Back when I was a janitor at the junior high school under the Manhattan Bridge, my morning routine involved sweeping the perimeter of the building. As it was a big job, I split it up with Willy, who worked the overnight shift.
Willy wore a beat-up blue cap, an olive-drab army jacket, and kept a .38 revolver tucked in his jeans. I asked him why he carried a gun and he said, "Shit, in this town, you never know."
We would start at the main entrance, across from the highly-surveiled beauty salon, which Willy believed was a front for the Chinese mob. He'd go one way and I the other.
The yard was filled with ancient Chinese people performing tai chi every morning. They were waiting for their grandchildren to go to school, so they could go home and rest, sharing the very same bed.
One morning the tranquility was broken by a desperate crack whore, who told me she would suck my dick for ten bucks. She was no more than a skeleton with paint on its bones and she had sores around her mouth. I was repulsed, but I gave her two dollars out of pity.
The next day, Willy and I went about our routine. We usually met at the halfway point, but there was no sign of him. I waited a bit, then I walked around the corner. His bucket and broom were against the building, near a closet, which contained garbage bags, spare brooms, and a slap sink.
On cue, the door opened and the crack whore came out. Willy followed behind her, tucking in his shirt and adjusting the revolver in the small of his back. He walked over to me and said, "That bitch wanted ten bucks to suck my dick."
"Oh yeah. Did you take her up on it?" I said.
"Hell no! I gave her five," Willy said as he flashed his toothless smile.
As usual, we got a cup of coffee from the donut shop around the corner and went down to the locker room for a break. Neither one of us had much to say.
Willy wore a beat-up blue cap, an olive-drab army jacket, and kept a .38 revolver tucked in his jeans. I asked him why he carried a gun and he said, "Shit, in this town, you never know."
We would start at the main entrance, across from the highly-surveiled beauty salon, which Willy believed was a front for the Chinese mob. He'd go one way and I the other.
The yard was filled with ancient Chinese people performing tai chi every morning. They were waiting for their grandchildren to go to school, so they could go home and rest, sharing the very same bed.
One morning the tranquility was broken by a desperate crack whore, who told me she would suck my dick for ten bucks. She was no more than a skeleton with paint on its bones and she had sores around her mouth. I was repulsed, but I gave her two dollars out of pity.
The next day, Willy and I went about our routine. We usually met at the halfway point, but there was no sign of him. I waited a bit, then I walked around the corner. His bucket and broom were against the building, near a closet, which contained garbage bags, spare brooms, and a slap sink.
On cue, the door opened and the crack whore came out. Willy followed behind her, tucking in his shirt and adjusting the revolver in the small of his back. He walked over to me and said, "That bitch wanted ten bucks to suck my dick."
"Oh yeah. Did you take her up on it?" I said.
"Hell no! I gave her five," Willy said as he flashed his toothless smile.
As usual, we got a cup of coffee from the donut shop around the corner and went down to the locker room for a break. Neither one of us had much to say.