Poogee

Poogee”

By, Sharron Rios

I turned my head to see a thin, frightening man using a small revolver to motion for me to continue inside. I dropped the backpack to the floor and I quickly put my hands up in the air. He asked me to open the backpack, with nervous hands I did as he said. “Throw it here”, he grunted. It landed at his feet. He then motions for me to put my hands back up and pointed the gun at my head. My heart was racing, and I wondered how I got myself in this situation. I was terrified and panic-stricken. He clicked the gun, I closed my eyes and waited for the heat, the pain, or the punch to hit me. I took a deep breath. A loud sound echoed in the air. It was the last thing I heard. I thought to myself, this is it! I’m dead, as my face hit the ground!

It had been six weeks of intrigue and joy! Up until then, I lead a boring, barely surviving life. You see I lived on the streets of this big city. I was a foster child and when I turned 18, I had nowhere to go. But, I could consider myself blessed. I met a mentor, Ruff, as soon as I showed up. He was old school, the father I never knew. He showed me how to survive on the streets. Warned me to stay away from the young guys. They were into robbing and all kinds of criminal activities. Ruff showed me how to hang out at construction sites or jobs that paid under the table for a day’s work. When there was no work, I would hang around the subways and beg for money. “Ain’t never too proud to beg”, Ruff would say.” “All they can tell you is no.” I figure if he survived 30 years on the street, I should consider his advice. A lot of young guys ended up dead or locked up in prison. That was not my exit.

All people on the street, are not homeless. Some are prostitutes, dealers, junkies, and beggars. Everyone had “their” corner. It was the same people on the same corner every day. If you were on someone else’s corner doing whatever, without their permission, there was trouble. So most just stayed on their corners or blocks. There were about six of us on our corner. We would hang out until dark. Ruff said, “if you can’t do what you need to do by dark, might as well wait until tomorrow.” Which was, right because at night the young guys would cause trouble.

Our corner had the pizza pallor, a Bodega, it stayed open 24 hours. There was a vegetable stand, shoe store, hardware store, even a fancy café. We weren’t allowed in there. The owner would give us nasty looks even if we walked by too slowly. We would stand in front of the electronic shop and talk, maybe people watch or just hang out. I liked it, listening to the stories the old school guys would tell. They seem to have had interesting lives. All I could talk about was trying to cope with the different foster homes. Some good, most bad. When I turned 18, the social worker wanted to put me in co-dwelling. Most kids in there were drug addicts, alcoholics, or just crazy. All were depressed! I refused, I still had hope!

We were hanging out on the corner when I saw this old lady trying to cross the street. The pedestrian light was changing too fast for her. After watching her a couple of times. I decided to help. She jumped as I approached, “sorry I startled you, Ma’am, can I help”? She looked at me with golden-brown eyes, smiled, and shook her head yes. I grabbed her hand and placed it in the crook of my elbow. “Now, don’t worry just keep up with me”. We briskly walked across the street. When we got there, she smiled and grabbed my hand, and shook it like she was pulling a lever on a slot machine. One downward motion and released. Thank you she said not looking at me. I stared at her as she walked away. She had on a jacket and a dirty coat over the jacket. She had a faint smell of onions and pee. I felt sad for her. Who am I? I thought, feeling sorry for someone. I went over to my friends. Ruff in his alto voice, “you know her”? “No, I said, I just saw she was struggling to cross the street”. He laughed, “so now you got a girlfriend”? I put my hands in my pocket and laughed too. Everyone started laughing. “Hey, it’s getting cold, I think I’ll go scrounge up a few dollars for some coco”.

I noticed the next day the old lady was back. Doing her Cha cha cha dance. “Come Ma’am, let me help you”. We walked across the street. She shook my hand, down and release, smiled, and thanked me.” My pleasure Ma’am. Be safe”, I yelled while running back across the street to my friends. Ruff, said, “Ahh such a gentleman”, he teased,” I’m treating to pizza, anyone wants a slice.” “Hell yeah”, we yelled! We ate pizza and left before dark.

The next day, we were hanging out. “ No girlfriend today Ruff joked”? “No, I said, She sure is old”. He held back a laugh and coughed. “Well, everyone gets to be old one day, if they’re lucky”. “Yeah, I said, if you’re lucky”. I thought about how hard it was living on the streets. Especially in the winter. It gets 02 degrees below sometimes. I shudder as a cold wind wrapped its way around my waist. I zipped up my old bomber and wished it was thicker.

