Living Behind Easy Street

Marty

I held the cardboard out in front of my shoulders. At the same time, I hung my head low, looking down at the ground so not to see the faces who would not look at me. I was actually proud of my words even though there was no pride for where I was or what I was doing. The unabashed simple vanity came from my spelling. I was always an awesome speller in school and even won junior high spelling bees. Even now it was something I felt that set me apart. My sign that day stated:

“Sorry for the inconvenience, it has been a difficult journey and I am famished.”

My buddy Trent rolled his eyes when I showed it to him that morning. “Marty aren’t you the fuckin philosopher," he blurted out while a cigarette hung from his mouth and he pulled a backpack over his shoulder.

“Hey I try, whatever it takes man.” I replied as I gave him the finger and walked to our spot.

I stood at the intersection of two major roadways at a stop light that would hold on red long enough for those on their way to work to possibly pass me some cash. Trent would work the other side of the street. On one corner there was a convenience store with a gas station. Opposite from there was this café called Easy Street.

Trent, his girlfriend, Kayla and myself had this getup down pat. We would break during the day, get high or maybe just sleep back in the tent we had set up in the woods behind the café. Kayla usually didn’t join us until the evening commute when we would return to catch people as they headed home.

While standing there of course I would get the jeers and a few F-bombs thrown my way telling me to get a job. Mostly people would roll up their windows and look the other way. Some people did throw me a buck or two, sometimes a bottle of water Then there were the do-gooders who were going to save me from the life I was leading. People from churches often did that. I would always yes them and take whatever pamphlet they were giving out. I knew they meant well but I’m not sure my ears could open to what they had to say. There were many kinds of people who had opinions about me and then there was Aditi.

The first day she drove up it was raining and I had been standing there for about an hour just before the lights. I was soaked. She handed me a water bottle out of her window while putting her hand over mine. I bowed my head and said thank you. She seemed to be staring at me for a while. The stare was enough that I had to look back and reply thank you again as I pulled my hand away. She still didn’t move. I cautioned her that it was now a green light and she had better drive. It then occurred to me she didn’t speak English, so I pointed above me and waved my arms to indicate she should hit the gas so she wouldn’t cause an accident. She then nodded her head, rolled up her window and drove away.

The next day the sun was back out and I was at my same place, she arrived again pulling up beside me with that weird stare. She handed me two trash bags without saying a word. She pointed to me and Trent and then to the sky indicating it was so we would not get wet the next time it rained. Trent looked over at me and watched as she gave me a coffee and motioned to the Easy Street Café. I thanked her again and took a sip. I still remember how good that coffee was. Maybe it was because I had not had a hot beverage in so long, but it felt good to have something warm on that cold spring morning.

The third day she walked up to me on foot. Scared the shit out of me but she smiled and kept her eyes fixated. I could see now that she wore traditional Indian attire for women. I did not know at the time what the dress was called but have since learned, Sari suit. This time she brought a coffee and what she called Indian Khanna Sandwich. She pinched my wrist and I think was trying to tell me that I was too skinny. She then told me her name was Aditi and pointed again to the café across the street. That’s when I figured out, she was the owner. I again thanked her, but I was still trying to work my corner. She took up a great deal of the precious time I had during the rush hour commute.

I waved as she walked back to the café. About an hour later I was starving and pulled out the sandwich. I was not one to try foods I didn’t know, but this had egg and cheese with some vegetables toasted into the bread. Woke me right up.

Aditi kept coming by every morning for several weeks, walking over with some type of food from her café, coffee and maybe a piece of fruit. One day it was a pear wrapped in wax paper with the logo for Easy Street. A piece of string looped through the top of the design and held it together as if it was a gift. When I opened and held it up, she started pointing again to the café. I think she was trying to tell it is from a pear tree in her yard. I was like “Cool, thank you.”

She then brought magazines and paperback novels. She offered all to me always with a smile. I took everything. I could use and needed everything. I started to look forward to her visits and relied on the healthier food I was being given. I tried to offer Kayla and Trent pieces of the different breads but both made faces and turned away stuffing chips in their mouths instead. When I would open up the books, they would laugh about “how worldly" I was trying to become.

