The Old White Man, a short story by pjs1509. Date added: 2012-06-28. Times viewed: 1606.
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- Intro: A typical day at work takes a nasty turn.
THE OLD WHITE MAN
Teetee, Darmella and Ruby sat in the booth at Burger King nursing their waters. They were alternating between looking out in the parking lot for their ride and watching the Today Show on the restaurants flat screen TV
“Man what I wouldn't do to get a hold one of them HD mother fuckers,” said Teetee stirring the ice in her empty glass with her straw.
“I told you girl, my boy JT can hook you up with one,” Ruby was filing a lacquered purple finger nail . “Him and his boys went on shopping spree just last week. They got one lock away in a rented garage. “ She move onto her middle finger for filing. “Only cost you two hundred dollar. That a bargain.”
“Shit girl, I trying to do my best to keep my electric on my place.” Teetee suck on a ice cube..
“Look out, here come our ride right now,” Darmella pointed at the handicap spot, located right next to the front door. “The good old white man right on time.”
The old white man was name Kevin Strom. He was a skinny gaunt middle age fellow who looked to be in late forties or early fifties, the girls could never could quite decide. That's all they knew was he was the only one that own a car that was a prerequisite for their job.
Their job involve them going house to house in the poorest neighbor hoods of their city .
They knock on doors which hopefully were open by elderly folks or people who looked mentally addle.
They work for a guy name Miguel Hendez, who own In-Home Services Inc. In Home Services Inc, represented a league of doctors and medical equipment specialists. They offer services ranging from oxygen delivery, in home nursing care, diabetic services and everything in between. All you needed was to be on Medicare and In- Home Services could set you up.
The three girls and the old white guy's duties included giving their pitches, handing out brochures and filling out brief one page forms with basic background information to see if said person was qualified.
The job paid a paltry eight dollars an hour. So there wasn't a lot of motivation for them to hustle up and down every inner city street. The longest reigning veteran of the bunch was Darmella, who been there a whole two months.
All three of the African American women jumped into Kevin's four door Taurus.
“Well where did Juanita want us to go today,” Kevin spoke in a dead pan monotone.
That surprised Darmella, the old white guy was usually a up beat cheerful guy, who kept up a boring banter all day long. Except when he wasn't listening to the sports talk radio station.
“Juanita said we go down to where we was yesterday, the James street area.,”Juanita was a short fat Spanish women who was the district manger, whom the girls knew Kevin clearly despise. Darmella flip open her phone briefly to see if she got any messages. Nope nothing. “We suppose to pick up a new fella at Crazys liquor store on the way there.”
“I wonder how many minutes this one last, “ Teetee said. All three women burst out laughing
Kevin bent over the wheel driving on in silence.
“Man them niggers they hire here got to be the laziest bunch of useless men,” Said Ruby. Ruby
was a heavy set women, with large saggy breasts, who wore a different style of wig on her head everyday. She claim to be thirty five,but, look to be much older due to some poorly manufacture ill fitting dentures
“Sound like all the daddies of my three children,” said Darmela .'Worthless just worthless.” Darmella still sported a well tone copper body,with large upright breasts, sleek athletic legs. The only notable mar was a rash of uncontrolled acne that dotted her face.
A couple of blocks before they reach the James street area they pull into Crazys liquor store parking lot. A large black African American man sporting Khaki shorts and a yellow Izod sports shirt was leaning against the lock ice machine that stood in front of the store.
“You people with In-Home Services,” he spoke thru the crack of the rear seat window.
“Your looking at em, let me slide over.” said Teetee. Teetee was a skinny girl, with a nice round bum, a high cheek bone face, with large brown eyes and a cute button nose. She was the closest thing to wholesome looking that the In-Home team had. Old black ladies and younger slightly retarded white guys usually took a shine to her.
“My name Charles, “ the large black guy beam a smile at all three women as he squeeze into the backseat. He pointedly ignore Kevin who was busy adjusting his side view mirror.
Juanita told me I spose to follow along today and get a feel for the job,” said Charles.
“It ain't too hard and in spite of what Juanita told you we don't work in. no teams of two. We just work in shifts”.Teetee said. She handed some brochures for In-Home Services, with a picture of a elderly Caucasian doctor wearing a white coat with a stethoscope around his neck smiling at the camera.
“Yeah, we figure last week fuck it. We ain't busting our asses for eight dollar an hour,” Ruby
said fidgeting with her wig..“The weather real hot, so some of us take a break in the car
and let two or three wander up and down the block. Then we switch folks from street to street and so on and so forth.”
“Especially old Kevin here he can barely walk, “Darmella said. “Beside, he doing all the driving. Ain't that right darling.” She patted Kevin on his bum leg which was currently on the accelerator running a yellow light. “What's the matter Kevin, you real quiet this morning “
“It's nothing,” he said brusquely. He square up his shoulders and stare straight a head. An uneasy pall fell over the car.
