reckless endangerment and corrupting </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">the morals of a
white man. The station agent just called them. Can't you hear </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">those sirens? You
have to get up man, quick before they get you.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Well.. all
right, sure, I just wanted ta rest here a minute, no big deal, </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">I'm sure they'd
understand.” He said, as he tried to get to his feet. The fall </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">had taken some of
the menace out of him. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Understanding
cops? Jesus... you must be fucked up.” I managed to <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">get him down the
last fight of stairs. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">"Get your
Metrocard out." I told him. He groped his ass looking for <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">his wallet. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">"You get it,
you get it... I can't find my pocket." <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">"There is no
power on this earth that would make me root around in <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">your pockets...
while you were still conscious. You owe me a subway ride </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">you useless,
sorry animal." I swiped my card and pushed him through the </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">turnstile, he weaved
violently to one side and was on the floor again. After </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">getting him to
his feet I propped him up against a steel roof support. There </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">was a gaggle of
sleepy eyed Halloween revelers next to us. Sexy nurses, </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">slutty witches,
ect. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">"Hey
sweetheart," he croaked at a naughty cop who was waiting for <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">the train next to
him. "you like art? Papi'll show you some art." He was </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">fondling his
chest. "Come 'ere." He lurched forward and spilled himself on </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">the floor again,
giggling. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">"Jesus
Christ man, what is wrong with you?" I lectured. Mercifully <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">the train came
and I dutifully shoveled him onto it. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">There was no
fanfare, no ticker tape parade, the night was over and Al </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">was the MTA's
problem now and anyone else's that wakes him up and gets </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">him talking. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Dawn was tickling
the sky pink when I finally came up to ground <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">level in Queens.
What was the meaning of such a night, I wondered, as I </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">staggered up the
block towards home. I was broke, drunk, hungry, dirty and </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">may have assault
charges pending by now. A wave of paranoia crept over </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">me like a cold
draft and I shivered. Sitting on the stoop of my apartment I </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">reached into my
bag for the last bottle of rum. There was only a few </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">swallows left. Am
I any happier now than I was yesterday? No. Then what </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">was it all for?
Maybe there is no meaning. Ahh... who knows? Who cares? <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">It's time for
bed. I drank off the last swallows of rum and slunk into the </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">house. I can
always look for meaning tomorrow. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span><br />ELSTABOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08294774844243743047noreply@blogger.com1