I watched the greatest
little drama
today.
The Hotel where I live
has a bunch of old folks,
retards, and destitute people
living in it. I’d qualify for all three.
The building is six stories,
and has about twenty rooms on each floor.
I call the place The Pigeon Coop.
The first of the month
most everybody here gets paid a Government
check, and then they try and stretch that meager
amount of money thirty days.
The people get pretty creative.
If you’ve never lived on two hundred dollars
for thirty days drop on by, we’ll teach you how.
Down in the lobby
there are two benches.
The lobby leads into a Mexican food restaurant,
and then the other ways opens onto the street.
That’s where the benches sit. On the street side of
the lobby, looking out onto Pacific Avenue.
People that live here can’t afford to eat at
the Mexican food restaurant, but they will sit on
the benches in the lobby all day, and watch the people.
Yesterday. . .
. . .no. Wait. . .
. . .the day before yesterday.
Yeah. The day before yesterday, I got
locked out. Bob and Jim were sitting
on the benches down in the lobby.
“hey, man, can you use your key and let me up the elevator?”
They just sat there laughing.
These guys are my friends.
Okay.
So I finally got up to my room. No help from them.
I never lock my door,
but you need a key to get upstairs.
Well, today is the first of the month.
I sat down on the bench where Jim had just been
sitting. I watched him walk outside and light a smoke.
Across from me, Bob was sitting on the bench, counting money.
A woman sat down next to Bob.
“Here’s twenty,” Bob said to her. He handed her two tens.
She handed him four fives.
Bob went back to counting his money.
She shuffled some bills around in her wallet.
Then Bob said, “Do you have five. Please.”
She handed him a twenty, and he handed her fifteen.
“How’re you set up for singles,” he said.
She handed him five ones.
To me, it looked like they exchanged
the same amount of money
like a merry-go-round.
Then I looked down, and I saw a five
on my bench. “you lose this,” I yelled across to Bob.
“Nope,” said Bob. “Maybe JIm.”
I picked up the five, and sat grinning at it.
I put it into my wallet and folded the wallet back into
my front pocket.
Later on I saw Jim, and I gave him his five back.
