It was funny to see a puppy act so ferocious.
“What happened to your face?” OG asked me.
A long brown scab went from my left eye to my jaw.
“Someone pushed me,” I said.
“You push back?” Maggot asked.
I didn’t answer.
Grrrrrrrrrr!
Pest kept yanking at the leash. Each time he did, he yanked OG’s arm, too. OG went into a coughing fit, one hand covering his mouth and the other holding the leash. He coughed so hard his whole body shook.
“Okay, Pest, that’s enough,” he croaked as he tried to catch his breath.
Grrrrrrrrrr!
Pest kept pulling. He didn’t understand what OG was saying. He probably thought coughing was a human bark.
“I said that’s enough.” OG coughed something red into his hand and wiped it on the ground.
Grrrrrrrrrr!
OG jerked the leash hard, pulling Pest off his feet. The puppy hit the sidewalk with a yelp, then cowered with his tail between his legs. “Aw, puppy.” OG instantly felt bad for losing his temper. He gathered the frightened little dog into his arms and hugged him. Pest started to lick OG’s face. No matter how bad you hurt a puppy, it still loved you. Not like human beings.
A couple stopped on the sidewalk. The man was wearing a dark green coat and carrying a brown briefcase. He was with a black-haired woman wearing a warm-looking red coat and carrying a large black bag over her shoulder.
“Are you serious?” the man asked, nodding at Maggot’s “Money for Maryjuana” sign.
“Why not?” Maggot answered. “If the sign said, ‘Money for food/ would you believe it? Least I’m honest.”
“At least you ought to spell it right,” said the woman.
Maggot turned the sign around and looked at it. “I spelled ‘money’ wrong?”
The man smiled. “He’s got a sense of humor.”
“Not for long if I don’t score some pot,” Maggot warned them.
The woman decided to get sincere. “You’re smart. Why do you live like this? Why don’t you clean yourself up and get off the street?”
“Maybe I don’t want to,” Maggot answered. “Maybe I’d rather live on the street than have to get some stupid nine-to-five job.”
“But at least you’d have a warm place to live and clean clothes,” said the woman.
“Where does it say that everyone has to wear clean clothes?” Maggot asked. “Where does it say everyone has to have a warm place to live? Maybe I don’t want any of that crap. Maybe I’m happy being dirty and homeless and free of possessions and responsibilities. Who the hell are you to tell me how to live?”
The man reached for the woman’s elbow. “I think we should go, Rachel.”
But Rachel didn’t budge. “You remind me of my brother.”
“Oh, yeah? He a street punk, too?” Maggot asked.
“No, he’s in college.”
OG laughed, then started to cough. Rachel and her male friend glared at him, then Rachel looked back at Maggot. “What I meant was, he’s rebellious like you. He questions everything.”
“He raises his hand in class,” joked OG.
Rachel ignored that and said to Maggot, “You’d like him.”
Maggot smiled up at her, but I knew he thought she was crazy. Like we street kids had anything in common with someone in college.
“Does he know about the revolution?” Maggot asked.
“What revolution?” asked the man.
“The revolution that’s gonna start when people wake up and realize that the government floods ghettos and slums with drugs to keep all the poor and oppressed people stoned and complacent so they don’t rebel.” “If you believe that, why are you begging for drug money?” asked Rachel.
“Might as well enjoy it while I can.” Maggot grinned.
“We really better get going, Rachel,” said the man.
“Wait.” Rachel opened her bag and started to hunt around in it.
“You’re not serious,” her friend sputtered. “You know he’s going to use it for drugs.”
“That’s his choice.” Rachel pulled out a black wallet. The man looked around nervously, like he was expecting a gang
“What happened to your face?” OG asked me.
A long brown scab went from my left eye to my jaw.
“Someone pushed me,” I said.
“You push back?” Maggot asked.
I didn’t answer.
Grrrrrrrrrr!
Pest kept yanking at the leash. Each time he did, he yanked OG’s arm, too. OG went into a coughing fit, one hand covering his mouth and the other holding the leash. He coughed so hard his whole body shook.
“Okay, Pest, that’s enough,” he croaked as he tried to catch his breath.
Grrrrrrrrrr!
Pest kept pulling. He didn’t understand what OG was saying. He probably thought coughing was a human bark.
“I said that’s enough.” OG coughed something red into his hand and wiped it on the ground.
Grrrrrrrrrr!
OG jerked the leash hard, pulling Pest off his feet. The puppy hit the sidewalk with a yelp, then cowered with his tail between his legs. “Aw, puppy.” OG instantly felt bad for losing his temper. He gathered the frightened little dog into his arms and hugged him. Pest started to lick OG’s face. No matter how bad you hurt a puppy, it still loved you. Not like human beings.
A couple stopped on the sidewalk. The man was wearing a dark green coat and carrying a brown briefcase. He was with a black-haired woman wearing a warm-looking red coat and carrying a large black bag over her shoulder.
“Are you serious?” the man asked, nodding at Maggot’s “Money for Maryjuana” sign.
“Why not?” Maggot answered. “If the sign said, ‘Money for food/ would you believe it? Least I’m honest.”
“At least you ought to spell it right,” said the woman.
Maggot turned the sign around and looked at it. “I spelled ‘money’ wrong?”
The man smiled. “He’s got a sense of humor.”
“Not for long if I don’t score some pot,” Maggot warned them.
The woman decided to get sincere. “You’re smart. Why do you live like this? Why don’t you clean yourself up and get off the street?”
“Maybe I don’t want to,” Maggot answered. “Maybe I’d rather live on the street than have to get some stupid nine-to-five job.”
“But at least you’d have a warm place to live and clean clothes,” said the woman.
“Where does it say that everyone has to wear clean clothes?” Maggot asked. “Where does it say everyone has to have a warm place to live? Maybe I don’t want any of that crap. Maybe I’m happy being dirty and homeless and free of possessions and responsibilities. Who the hell are you to tell me how to live?”
The man reached for the woman’s elbow. “I think we should go, Rachel.”
But Rachel didn’t budge. “You remind me of my brother.”
“Oh, yeah? He a street punk, too?” Maggot asked.
“No, he’s in college.”
OG laughed, then started to cough. Rachel and her male friend glared at him, then Rachel looked back at Maggot. “What I meant was, he’s rebellious like you. He questions everything.”
“He raises his hand in class,” joked OG.
Rachel ignored that and said to Maggot, “You’d like him.”
Maggot smiled up at her, but I knew he thought she was crazy. Like we street kids had anything in common with someone in college.
“Does he know about the revolution?” Maggot asked.
“What revolution?” asked the man.
“The revolution that’s gonna start when people wake up and realize that the government floods ghettos and slums with drugs to keep all the poor and oppressed people stoned and complacent so they don’t rebel.” “If you believe that, why are you begging for drug money?” asked Rachel.
“Might as well enjoy it while I can.” Maggot grinned.
“We really better get going, Rachel,” said the man.
“Wait.” Rachel opened her bag and started to hunt around in it.
“You’re not serious,” her friend sputtered. “You know he’s going to use it for drugs.”
“That’s his choice.” Rachel pulled out a black wallet. The man looked around nervously, like he was expecting a gang
Similar Books
