Waterboys

“Would you like a water?” “1$,1$” “We got fresh coooold water!”

They stood on the corner of North and Spring, right across from the Varsity. DD tossed Big Rube two water bottles, one after the other. Big Rube had one in each pocket, two in the left hand and one in the right.

“The light’s about to change!” exclaimed Malcolm.

Malcolm and Big Rube take to the streets as the light turns red.

“Support the water hustle!” shouts Malcolm

Rube follows up, “We’re just young business men trying to earn a little money.”

“Thank you ma’am!” “‘Preciate you sir.”

They thanked every customer and smiled at the ones who shooed them away or refused to roll down their windows. DD stood by the cooler and tossed Malcolm and Rube the waters all day. The summer sun in Atlanta started in April and by late afternoon the boys looked at the sun as their enemy. Big Rube pulled off his shirt drenched in sweat.

“Putcho shirt back on.” Malcolm said.

“Nah man, it’s too hot” Rube replied

“I have another one you can put on in my bookbag, here.” Malcolm urged

“Nah bruh, I said I’m good” Rube replied with a poked out chest and raised brow

“Well you ain’t gonna sell no more waters lookin’ like that.” Malcolm said, a little defeated, followed by, “We trying to get to this money.”

“I said I’m hot”

Malcolm shook his head and began looking for the light to turn again. DD jumps up from the cooler and looks inside. “We bout sold out! Y'all wanna re-up?”

Big Rube wipes his forehead, using his shirt as a rag now and then tucks it into his back pocket. “Nah, we’ve been out here since this morning, I’m ready to hop on the train and head home, take a shower, chill,”

Malcolm says, “Ion know? How much money we got?

DD says, with a cheesy grin on his face, “I think about a buck 20.

Malcolm, excited by the power of memory, exclaims, “Oh yeah, and I got this tip from my last customer. I shoved it in my pocket so fast, I didn’t even look to see what it was.”

Malcolm reached down in his pocket to grab the crumbled up bill. “Aye yo! Dude gave me a fifty dollar bill!”

You lyin!, said DD

On God?!, said Rube.

The young men gathered around the cooler and Malcolm flexed a 50 dollar bill, holding it up with both hands. Ulysses S. Grant could be seen in detail down to the mole, with the amount of detection DD used to glare at the bill. Malcolm folds the bill and puts it back in his pocket and then slides his bookbag over both his shoulders and pulls the straps. DD grabs the cooler handle and pulls it up and the three of them start walking towards the North Ave train station.

DD questions, “Grant? I don’t think I know that president. Why is he on the 50 dollar bill? I mean he’s not the 50th president.

Malcolm shakes his head, “Yeah there is no 50th president. We are still on 45.”

DD replies, “So I repeat, why is Grant on the 50?”

Rube then states, “First of all, not everybody on money is a president. Franklin is on the $100 bill and he was nobody’s president. Know your money a little bit DD. Second of all, out of all the presidents, I mind Ulysses S. Grant the least. I mean he did fight on the right side of the Civil War.

Malcolm says, “Wait a minute… you mean you not gonna talk about the devil on our money or overly celebrated racist yada yada..?”

Rube goes on, “ Nah, I’m not saying that. All white men are privileged beyond what they could ever rightfully earn. That's their inheritance. Especially when comparing them to me, the original man who is their number 1 enemy due to my existence alone and due to no fault of mine. But, at least Grant dismantled the KKK, temporarily that is. I give him a pass for effort.

DD shakes his head, “Why do you know this? How am I friends with you?

Malcolm comments, “Reading maybe.”

Big Rube agrees, “Yeah reading is fundamental. Pick up a book, read an article, or at least something longer than your Insta feed.

DD says, “I’m good. I hate reading. I have a short attention span. Anyway, what’s the plan for tonight? You tryna go to the Cade?”

“Probably not”, Rube replied, shaking his head. “I’m trying to hold on to this 40 bucks. I might get on the game, but I’m definitely not goin to the Cade, too much money.

Malcolm, looking puzzled, questioned. “40 bucks, what kinda math is that?

Rube replied, “120 divided by 3”

Malcolm said, “Don’t forget Ulysses!”

Rube replies, “That’s your tip."

Malcolm then says, “We agreed to split everything equally.”

DD agrees saying, “I like those numbers. What’s that...umm... that’s 40 then add the 50, no wait then..”, DD pauses and begins to do the math in his head and on his fingers.

Rube shakes his head as says, “You can’t walk and do math at the same time?”

DD looks up and says,” That’s about 60 dollars”

Malcolm then says, “ You really cant’t walk and do math. It’s more like 56 and some change.

DD defends himself saying, “I was rounding up.”

Malcolm thinks to himself, “Rounding up to money that we don’t have, ok.”

Big Rube then laughs, “Round, huh like your stomach!”

DD quickly comes back with, “Nah, like Neicey’s booty.”

Malcolm’s eyes widen as he looks to DD and then to Rube. DD was a fool for talking about Big Rube’s sister. DD looks up at Rube and starts to inch a way, trying to predict Rubes next move. As Rube begins to reach, Malcolm steps in and tosses Rube his book bag. Big Rube catches it and throws the look of death at DD. His eyes said, “You know Malcolm just saved your life.”

Malcolm widened the space between the two and looked at DD. “Chill DD, you outta line for dat one. That’s his sister.”

DD replied, “My bad, my bad, you right. I was just jokin. We good, right Rube?”

Big Rube curled up his lip in the Rube expression that cannot be duplicated or accurately described. Then he tossed the bag back to Malcolm and looked down at DD and said, “You got no more times to talk about sis.”

DD responded in an remorseful tone, “My bad bruh”.

The three swiped the cards and walked into the station.