99

99 or Aurora runs north and south through the city I was born and raised in. It is closed down restaurants next to ones just opening. Car lots, motels, tobacco stores. It has been a part of me for as long as I can remember.


I had a friend named John Hunter. He was from Chicago, actually had been kicked out of Chicago, told to go and live with his father after numerous brushes with the law. Not that that would change now, just he wouldn’t be in Chicago. He was longhaired with home done tattoos. I was 15 naïve as lily-white north Seattle could be.

We caught the bus to go down 99 to try and buy a ticket to a Foghat concert. Once you got downtown you had to cross 99 and walk about a half mile to the old Coliseum. We had around fifty bucks and a small bag of pot. We crossed 99 on a warm night in Seattle. It was already dark so it must have been late summer, even September. There were lots of people on the walk up the hill to the concert. Quite a line around the little water park built for the ’62 World’s fair. Soon we were milling about and found a guy selling tickets. He had them in one of those small envelopes. John and I worked up a deal 30 bucks and some pot for two tickets.

It was agreed on, the envelope was handed over and the exchange was done. John went to open the envelope and saw that there was just two pieces of paper in the envelope. He looked up at the would-be scalper and said “what the hell”. Scalper looks right at him and says, “They are in there” and starts to back away. John looks again and says “No they ain’t!” Scalper dude has an umbrella and whacks John over the head! John says “you are going to have to hit me harder then that for 30 bucks". Scalper man just boogies, I mean he is outta here. I am standing there in disbelief and John is right on his ass.

I follow, John is running like I didn’t know he could, around the buildings and paths that surround the Coliseum. I lose sight of him going around a building and when I turn the corner he is scuffling with the scalper. A few people are just standing around watching. John finally is sitting on the ground with his arms around the scalper’s legs. He says “get him now!” to me. But I freeze, so not a fighter. My delay gives the scalper time to wriggle free and take off again. John shoots me a look and takes off after again.

I am right with him this time and we turn another corner and scalper is with a bunch of his friends, winded and says “what up now, dudes?” Needless to say John and I turned around and walked. He gave me amazingly little crap for not jumping the guy, for all his hardness, he knew me. We were friends.

Hello

I write for me, because in this nothing changin atmosphere, I got to get it on record, even if that record is a tic on the back of some server eventually to be laid to rest in some techno junkyard. And that is probably just. Still there is the physical of now-three beers-twelve feet between toxic walls. Hot for Seattle, unusually hot. 46 spaces, 46 TV's 46 other mobiles. I know a few pretty well as you would expect after two years. I try to keep to myself. You got your old folks with bad breaks and they are fine, actually happy. Then you got your mid aged, at war with themselves. Drink, drugs, whatever. Shit, there are all these problems. Her doin this, him doin that. Everything is out there, nothing in here.

Nice warm breeze, 85 today, hot for here. I am in 23. I got home at 4 from work. Couple others work here, I guess. I am always ready for astonishment when I pull in, have seen some weird stuff. Guns, whores, blood. Today it was Mary. She gets out pretty often from what I have seen, as for two years I take off Saturday and Sunday. Mary is a tweeker. Well, I guess some don't know, so I'll say, she smokes crack. Having to sign to buy psudephedrine or whatever, I got to say, didn't do anything. She tweeks sometimes, like freeks out. Late at night I have heard her, along with others, howling at the moon. Apparently out, planning where to score. Today she was in the road started looking at me in the blinding sun. I just wanted to get in, get home, close the door.

She said all grandiose and all "well there he is, and how was work today?" isn't it nice to have your babe out here waiting for you" "Can I get you soemthing for dinner?" Laughing some laugh that I don't know where the hell comes from. Wearing a tube top, cut offs and sandels. She is actually pretty hot from about fifty feet. Face has taken a hammerin from the crack, though. Real bad teeth.

I get past her with a smile and a nod and pull in, but today is a special day. She needs, pretty bad, I guess as I get out of my car she comes up. I smiled to sincerely. Make a note to sneer, I guess. "How's it going hon?" She says. "Good" I reply. I look her over. Killer bod, hell, Mischa Barton would die to be that slim. Still, with tits that were pert and tight. Crack takes it's toll on the teeth and face. Mary knows I am single and looking and not getting enough. We have hooked up before...twenty bucks keeps her wacked out for two days, so that is pretty cheap, I convinced myself.

Today I am tired, work has sucked, hope she can see this past her need. She comes up close on me. I can smell her breath, see her teeth. "so you needin some, babe?" She presses into me. I am aroused, hard. "you know I can do it for you" she says. I smile and say "Mary you know I think you are hot, I am real tired, maybe come back in a couple of hours". She knows what I am saying and tweeks, I thought she might. "Well you think you are all that!" "You are lucky I even talk to you, fucking loser. Little god damn job is all you got! Otherwise you would be right here with me, fucking me. Son of a bitch"

With that she troumped off, throwing a hand in the are saying some other crap that I didn't care if I heard or not. It is a real hot day and I needed a cold one. Adventure at the park, now sitting here with the tv on, I'll have to crash