He Tells Stories
1/
Ever hear of this Lox, Stock & Bagel place? I hear it’s good. I was going to go, but I don’t know my way. I looked it up on my tablet — says its 20 minutes — but I don’t want to get lost and end up in Delaware or something. // Moved here a month ago. This is like the country to me. I live with my sister. Stay with her. She’s 69 and works four jobs. She has two kids — they sit around all day. The son, he’s got OCD, tears up the place when he has an episode. My niece has a padlock on her door to keep him out. I have a room, but I try not to be there too much. // People are nice here. I haven’t had anyone tell me to get lost when I start a conversation. In Whitestone, where I’m from — that’s Queens, New York City, I lived there 32 years. I was born in California. In Whitestone, they don’t talk to you. They ignore you if you’re lucky. I liked it there, except for that. They’re nicer here. I had to leave. Couldn’t afford it anymore. After 32 years. They kicked me out. They wanted eighteen hundred in maintenance. That’s just maintenance. Some places are like three grand a month in rent. I know it’s not cheap here, but it’s not three grand.
2/
My sister’s always working. I throw her as much money as I can. Her kids, they don’t work. It’s not healthy. They’re in their twenties. The son sits home all the time. I don’t know here the daughter goes. It’s not healthy. I have a room, but I can’t sit there all the time. I’m geographically challenged, I get lost walking out the door. This is the only place I can find. But he’s got good coffee so that works for me. // Yeah, she pays like twelve hundred. She gets some help, child support, but not a lot. It’s expensive here. You pay a lot, but what do you get? It’s cold here. You pay all that and it’s so damn cold. I can’t stand it. We’ve been lucky this winter, just one big storm. Not like last year. But still it’s too cold. I don’t know. Is Florida better? California? I was born in California. You know, I’d move to Las Vegas, though. I like Vegas. But I gamble. I don’t know if it’s a good place to live if you gamble.
3/
I used to go to the track. I worked at OTB, but they closed. They brought this consultant in to look for savings and we, the union, we gave stuff back — took a pay cut, agreed to a lot. But then Albany, the crooks in Albany, they nixed it and closed us down. // We were getting killed by the slots anyway. When they opened the slots at Aqueduct, they didn’t need us. You can’t win there. But I go to Aqueduct a lot, or I did. I know you can’t win, but I like it. I don’t know if I can get there much, now. The tolls — I paid like sixty in tolls when I went back last week. Paid for a hotel too — I asked some friends if I could stay, said I’d pay them, but I stayed in a hotel. I could take the park and ride, but you have to catch the Long Island Railroad after riding the bus. That’s a lot of travel. // I’d go to Vegas though. I have some friends there. They say the food’s terrible. The water, too. Can’t get a good bagel. There’s a place in Whitestone, on Sunday mornings the line snakes around the block. I’d bring you some back if I go in again. #instagramessays @newspoet41