Chapter 6 on the Street – June 15, 2021
Rick’s day was more adventuresome. He dressed in his only outfit and walked outside. Again, he did this like he had every right, and once more no one second-guessed him. He walked around the block slowly taking note of the panhandlers. Most of them appeared to be burnouts with nothing on their mind but the next fix or drink.
One very rough-looking black man in his forties seemed more ambitious than the others. Most stood with a cup and handwritten sign hoping for change from cars at stoplights.
This young man (at least to Rick) had a rag and spray bottle. He would walk up to a car and spritz the windshield. The driver would then have the choice of turning his wipers on or letting the man use his rag. It was often a race of rag versus wiper.
When the rag won, the man would hold a Styrofoam cup up to the car window. About seventy-five percent of the time he received some change and occasionally a one-dollar bill .
Rick watched this for half an hour then approached the man when the light went green and traffic was moving. “Do you mind if I ask how do you get a job like this?”
The man gave him a bitter look.
“Easy, do twenty years of a hard time for a stupid mistake, and no one to help when you get out.”
“Ouch,” said Rick, “I don’t think I want to go that path, besides I don’t think I could last twenty.”
“The man laughed in his booming voice and asked, “What’s your name.”
“Rick and what is yours?”
“Charles, now what is your real question?”
“Straight to the point Charles,” replied Rick. “I need to raise several hundred dollars, so I can buy some clothes to apply for a real job.”
“It should take you about a week to do that,” Charles told him.
“A week, you make several hundred dollars a week?”
“Yeah and I only work about six hours a day and never in the rain.”
“Well, I can see why never in the rain,” Rick said dryly.
“So I just set up on a corner and do what you are doing? ”
“Rick my man, it is not that simple. You have to be careful not to take someone’s territory, or it could get bad real quick. No disrespect, but you don’t look like the man you must have been.”
“You have that right, how do I avoid that?”
“Simple watch an area several days, if no one shows up it is yours. It wouldn’t hurt if you scouted who was working in the area. Then go the Salvation Army Mission next block down at dinner time. Ask them about the area you are eyeing and see if they have any problems.”
“Rick you will be surprised, but most of the people out on the street aren’t the wastes that people think. They will appreciate your asking and trying to avoid trouble. Some of them will even tell you good areas to try. Once you have decided who to approach, point them out to me, and I will tell you if they are safe. There are several that are truly insane and dangerous to be near. You usually can tell but not always.”
“Charles, I cannot thank you enough,” Rick replied, “I am going to follow your suggestions.”
“Keep in touch, let’s do lunch, have your people call my people,” Charles said in his deep booming voice.
Rick chuckled back, “Right. Thanks again and see you soon. ”
At dinner that night Rick shared what happened with Marsha. She was not thrilled with him being a street beggar but thought it was as good of a plan as any. She refused to believe the amount of money Charles said he could make.
“Rick, the man was bragging but even so, if in less than a month you could buy some decent clothes to work at McDonald’s it could work out.”
“I don’t see any other options right now, so I’m going to give it a try.”
“Enough about me, how did your day go?”
“Not bad Rick, I have been filing and answering the phones. I think I am being accepted. Silvia and Ruth asked me to join them on their coffee break.”
“That’s good Marsha, well done.”
Marsha smiled at the compliment. It had been a long time since a man had complimented her.
The next week was spent in their daily routine of being self-sufficient inside the rest home. As they did this their strength improved.
Silvia even joked that Marsha was doing so well that she might put her in for a pay raise. She was thinking of doubling her salary, of course twice zero was still zero. The women had a good laugh at that .
Rick explored the area and found one street two blocks over that seemed to be okay. It was a surface road with four lanes, two in each direction with a turn lane on the main road. The traffic light cycled every two minutes.
He would have to hustle to get one car in two minutes. Since there were two minutes of red and then green he would have a row of cars every four minutes or fifteen tries an hour for money. He discounted yellow for his simple estimate.
If he could average fifteen cars an hour at fifty cents a car, it would be seven-fifty an hour times six which worked out to forty-five dollars a day or two hundred and twenty-five dollars a week tax-free.
He knew that at McDonald’s he would get at best twenty hours a week and could never make that sort of money. This did not seem right but what are you going to do about it?
Once Rick identified his target area, he watched it for several days while walking the surrounding area to view competition. There were really only three that were there every day, and they seemed to be well established at their corners. The important thing was that his traffic flow did not cross theirs. This should not give them direct concern about him taking money from them.
Rick took to heart Charles advice about talking to the men at the Mission. It would be safer than approaching them alone on a street corner. After three days of watching, he went to the Salvation Army Mission that night and lined up with the others.
The staff at the Mission was very polite to him and not pushy. He sat through their service and actually enjoyed it. He had never been religious, but it didn’t mean he couldn’t listen and enjoy the temporary community that was brought together by the sermon.
After the sermon, he was relieved to see Charles there. He went up to Charles with some apprehension, but was quickly relieved when Charles not only high fived him but said, “Rick my man, good to see you.”
This immediately told the others, that Rick was acceptable at least until he proved otherwise.
Rick and Charles moved off to the side, and Rick described the location he had in mind. Charles approved and told him that he had also considered that area, but the one he had was an easier walk. It also had a covered bus stop for the short fast storms that could occur, the corner Rick had in mind didn’t.
Rick laughed, “Like anything, there is some science to it. I wonder what else I have to learn.”
“Rick, I will tell you something serious you have to learn. You will be on the street; you will be known to have cash on you at the end of the day. The street punks will know this. Carry an eighteen-inch length of rebar. I lay mine down while I am working and no one ever looks at it.”
“In the afternoon when I leave, I have it up my sleeve cupped by the palm of my hand so the cops can’t see it, but I can slide it out quickly. This can save you if there is only one or two of them.”
“What do I do if there are more?”
“Give them the money and pray.”
Rick decided this was part of the job that Marsha didn’t need to know about. He would carry his stuff in a plastic bag and not let her see the rebar. He asked Charles, “Where can I get a section of rebar?”
“Over on twelfth, there is a construction site. Ask the foreman politely, he knows the score. It would be hauled to the dump anyway.”
Now Charles asked Rick, “Who is working in your area?”
Rick pointed out the three men and detailed how the traffic flow wouldn’t interfere with them. Charles told him that was good thinking, and he might grow up to be a decent beggar yet!
Rick started to sputter, and then laughed, “I am glad there is hope for me.”
Charles gathered the three men and introduced him, and explained what Rick had in mind. Each agreed that it would not interfere with them. They then floored him with their next thought.
“Good,” said the one introduced as Bill, “You can get in the rotation.”
“Huh?” Rick brilliantly replied.
Bill went on to explain that they found that if one of them was out sick (in this world, it could be ill, hungover or strung out,) for more than two days it was harder to retain their customers. Furthermore, it might open up their corner to an interloper. So they watched out for each other. If someone was missing for a day, they would cover for him for one week, or until known dead.
As the new guy each day, check each of us and cover for us the next day if one of us is missing. Be certain to let me know as I follow you. Rick had a chuckle. Even in street begging the new guy had to pay his dues.