One day, nothing interesting was happening, same old routine. Ruff nudges me with his elbow. “There she is, he whispered”. I looked in the direction, he nodded. As soon as she got to the corner, she started her dance, three steps forward and two steps back. Ruff shoved me, “Go help her son”. “Hey Ma’am, you ready”? She did not look at me just placed her hand in the crook of my elbow and started walking across the street. As we walked, I looked down and noticed she was smiling.

Her smile was nice and kind of familiar. She still smelled like pee. But, I didn’t mind. She did her slot machine handshake, but this time she opened my fingers and place something in my hand. She rolled my fingers over it, thanked me, and walked away. She never looked back. As I ran back across the street, I looked in my hand, a five-dollar bill. I yelled “whoa”!! Ruff, looked at me wide-eyed.” What’s up” he grumbled. “Five dollars, that’s what’s up” I whispered. “Want a slice”? “Naw, man, I’m good “. We hung out some more. I got my two slices, ate, and slept like a baby. I cherished the food. Being homeless, some nights you go to sleep hungry.

Some time went by before we saw the old lady again. She seems to look cleaner, She had on a different coat, her sneakers looked clean. She was carrying a black, worn-out backpack. “She got dressed up for you this time”, how sweet”, Ruff teased! I don’t know why, I blushed, but I did.

“Hey “, I said feeling awkward. I guess she sensed my anxiety and handed me the backpack. “Here, I need you to hold on to this for a little while”. I looked disturbed and she placed her hand on my shoulder. “Look I know it’s short notice, but I feel I can trust you. Please just hold on to this for me for three days”. She opened a side zipper and pulled out a wad of money. “Here’s $200.00, it’s yours, just do this for me”. Desperately she said, “If you need more just open the other pockets. But, she paused. This pocket never opens, okay. She pointed to the pocket and repeated,” okay”! “Okay” I whispered and she walked away.

I told Ruff what the little old lady said and gave me, his facial expressions change from happy to worried. He explained, that I needed to be careful and not to share this with anyone. If the lady is wanting to hide this backpack, then someone is looking for it. “ I don’t know what I am holding, besides this money! I shouted, “and she may never come back”!

It took another week for Ruff and me to look in the forbidden pocket. There was a little black book sitting on top of the plastic bag that was wedge into the backpack. “That looks like a lot of dough”, whispered Ruff. “Yeah”, I said not taking my eyes, off the little black book. As I turned each page, a confused look transformed to my face. “What’s that”, I murmured. It’s a lot of numbers, dots, and alphabets. Ruff stanched the book,” this is some sort of code”! What’s an old lady doing with a coded book, I wondered.

My nervousness increased. I started sleeping with the bookbag as a pillow, hiding it whenever I felt strange. Ruff started calling it my purse. Of course, everyone loved me treating them to pizza almost every night. I had a running tab at the Bodega. Clean clothes and shoes, for everyone. I even got a room a few nights, so we could take showers. I felt rich and I loved sharing. Weeks went by and the backpack never failed. One day I reach in and nothing. Only loose change was there. If I wanted to keep living this lifestyle, the forbidden pocket became very tempting.

Six weeks and still no old lady. I went into the forbidden pocket, I felt guilty. One day out of the corner of my eye I saw a thin tall man following me. It seemed I noticed him before. But, now it was obvious he was following me. Ruff, reminded me“ be careful”, when I told him of my suspension. The thin man finally caught up with me. I was scared! I’m going to die! He clicked the gun. I blacked out.

I open my eyes and saw the old lady. She was helping me stand up,” are you hurt”?” Let’s get out of here”. I stumbled to my feet, still dazed, I looked and saw the thin man on the ground. She leads me to a hotel. In the room, she began to look in the forbidden pocket “, I see you went in here”, looking at me expressionlessly. I stuttered,” I, I’m sorry”! “No”, she raised her hand. “No worries, I understand I was gone longer than I expected. We should be safe now. Well, I’m going to take a shower”!

A beautiful brown-haired girl wrapped in a bath towel, walked out of the shower, I was stunned, speechless. As we ate pizza, she explained that her father was head of an important organization and she witnessed his assassination. But, not before giving her the book and money. She went undercover and now that everything is okay she can come out of hiding. She apologizes for the deceit and asked him to go downstairs to get more pizza.

Back in the room, I turned on the lights, stacks of money were on the bed, the book, and a note. Thank you for your help, here is 20,000.00 Enjoy and keep the book for me in a safe place. I will be back to get it, one day. It was signed by Judy, “ young lady”. P.S. Thanks Poogee for everything. I smiled.