Tompkins Square Park and the little squirrel that kept climbing the trees, crying so mournfully. I needed to do something to get my mind off my stomach, so I started to tear the newspaper story about 2Moro into little pieces. Ripped off a little shred at a time and dropped it into a pile. Then the breeze cameand swept the little pieces away. 2Moro blew away with the wind.
Minutes passed. Or maybe they were hours. Maggot smoked the butt of a cigarette someone flicked out of a car. Rainbow got up and went away, then came back again. The shreds of 2Moro’s newspaper story scattered in the breeze. Some got pushed toward the river, where the wind made ripples across the muddy green water.
Jewel pushed himself up. “I’m hungry. It’s freezing. This place is so horrid. The absolute pits. How can any of you live here?”
No one answered. He was right. This was the worst place yet. Worse than the empty building. Worse than the park. Worse than a hard kitchen floor. I closed my eyes and pretended I wasn’t there. I was floating in the air like a particle of dust, invisible and unnoticed. Except when I passed through a bright shaft of light. Then I glowed before disappearing again.
“Aren’t you hungry?” Jewel asked.
Everyone probably was. But hunger was just one more sensation. Like shivering. And dizziness. And itching. And knowing you were nothing.
“And no one has any money?” Jewel sounded disgusted.
“Do you?” Maggot asked.
“No, but I know where to get some.” Jewel bent his head down and started undoing the cornrows. He shook his brown hair out. It was kinky and ragged. “Rainbow, darling, would you make me up?”
Rainbow crawled out of the sleeping bag and made Jewel up. Only it was so cold her hands shook and the makeup wouldn’t go on right. She tried to fix Jewel’s mascara, eye shadow, add blush to his cheeks, and paint his lips red. Everything got smeared. But there was no mirror, so Jewel couldn’t see. He rummaged through his wrinkled Macy’s bag, yanking out clothes, pulling on stockings and a red short skirt and a pair of women’s shoes with straps. Under the stockings and short skirt his legs were long and thin. The shoes had thick heels and he walked heavily in them, clomping around like a horse pulling a wagon. He pulled on a short brown-and-white jacket, a patchwork of fake leather and fake fur. Sliding his slender hands behind his neck, he flipped the hair out over the shoulders of the fur jacket. Then spun around on the toes of the shoes.
“How do I look, Maybe?”
The makeup was smudged and his clothes were wrinkled and frayed. Sometimes Jewel could look like a girl. But today he looked like a boy trying to be a girl. Or even worse, like a clown.
“Very pretty,” I lied.
Jewel smiled. He had red lipstick on his teeth. But it wouldn’t matter.
“I’m on my way to a better life. Ta ta.” He gaily swung his little black bag and headed across the street.
“Can’t get there from here,” OG muttered.
Rainbow crawled back into the sleeping bag with Maggot. OG coughed and spit up something red.Seagulls circled in the air above the dirty green river. A siren passed on the bridge overhead.
Later, Maggot asked, “Anybody hungry?”
“Yeah.” Rainbow started to get up, so I did too. OG didn’t move. Maggot and Rainbow and me went across the street to the sidewalk.
“Spare a quarter? Some kind of change?” Maggot said to a man wearing a long gray coat. The man ignored him.
“Spare change?” Maggot asked a man with a beard wearing a puffy light blue down jacket. “We’re hungry and cold.” Ignored again.
“Spare change?” Maggot asked a woman wearing a long red coat. She hurried past.
“Forget this,” Maggot said. “Let’s look for the Hari Krishnas.”
The Hari Krishnas sometimes came around handing out plastic bowls of bean soup, but it must have been too cold for them. The church van that gave out hot dogs wasn’t around either.
“Guess it’s time
Minutes passed. Or maybe they were hours. Maggot smoked the butt of a cigarette someone flicked out of a car. Rainbow got up and went away, then came back again. The shreds of 2Moro’s newspaper story scattered in the breeze. Some got pushed toward the river, where the wind made ripples across the muddy green water.
Jewel pushed himself up. “I’m hungry. It’s freezing. This place is so horrid. The absolute pits. How can any of you live here?”
No one answered. He was right. This was the worst place yet. Worse than the empty building. Worse than the park. Worse than a hard kitchen floor. I closed my eyes and pretended I wasn’t there. I was floating in the air like a particle of dust, invisible and unnoticed. Except when I passed through a bright shaft of light. Then I glowed before disappearing again.
“Aren’t you hungry?” Jewel asked.
Everyone probably was. But hunger was just one more sensation. Like shivering. And dizziness. And itching. And knowing you were nothing.
“And no one has any money?” Jewel sounded disgusted.
“Do you?” Maggot asked.
“No, but I know where to get some.” Jewel bent his head down and started undoing the cornrows. He shook his brown hair out. It was kinky and ragged. “Rainbow, darling, would you make me up?”
Rainbow crawled out of the sleeping bag and made Jewel up. Only it was so cold her hands shook and the makeup wouldn’t go on right. She tried to fix Jewel’s mascara, eye shadow, add blush to his cheeks, and paint his lips red. Everything got smeared. But there was no mirror, so Jewel couldn’t see. He rummaged through his wrinkled Macy’s bag, yanking out clothes, pulling on stockings and a red short skirt and a pair of women’s shoes with straps. Under the stockings and short skirt his legs were long and thin. The shoes had thick heels and he walked heavily in them, clomping around like a horse pulling a wagon. He pulled on a short brown-and-white jacket, a patchwork of fake leather and fake fur. Sliding his slender hands behind his neck, he flipped the hair out over the shoulders of the fur jacket. Then spun around on the toes of the shoes.
“How do I look, Maybe?”
The makeup was smudged and his clothes were wrinkled and frayed. Sometimes Jewel could look like a girl. But today he looked like a boy trying to be a girl. Or even worse, like a clown.
“Very pretty,” I lied.
Jewel smiled. He had red lipstick on his teeth. But it wouldn’t matter.
“I’m on my way to a better life. Ta ta.” He gaily swung his little black bag and headed across the street.
“Can’t get there from here,” OG muttered.
Rainbow crawled back into the sleeping bag with Maggot. OG coughed and spit up something red.Seagulls circled in the air above the dirty green river. A siren passed on the bridge overhead.
Later, Maggot asked, “Anybody hungry?”
“Yeah.” Rainbow started to get up, so I did too. OG didn’t move. Maggot and Rainbow and me went across the street to the sidewalk.
“Spare a quarter? Some kind of change?” Maggot said to a man wearing a long gray coat. The man ignored him.
“Spare change?” Maggot asked a man with a beard wearing a puffy light blue down jacket. “We’re hungry and cold.” Ignored again.
“Spare change?” Maggot asked a woman wearing a long red coat. She hurried past.
“Forget this,” Maggot said. “Let’s look for the Hari Krishnas.”
The Hari Krishnas sometimes came around handing out plastic bowls of bean soup, but it must have been too cold for them. The church van that gave out hot dogs wasn’t around either.
“Guess it’s time
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