Streetlife

20 - Chinatown

STEF POV

Right now I am pissed and starving and I am on my fourth cigarette after storming out of my brother's apartment. It's also starting to rain, and I'm so damn angry I can't see straight. I also didn't realize I had walked right into Chinatown which is crowded with even more narrow littered sidewalks the alphabet city, trash bags piled up high but also decorated with pretty red lanterns all over. The smell of fish along with trash and another unidentified oder is also quite overwhelming in this heat and humidity, and with the rain, seems more repugnant.

A couple of women try to sell me trinkets on the street as I pass by one that catches my eye, and buy a little Chinese cat figurine for 25 cents and a few roasted chestnuts to sooth my hunger. But as I go deeper into Chinatown, the rain picks up as thunder booms and lightning flashes several times, and I am fucking terrified. I hate thunder and lighting and always have since I was a kid as I run into a little hole in the wall restaurant. By now, the rain is really coming down as I quickly take a seat and a girl who looks to be about my age brings me hot tea.

"Nasty out there, huh?" She says as I put my wet hair back for I am drenched.

"Yeah. Came out of nowhere. I didn't expect it, I guess," I laugh awkwardly as I see her black straight hair is pulled back with colorful chopsticks and she has on a thick layer of mascara and eyeliner. She shakes her head and smiles at me as she has on shorts and a tank. Much like myself except I'm a fucking hot ass mess tonight.

"That's New York City in August for you...know what you want to eat?"

"Umm...uh..." I say grabbing my crumpled money and realizing that all I have left on me is one dollar, and I quickly skim the menu as she waits patiently. But there's soo many fucking things on it and it's making me anxious as fuck.

"Umm, what's the cheapest you got?"

"An eggroll. 25 cents."

"Ok. I'll get 2." I say as she pours me more tea and walks off. Lighting a smoke, I try to relax some as I look around and see an older man reading a newspaper and smoking a cigar, along with a few other customers and older men eating and and chatting in Chinese with each other ignoring the current storm.

I have no fucking clue what I'll do now because I refuse to go back to Alphabet City. I really refuse to and I am so fucking tired of my brother and his controlling ass and our constant fights. I didn't know how many more fights we were going to get into before one of us killed the other one.  It really did hurt me actually because I looked up to him so much when I as younger. I really did but now, fuck, he had so many issues that maybe he always had that I didn't see growing up. Drugs seemed to be the main one and that made me sad.

Letting out a sigh I puff my smoke, and the girl brings me 3 eggs rolls, egg-drop soup and lo mein. What in the fuck? I know I didn't order all this shit. She must have the wrong table as I put my smoke in the ashtray.

"I didn't order this." I say confused as I look up at her and she smiles softly at me.

"I know what you ordered. On the house. You look like you had a shitty night, and if you don't eat it will get even more shitty. No reason to starve."

"I don't...I only...I pay my way." I scowl as she doesn't give in but instead smirks.

"Yeah me too. Don't be foolish or prideful. Eat it."  She leans in and pours me more tea before walking off as I take another puff of my smoke and put it out. I hate the fact she gave me this food, I really do but my stomach can't help but give in as I almost inhale the delicious soup that I barely taste along with the lo mein which as my favorite and an egg roll. Good god I had not had a decent meal since I left my parents and this was hitting the spot for sure.