The neighborhood, pt 4: On the Corner

The homeless fat guy has been on the corner just about as long as I've lived here. He's mellowed some over the years, which is a good thing, 'cause he was really aggressive at first, and that was a drag.

The homeless girl has been on the corner just about as long, and at some point over the years they became a couple. Other homeless people come and go. Some, like Tony Pony, die. Others end up in jail, or somehow move on.

They've stayed. They look after the corner. It's their home. They keep it clean. He sweeps it every morning. They've got their milk crates they sit on, and after he's finished sweeping the corner he reads the paper. At night he listens to ball games on the radio.

She's been drinking a lot more than usual this past year. She's pretty much a mess, even by her standards. He looks after her.

She disappeared in November. I asked him if she was okay. He was really worried. He'd called the jail (she had a couple of open container warrants) and the hospital, but no word. It seemed to throw off the whole dynamic of the corner. There were less homeless than before, but there seemed like more because the group was busted up and it was every man/woman for themselves.

And then after about a week he told me he'd gotten word she was living (and drinking) in an alley somewhere down by Kaiser. He was glad she was okay but felt like a fool, he said.

Pissing down rain a couple of weeks ago on a Tuesday night. She came into a meeting, sat quietly in the back. When it's over we walk back to the corner. She didn't really want to go there, but she's following me and that's where my apartment is. She said she is from the Carolinas. She's been in and out of meetings for 20 years. She used to have a place out in Highland Park. She said she didn't want to drink that night, but I think she just wanted out of the rain.

She's had it with the fat guy. Yes, he looks after her. Yes, she depends on him to an extent. But while his concern as expressed to me was very genuine, their relationship is pretty fucked. She says when she's trying to sleep, usually on the sidewalk, he keeps her awake all night talking about how big his dick is and rubbing up against her. They got into a fight and he stole her blanket. When it's two o'clock in the morning and they're all alone in their alley, he does not treat her very well at all.

She says there are no shelters or rehabs for her, 'cause she's from out-of-state. That's bullshit, of course. The truth is more likely that she's not really thinking about cleaning up. She'd like a roof over her head, but sobriety is not a price she's willing to pay. So she'll settle for a dry alley where nobody keeps her up all night telling her how big his dick is.

We get to the corner. She ducks into the liquor store. I said good night and continue home.

The next morning she's drinking. The next evening she's gone. The fat guy doesn't seem worried this time. He's still on the corner, says hello every morning. He has a new and better radio.

Hopefully she's found a new corner or an alley someplace where she can pass out drunk every night without getting molested.

It's a cold, wet winter this year. I'm glad I have a home.