Back in DC's Golden Triangle, working another wildly exciting temp gig, deep into the matrix, thankful to have a weekly check. In the afternoon I make sure to leave this place of delight and stretch my cubicle cramped legs by walking the bustling city blocks. Today's sun shone brighter than it has in a couple of weeks which made for pleasant strolling. I stood across from Lafayette Park and noticed the doors of the White House were open, perhaps they are spring cleaning (there's a lot of trash in there that needs to be thrown out)?
The sun gently patted the top of my head as I strode down H St admiring the newly planted tulips, the Grecian inspired lampposts outside the Chamber of Commerce, the delicious scent of java emitting from in front of the Cosi. I was revelling in District Love, a rare spell cast in spring light, when I saw a tall gentlemen in a fancy black top hat walking across the street in front of my office building. "Poor bugger" I thought noticing as he sat down on the sidewalk that one of his eyes was sewn shut. I reached into my wallet to give him a dollar thinking, "well,we all gotta work"."
"Thanks Lady' he said, keeping strict panhandling etiquette and not touching the inside of my palms as he scooped the change. It was his voice I remembered.
"Raifert? Remember me, from Capital Park?"
He nodded mutely and then cleared his throat.
"Tiger gone."
That would be the woman who bum rushed his house with her three young sons and turned it into Crack Central.
"How are you Raifert? Do you still stay there?"
"Naw, this my home now."
"You make it to the park for dinner when the nuns come?"
" Nuns ain't been out there for a minute, but when they out I make sure to eat. You got a menthol cigarette for me?'
I could see rheumy liquid from the stitches in his eye.
"You know I always smoked Marlboros, Raifert."
He shook his head and nodded thanks to a man who had just given him a nickel.
"Fuck that shit. Rather quit. Gimme one."
So I did and we smoked and watched the traffic, the tourists coming up the street from the White House, my coworkers streaming back into the building.
"Well, I gotta go Raifert. Good seeing you."
"Yeah, nice to see you old neighbor."
"Yeah, stay outta trouble, y'heard?"
The little umber feather in his top hat waved at me as he laughed. "All I gots is trouble, baby girl. That's all I gots. You work up in here?"
My turn to nod.
Raifert laughed so hard more goop ran out of his eye.
"Looks like we is co-workers now girl!"
The sun gently patted the top of my head as I strode down H St admiring the newly planted tulips, the Grecian inspired lampposts outside the Chamber of Commerce, the delicious scent of java emitting from in front of the Cosi. I was revelling in District Love, a rare spell cast in spring light, when I saw a tall gentlemen in a fancy black top hat walking across the street in front of my office building. "Poor bugger" I thought noticing as he sat down on the sidewalk that one of his eyes was sewn shut. I reached into my wallet to give him a dollar thinking, "well,we all gotta work"."
"Thanks Lady' he said, keeping strict panhandling etiquette and not touching the inside of my palms as he scooped the change. It was his voice I remembered.
"Raifert? Remember me, from Capital Park?"
He nodded mutely and then cleared his throat.
"Tiger gone."
That would be the woman who bum rushed his house with her three young sons and turned it into Crack Central.
"How are you Raifert? Do you still stay there?"
"Naw, this my home now."
"You make it to the park for dinner when the nuns come?"
" Nuns ain't been out there for a minute, but when they out I make sure to eat. You got a menthol cigarette for me?'
I could see rheumy liquid from the stitches in his eye.
"You know I always smoked Marlboros, Raifert."
He shook his head and nodded thanks to a man who had just given him a nickel.
"Fuck that shit. Rather quit. Gimme one."
So I did and we smoked and watched the traffic, the tourists coming up the street from the White House, my coworkers streaming back into the building.
"Well, I gotta go Raifert. Good seeing you."
"Yeah, nice to see you old neighbor."
"Yeah, stay outta trouble, y'heard?"
The little umber feather in his top hat waved at me as he laughed. "All I gots is trouble, baby girl. That's all I gots. You work up in here?"
My turn to nod.
Raifert laughed so hard more goop ran out of his eye.
"Looks like we is co-workers now girl!"