The Taurus pull onto to James street. An urban blighted area, where one in three houses were foreclose or abandon. This was the perfect fishing ground for their type of client,desperate and dependent on the government for medicare
Kevin was pulling into an old abandon gas station to park the car.
“Hey wait a minute man, why don't you park across the street near that big old tree with a lot of shade under it,” Charles grab the the front seat and pull himself forward. “There man right there. Open your eyes.”
“Hey listen considering I'm the one doing the driving how about I decide where to park.”
Kevin whip off his sunglasses and threw a baleful gaze at Charles .
“All right with me man, if you don't mind people frying in the sun.” Charles shrug his shoulders
and push open the door.
They all pile out of the car. The five solicitors all shaded their eyes squinting at the late morning sun. They were suppose to start their door to door campaign at nine o'clock, but they usually didn't get
hustling until late morning.
“How about us three girls start out down this here street.” Darmella said, she was unspoken leader of the rag tag bunch. “We go about six blocks turn around go to the other side of James Street and you boys take it from there.”
While the girls were gone, Kevin was subjected to listening to Charles empty bragging. How this job was temporary, until he got a sideline business up and running. He just came back from living down south and was currently sleeping on his cousins screen in porch.
“Course that till I get my own crib,” he lay in the back seat of the car, his legs sticking out of the open backdoor.
Kevin could hear Charles start to snore, when his cell phone rang. Oh fuck the phone number was from his doctors office.
The three girls came back from their rounds. “we done totally struck out this morning.” Ruby moan, her wig was tilting to one side in the hot humid afternoon sun. “How about Kevin you move us
up about ten more blocks. You can show Charles the ropes.”
“Kevin, honey, you got any water in your cooler you can spare.” Teetee gave him a force smile,
sweat was running down the front of her blouse, causing her nipples to bust forth like screw heads.
“Yeah, I got some. But I didn't bring that much,” Kevin huff. “It might help if you guys started
bringing your own bottle water.” His salt and pepper hair was greasy with sweat spots.
“Excuse me,” Darmella shot him a withering look. “If it gonna put you out, we can run back to
Crazys and get our own water. Shit man, what your problem.”
“Fuck it here,” Kevin whip open his trunk and and grab three bottles of water, pitching underhanded each a bottle.. “There happy now I'm down to one.” He was glaring at all four African Americans thru his wrap around sunglasses, breathing heavily thru his nose.
“Uh, thank you Kevin,” Teetee crookedly smile at him, unscrewing the bottle top.
It was Charles and Kevin turn to walk the next few blocks of James street. Kevin walk with
a noticeable limp.
“Hey, Kevin how come you don't use a cane man,” Charles look down at the head shorter man. . Kevin had strange looking splotchy white skin and a couple of large moles sticking out the back of his neck.
“I'm too afraid I'll forget it some where at one of our stops,” He walk up to a house and knock on the door . They could hear some one slowly making their way thru the house. The hot sun was making a humming sound that vibrated off the beat up old tin siding.. The door was open by a old doddering black women who was leaning heavily on on a walker.
“Can I help you,” The old women said meekly speaking thru a mangle screen door.
“Yes mam were from In-Home Services, Inc.”Kevin slip the brochure thru the rip seam of the screen door. “If your qualified, we can provide an array of in home medical services, equipment and specialists.” Kevin manage a weak smile. “It's all right there on the brochure and there's
a handy eight hundred number you can call if have have any more questions. All you have to do to be qualified is to be on Medicare.”
“I'm sorry but I'm only on medicaid,” The brochure shook in her palsied hand.
“Are you currently looking to get on medicare,” Kevin wipe some sweat off his brow.
“I'm not sure,” The old women wore a bewilder look on her face. “You'll have to talk to my nephew Devon, he was looking into something like that for me,” her voice trail off.
“Would you happen to have his home phone or cell number,” Kevin pull out a pad and pen.
“I,I,I, don't know if want to give that type of information to a man like you,” She had a wary look in her eye. “Anytime I see a white man at my door, they looking to collect something or trying to rip me off.”
Charles sidle his way past Kevin, filling up the entire door frame. “Mam I'm come from a background just like you. I've been taken advantage myself by white man in the past who nuthin but cheating sharks.” He beam a large white smile at her. “ All we looking for is for a little information
that won't cost you a dime.”
“All right come on in and let me turn down he television set a minute,” Her eyes knitted looking at Kevin. “Does he have to come in too.”
“No grandma, he can cool his heels on the sidewalk, while we talk for just a minute.” He push his way past Kevin
Charles felt himself puff up inside. He took her thru the one page enrollment form lickety split.
