Some old black guy***
On Monday I finally had some time off and I was thrilled. After sleeping for a little while I decided to run some errands in good ole' Pikesville, Maryland suburbia. I went to two places in about 30 minuted and managed to see one older gentleman four times in that span.
When I was walking to the library I ran into the man coming toward me right after he got off the city bus. He looked a little messy but not to the point of being homeless, he said hello (I think) and I said hi back.
On my way back up the street from the library I cut over to stop at the Grocery store. I was taking the back way in and saw the man again. He had his plastic bag sitting on a taxi cab hood and I could see him possible being a cab driver. This is when the meetings got to be strange. As I walked by at a decent distance he called out to me: "Want to buy _____ its brand new $35.00" It was some sort of DVD in what appeared to be a very blackmarket looking case. Now I have seen illegal DVDs sold on the streets of Chicago and New York I have seen tons in foreign countries, but never in suburbia USA. The funny thing is I would never pay $35 for a blackmarket DVD. I mean come on. They are way cheaper than that. He must have really thought I was some kind of dumb white girl who wouldn't know any better (which is understandable) . I told him "No thanks!" and walked toward Giant supermarket. (Of course in my head I am seeing the commercial on rental DVD's: "You wouldn't steal a car...You wouldn't steal a purse...Copying DVDs is Illegal.....PIRACY IS A CRIME" with that catchy music in the background.)
After purchasing afew groceries I am heading back to my apartment (still on foot) by another short cut when I see the guy again. He is standing next to a Nissan car now in a small parking lot. He looks up and sees me (oh brother) and says: This car was towed and look!!! No one came to claim it. They towed it and no one came to claim it!" Sheesh guy this isn't lost and found where if no one comes to claim the item you automatically get dibs on it. I merely made an exagerrated shrug and kept walking.
Once I hit the main street and crossed he popped out of another side of a building still on the other side of the street. "Hey do you have sixty cents?" I told him no. Like I am going to cross back over a very busy street to give him sixty cents when he couldn't have asked for it the first three times I saw him?
***Please note: I have been given permission from my African American friends to refer to this man as "black" to be sure it would not offend anyone.
When I was walking to the library I ran into the man coming toward me right after he got off the city bus. He looked a little messy but not to the point of being homeless, he said hello (I think) and I said hi back.
On my way back up the street from the library I cut over to stop at the Grocery store. I was taking the back way in and saw the man again. He had his plastic bag sitting on a taxi cab hood and I could see him possible being a cab driver. This is when the meetings got to be strange. As I walked by at a decent distance he called out to me: "Want to buy _____ its brand new $35.00" It was some sort of DVD in what appeared to be a very blackmarket looking case. Now I have seen illegal DVDs sold on the streets of Chicago and New York I have seen tons in foreign countries, but never in suburbia USA. The funny thing is I would never pay $35 for a blackmarket DVD. I mean come on. They are way cheaper than that. He must have really thought I was some kind of dumb white girl who wouldn't know any better (which is understandable) . I told him "No thanks!" and walked toward Giant supermarket. (Of course in my head I am seeing the commercial on rental DVD's: "You wouldn't steal a car...You wouldn't steal a purse...Copying DVDs is Illegal.....PIRACY IS A CRIME" with that catchy music in the background.)
After purchasing afew groceries I am heading back to my apartment (still on foot) by another short cut when I see the guy again. He is standing next to a Nissan car now in a small parking lot. He looks up and sees me (oh brother) and says: This car was towed and look!!! No one came to claim it. They towed it and no one came to claim it!" Sheesh guy this isn't lost and found where if no one comes to claim the item you automatically get dibs on it. I merely made an exagerrated shrug and kept walking.
Once I hit the main street and crossed he popped out of another side of a building still on the other side of the street. "Hey do you have sixty cents?" I told him no. Like I am going to cross back over a very busy street to give him sixty cents when he couldn't have asked for it the first three times I saw him?
***Please note: I have been given permission from my African American friends to refer to this man as "black" to be sure it would not offend anyone.
posted by Noellebellz at 12:19 AM
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