From Skid Row to Rich Row

Down in Skid Row

I ain't never been one to complain, I take what little I gots and grab garb from the dump. I hadn't ate in weeks, I had gave my food to sis and ma and pa, they needed it most. So I was walking to the down-town area near the vendors. I found me a safety pin, I easily could get a few coins bags for sommore pins. I dug through the dump-can and got me two pins, a bead, and a lone shine coin. I walks to the trade spot, pushed some clickers, and traded. The clickers looked like shine coins, I wanted to get one for sis, she'd thinks it was real pretty. But it was on there real tight, I couldn't undone it. Taking my coins bag and started home, mine eyes peeled for sommore pins. I didn't see nothing more, so I went in my home. Ma made us some soups for christmas day. Pa had got us all a tree, it was wrapped up in a corner. I puts my jacket on the foot space, then we all sits down. The soups is watery, li'l peas and corn is swim'n on top. There ain't much food in our ree, a bits more of can of peas and water and corns. Sis wanted seconds, so I gives her mine. She wolfed it down in some sips. Ma try to give me hers, I got up from our food spot and go upstairs. I'm not much sleepy, just tired some. Sis won't be up for a few whiles, so I's got this place tomyself. I grab my penbook and my pencil, and I pen. I pen a crow, ratty an' dusty like home. My pen broke half way 'till done so the crow flew gone.

"Scaredy-cat bird!" I yell after it.

I sharp my pen and draw a building, cause it don't gon' run from me. So I pen, I don't realize when sis started screaming. I go downstairs fast, ma is on the floor begging. Pa is gone, run off to some bar spot, methinks with some lady-girl. The guard has a gun in his mitts, the safety's not on. I don't know what words he says before I came, but he has anger on his face. Ma has fear in her eyes. So I try's to put courage in my voice.

I yells to him, "What you want?!"

"I'm here for your father," he tells me.

"You ain't looking right, he gone aways from here."

"I was told to collect someone from this dump and I need to bring someone in today."

"Anyperson to cover?

"You'd do, I suppose, just ke-"

Ma screams, bawls dripp'n down her face.

"You'd better keep quiet or I'll take you instead."

She whimpered down quiet.

"Like I was saying, keep your head down and listen to me."

So I go's with him, sis and ma clutch tight to 'emselves.

I thinks tomyself, 'Ima kick pa when he come back, ima kick him 'till my foots hurt.'

. . . . .

He take me gone, down past the trade spot, down past the play spot. Once I gone pass kids jaws' flooring. They ain't never seen nobody like this guy before. I stares at him too, I keeps my head down like he tell me, and I stares. I stares until my eyes hurt. My foot tingle and sweats, burnin'.

Finally, we there.