He sure show up that white man. He left her her in a chorus of God bless you mams and if the lord
is willing huzzahs.
He walk out the door and saw Kevin limping back to the car. He looked pissed.
He got back to the Taurus, all three of the women were chattering away on their cell phones.
“Bam, first time out, I got ourselves a customer,” Charles held out the application up in the air as if it were the Olympic flag.
“Hey Charles you suppose to listen and learn today,” Kevin was red in the face. “That lady wasn't qualified for the program. She didn't appear to be all there, that's why were suppose to get information about her nephew. Many of these seniors have younger relatives handling their affairs.”
“Hey listen you sorry ass old cracker, you just jealous cause I just show you up,” Chalices
came up to Kevin and push him backwards with a large index finger
“What going on here,” Teetee flip her cell phone shut, her electric was going to be kept on for another month.
Kevin retold the tale of Charles marching past him and mucking up the whole deal.
“Well no big deal, we get some more people sign up this afternoon,” Darmella sat in the backseat
rechecking her makeup in a small mirror. “Kevin want you drive us over to Popeyes chicken for lunch.”
“We just got started for christ sake.” Kevin threw up his hands in frustration
“You know what Juanita said,” she gave Kevin a dark stern look. “ She said when were working door to door,. I'm in charge. And I say it's time for some Popeyes. “ She wag a warning finger at him.
“Don't go boss man on me, you only been here two weeks. and frankly Juanita told me you on the edge
of being cut loose.”
“Is that right,” Kevin was clearly piss. “ That's what that big mouth little midget told you.”
Uh-huh,” Darmella gave him her best stink eye.
“All righty than,” Kevin wore a crooked smile on his face. “Let's all go to lunch.
As they drove thru the slum part of town. Teetee and Ruby kept up a constant chatter on their
phones. Darmella look out the window as she watch the neighbor hood Popeyes fly by..
“Hey Kevin you done miss Popeyes.,” Darmella said.
“Oh I gotta a better place in mind,” Kevin let out a loud chilling cackle that gave everyone in the car the creeps.. They drove thru two more traffic lights, passing by pawn shops, christian mission centers, old abandon night clubs with bullet holes in the door, drowsing bums laid out on park benches,
liquor stores with bars on the windows, two motorcycle gang club buildings, long since boarded up old movie theaters. The only building that didn't show any signs of decay was a lonely small wooden frame church.
Charles was starting to lose it, his blood shot eyes staring daggers into Kevin's scrawny neck.
“Okay Po Fay mutha fucker, I've had about enough of this shit let me out.” He was ready to club
Kevin upside his head except the man had his hands on the wheel. Kevin was humming a song weirdly off key under his breath.
“You'll get out, when I tell you to get out nigger boy,” He pull a twenty two caliber pistol out of his sock and pointed it right at Charles nose. “I got my eye on you coon, right in my rear view mirror and you too nigger bitches.” He waved the gun back and forth across the backseat where Teetee and Darmella gasp in unison. “I don't want to hear your mouth either you wig wearing ape,” He pointed the pistol right into Ruby's trembling face, tears ran down her cheeks. A blotch of urine was spreading down the front of Ruby's pink Capri's.
Kevin took a slow right into a back yard alley that was fill with garbage strewn backyards, yapping pit bulls on chains and old rusted out cars that were up on blocks. The alley dead ended
into a brick building that was now an abandon factory.
“Now all of you darkies get the fuck out of this car, any sudden moves, I start unloading my gun.”
Kevin said in a voice that was fill with menace.
All four of the African Americans unpack themselves from the green Taurus. “Now all of you get against that wall,” Kevin pointed his gun at the fire red brick wall that was litter with rusted cans, broken bottles and coils of old barb wire.
“I guess you aren't as brave and uppity as you think you are Ruby you ugly ass sack of shit,”
He started laughing and pointing the gun at the urine spot on the front of her pink pants..
Ruby was silently sobbing to her self in abject shame.
“Okay mutha fucker play time over,” Charles came running at Kevin, who proceeded to shoot him
right in the knee cap.
“I told you I wasn't messing around my ape like friend,” Kevin pointed the gun back at the three terrified women. “Anybody else want to be super fly.”
“Kevin why you picking on us, shit man we only known you a couple weeks,” Teetee try to smile thru the well up tears in her eyes.
“Three reasons my little nigger slut. One I got laid off over a year ago from my job of over twenty years. Take a crazy guess who they kept on. Ding. You guess it, two brothers who had less seniority than I did.” Kevin held up a second digit, while keeping the gun train on them. Charles laid on the
ground trying to stifle a scream, rocking back and forth gripping his shatter knee. “Two my unemployment ran out, forcing me to take this lower than dirt job. Can you believe it I was knocking back fifty thousand dollars a year, now I'm relegated to eight bucks an hour working with bottom feeders like you” Kevin pointed his gun on the ground momentarily,and let out another eerie laugh.”Here's the kicker kids, I just found out I now have terminal cancer and got about six months
to live. Ain't that a hoot.
