This past weekend I was a San Diego hobo with my platonic facebook fiancee. We slept in my car and had a grand old time. On Saturday night, we settled ourselves down at an outdoor taco stand facing the street. We sat there for three and a half hours just watching and observing the colorful people passing by us. It was one of the most fascinating experiences I've ever had. We witnessed countless entertaing real-life vignettes. When sharing them, I wanted to do them justice. This is the first. Everything in here is completely true- gathered either by observation or by hearing the information first hand. I've put it in an easy-to-grasp format, to convey what was seen, exactly as it was observed. I do not do this story justice, but I assure you, it was an incredibly fascinating thing to witness.
Real Life Vignette #1
It was more than lack of motivation that made him look older than he was. Since he was old already, this did not suit him well. It seemed as if his life choices had lead him down a merciless and unforgiving road that aged him at an alarming rate, despite his desperate attempts to cling to his youth. In the shabby, over-worn outfit of a man half his age, he took his apathetic gait down a familiar street on a night that he had lived many times before.
Knowing many by face and none by name, he merely nods as he passes the patrons of the many bars and resteraunts located on the crowded street. His destination is vague, but he knows where his people are. People like him.
A friendly face brings his apathetic walk to an apathetic halt. He’s seen this girl before- even said a sentence or two in passing, but never connected.
“Hi,” he says to the girl. “You got a cigarette?”
Charming.
The girl obliges and hands him a cigarette, half-smoked, along with a match. The girl has many striking features. To the trained observer’s eye, one might note her muscular build, her startling lack of a chest, and her hairy legs. However, to the untrained eye (or to the eye of a lonely man) one might only notice her kind face, bright smile, and friendly demeanor.
In a ponytail, tank-top, and cute tye-dye skirt, she is sitting down to a burrito at a local outdoor taco stand. She has a love for life that shows in her kind, dark eyes and her complimentary nature. She surveys the man for a moment before asking “How are you?”
Her voice is deep. Her accent is slight- Venezuelan?
The man does not seem to notice either. He takes a long drag from his cigarette and smiles. “Have you found a job yet?”
She smiles back. “No, not yet. How did you-“
“I saw you earlier. By the coffee shop. You asked the woman for a bathroom key. When you came out, you told the woman you wished you worked there because you couldn’t find a job to save your life. Then you complimented the woman. Told her she was beautiful. She wasn’t. You’re real sweet.”
The girl smiled. Too flattered to notice or acknowledge the unsettling fact that the man had been watching her. “She was beautiful. We all are.”
The man takes another drag of his cigarette, now down to the quick. “You ever think about modeling? You’ve got the height for it.” He hears snickering. Two girls at the table next to him are settling down to eat dinner, laughing. Were they laughing at him?
He turns his attention back to his new friend. “I mean it. You should model.”
The girl just smiles.
A young, 20-something skates up to the taco stand. His new ball cap and designer trainers show that he is well taken care of. His backpack is bulky, but does not look heavy. He sits next to the girl. “Man I fu--in' hate this town. Too many fu--in' tourists. Can’t even skate on the sidewalk.”
The man addressed the boy. “Well you’re not really supposed to skate on the sidewalk.” His tone was friendly, but there was something dominant in the way he was positioned around the girl.
The boy ignored this as he turned his gaze toward the girl. “I brought it.” With the swiftest of movements he unzips his rucksack and pulls out a small bag of weed and some cigarette paper. He slides the treasures down the table to the girl. Within seconds, he zips his backpack, mounts his board and skates off toward the crowds still on the sidewalk.
The girl proceeds to construct her small bundle of entertainment for the night. Dominance replaced by excitement, the man moves toward the table. “Oh man. I’m so in on this.” He quickly surveys the area. No cops; only the two laughing girls from before. One of them was staring now, but they had been staring at everyone all night. The coast was clear.
The girl places the joint between her lips, but does not light it. She stands up and walks onto the street. She turns to the man. “You coming?”
The man gets up. As he excitedly strolls to her side, she smiles at the two girls who had been observing the scene. “Bye ladies,” she said as she and the man strolled into the darkness and out of sight.
