“Hey, got a minute? You see the kid down the street; the one next to that barber shop by baker’s bay?
Let me tell you something about him.
Apparently, kid’s named John, or something like that. So that kid there, he comes down every other Saturday at this godforsaken hour,” (Glanced at my watch: 11:40 pm) “and just ________ there. I’ve tried asking him why he doing what he does. I live round here see, I can’t sleep knowing he’s out there, get what I mean?
So get this, I asked the kid what he’s doing, he stops and screams at me! Half a damn minute, I reckon that’s how long it was. And was it loud! My ears rang like one of them airplanes just flew over my head inches above. Man that kid’s got issues. So finally he stops screaming, my legs just recovered from shock, and I was about to turn head and leave see, when he asks me what time it is?
It’s so polite like, those innocent kids who just woke up from sleep? Sleepy eyes yawning. Naturally, I couldn’t just leave, so I had to dig my pants for my mobile, cause. Hey look I don’t have a fancy-ass watch like you do, okay? I flashed him the time from my phone and he says he can’t see that well, his glasses are all fogged up from the cold. I’ll tell you that boy’s mad with the devil’s mind trickery. It was hella cold, but he wasn’t wearing no glasses! By then it was all scaring me, this encounter with the kid. So I turn and ran, all the way up past 5th avenue, to my house and locked the doors shut. The devil ain’t gonna take me no way.”
…
He finally stopped talking, and I took my leave. I walked down the street. He sees I’m walking towards the kid and shouts something, I can’t make out what? Too far. I see the kid, come up to him.
“Would you stop freaking the locals out?” I put it nicely, half joke half warning. So he gives me this smile that would warm even the coldest nights.
“I get bored, you know. You make me do this every week, dad! It’s been a three whole decades, can’t you find another spot to alight?” he pleads hard, but knows it’s not possible.
“Let’s just go home.” And we do.