Today I had hoped I would get a tomato and cucumber sandwich; I had developed taste buds again and now kind of craved the chopped little vegetables on bread. I waited and kept looking over at the café but no Aditi. We were almost done with the commute and my arms were tired from holding the sign. Trent said he had enough to purchase so we could shoot up later on. We always knew or thought we knew, how to do just enough to keep it going. Whatever it was at that point.

Raja

We had just returned from Aditi’s doctor’s appointment where she had learned that the cancer had spread much faster. They would call later with some options for hospice, but at this time there was not anymore treatment. The doctor encouraged my wife to rest, instead she was racing off to help these three hoodlums or at least one of them that she believed could be saved.

“Aditi, you need to lay down, please!” I pleaded, but instead she wrapped up the fruit in wax paper and waved me off.

“You know I am trying to run a business here. These are not paying customers!”

“He is just a boy,” was her only response.

“An old boy with a beard, no job, and a drug problem!” I looked away and out the window at the frozen pond out back. I knew those “kids” lived in the woods behind the icy water.

I knew because my own son once lived there. Only for a short period of time before he overdosed after trying to come clean. As Aditi headed out the door, I asked her to take my nephew Veer with her from now on. She nodded in agreement and waited. Veer went to get his coat. I looked at my wife who still had the most beautiful round brown eyes I had ever seen,

“You can’t bring him back.”

“I know Raja, but maybe I can help someone else’s child.”

Marty

We were already headed back to our tent to sleep for a bit before Trent and I were going to meet our dealer. Aditi pulled up with a guy in her car. She gave me the brown bag with sandwiches. She then motioned for me to get in the car and held up a book. I believed she was asking me to teach her how to speak English or read English. I looked over at Trent who was clearly pissed.

“Hey man she has been so nice; I’ll be back before we head out.” I yelled to him as I opened the door.

She brought me to the library. Veer introduced himself and said he was her nephew. Veer was a pretty big guy, so I knew he came to protect her.

Once we sat down, Aditi took out some books from her bag. She opened up one and pointed to a sentence. I started to help her with reading and then speaking the words as I said them. We had been there awhile when this guy, Bob came over. He said he was a social worker with a new program at the library. It seemed as if he knew Aditi already. She spoke to him in English. I looked at him and Aditi with apprehension. It all made sense now. He asked me just to take his card. I took it and opened up my jacket as the wrapper from the first pear Aditi gave me fell out. I caught a slight smile from her as I put both back into my pocket and asked to leave.

Raja

I was cursing Veer now. Why did he go along if he doesn’t even pick up his cell? I looked at the clock and realized they had left hours ago with the car. I looked again at the pond, grabbed my jacket, locked the café, and headed out to the woods behind.

I walked about a half mile in when I saw the ragged tent. I brought my flashlight to see in the late day darkness. The wind had picked up a bit as the remnants of winter were still hanging on. I yelled for Aditi when this boy not the one she was helping but the other came running out.

“My girlfriend won’t wake up and she is drooling, please help! My cell is dead!”

“What, where is she?” I questioned as he approached me. I followed him to just outside the tent where there was a woman, a girl really, laying there. Her eyes had rolled back and there was foam coming out of her mouth. I pulled out my cell and called for an ambulance.

I told the boy to stay as I ran to the road where sirens lit up the dark street. Aditi pulled up with the other boy at the same time.

Marty

I watched in horror as they lifted Kayla onto the ambulance. Trent was bawling his eyes out and wrapped his arms around me. The ambulance guys would not let him go the hospital; they did not think she would make it. I looked at him, tears ran down his cheeks. He looked much older than his twenty-three years.

Aditi continued to stare at me. She seemed much more fragile and I realized her husband was holding her arm almost as if to keep her steady.

I thought of my family who no longer spoke to me. I thought of the years that were lost. What do we do now?

I looked over at Aditi and nodded. She handed me her cell as I pulled out Bob’s card.