“I'm sorry ,” said Darmella.” It sound like your life is turning pretty shitty on you. But hell Kevin look at our lives We all on food stamps, two of the three us is about to get evicted and we face racism.....”
Kevin got off a round just above the three ladies heads. A small spray of concrete flew off into the air. All three crouch down in a squatting position.
“I don't want to hear any of that poor is me coon shit,” Kevin barked at them. Then he turn the gun on Charles, “as for you my simian friend, I hear one more moan out of you, I'm going to lock you in the trunk of that car.” A white gob of spittle was forming around Charles mouth, a small river of sweat was pouring from his forehead”
“I've taken about enough from you people. Driving you around, because your all too lazy to either get a driver license or a car. Constantly bitching that I drive like an old women. Or begging for me to be your personal cab service, dropping you somewhere after work because allegedly you got some scary important business to attend to.” He shook his head slowly and lifted up the pistol pointing it at all three. “now I want you two to do me a favor.” He pointed the gun at Teetee and Darmella. “Start stripping them clothes off right now.”
“You kiddin right Kevin,” Teetee voice had a tremor to it.
“I'm as serious as terminal cancer, darling,” He back up to the Taurus and unlock the trunk.
He pull out his red and white lunch cooler. He pull out a banana and walk towards Ruby. “You can do the world a favor and keep your clothes on miss pee pants.”
He flash the gun back at the other two, “didn't I just get done telling you to start stripping.”
Teetee ad Darmella slowly started to disrobe until they found themselves in their bra and panties.
“I meant all of it bitches,” Kevin gave them a evil leer. He walk over to Ruby. “Now you ape girl take this banana and star eating it and start grunting like a ape. You know start bouncing around on your haunches.”
“I don't think I can do that, I gots me a bad knee,” Ruby was openly crying , a heavy shit smell fill the air..
“Oh Christ your pathetic,” Kevin wrinkle up his nose.”Now you crap your pants.”
Teetee and Darmela were now buck naked.
“God Darmella you've got a beautiful set of jugs on you, It's refreshing to see a full triangle thatch of pussy hair. Too many white women our going around bald as a baby”. He smile, bending over to pick up all their clothes and tossing them thru the rear window of his car.
“I'm going to back slowly out of this god forsaken place,” he walk over to drivers side door and got out his car keys. “While I'm doing that, how about a little dancing. Get those luscious titties to bounce.”
The girls look over at each other and shrug. They started to do an erotic funky shimmy dance.
They both had previous experiences at stripping, mostly at the request of boy friends, working small bachelor parties and favors for bumps of cocaine. They kept it up until the Taurus found a back alley drive way and turn around sending a hail of gravel into the air.
“Some one call 911 bitch,” Ruby screamed.
Fortunately, Charles still had his cell phone in his breast pockets. All their purses were still
in the Taurus.
* * *
Darmella sat in the sofa with her legs up watching a fuzzy thirteen inch tv with no cable.
This would be the fourth time this week that her picture and the three others would be shown on the local six o'clock news. In bold lettering would be the name victims under Teetee, Ruby, Charles and herself. That would be follow by a photo of Kevin, with bold lettering assault/suicide suspect, under his picture with him smiling dress in a nice styling suit. Another scene showing the downtown building that was his former employer for twenty years. The newscast flash next to a yellow ribbon off parking spot where he had put a bullet in his crazy head.
They always ended the news report with a short white man standing in front of Kevin's suburban home with a foreclosure sign. on the lawn The newsman would announce solemnly to the camera that Mrs Strom was not available for comment.
Like most news stories that involve black folks as victims, here come the local fuckin preacher
shooting his big mouth off about inequality, government help blah, blah, blah. Nothing ever change.
The four door to door solicitors as Juanita would call them were given the rest of the week off,
due to the traumatic experience. Of course, that was with no mutha fuckin pay. Darmella had talk to
Teetee this morning before her phone was disconnected saying Ruby was admitted into the local
nut house. Charles had headed back down south. Teetee said she was going back into stripping full time now. “I'm not gonna risk my sweet ass for eight dollars an hour.”
Darmella heave a heavy sigh as she watch mail pouring thru her mail slot of her front door.. More of the same over dues, final notices, disconnect warnings that fell on her warp linoleum floor each and every month. “Well one thing I got over you dog,” she gaze at the trouble visage of Kevin Strom on the six o'clock newscast. “I got no where to go but up.”
,
.
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