Throwaway People

Patty and Kitty

Palm Springs, Military Trail: 4:00 PM

Patty was walking down Military towards the Fresco. She had just gotten off the Route 61 Bus on 10th. She passed a couple of prostitutes on the way. Patty had been a prostitute once. She did it to feed her crack habit. Patty had finally had a epiphany some six months ago. If she didn't get straight and off the streets she'd die on the streets.

Patty had been addicted to crack for ten years. A prostitute for twenty. At thirty-five years old Patty looked forty-five. There had been a woman called Old Alice, by many in the streets, she looked to be in her late sixties. Come to find out the woman hadn't been much older than Patty when she was finally killed by serial killer posing as a client. Patty knew she could become another Alice if she didn't stop.

These days Patty carried a broken down guitar that she played at the park for money. Patty didn't make a lot of tips. Patty figured that a lot of people paid her hoping she'd stop playing the guitar. Patty knew she could sing. Patty's Southern rural West Virginia accent was suited to country music. If she could learn to play the crappy guitar Patty figured she'd make decent tips.

Ahead of her Patty saw someone getting out of a car. She wore a white latex miniskirt, matching boots and jacket. Kitty turned as Patty came up to her. She waved. Kitty walked down a fence line and recovered a pink backpack where she had hidden it. From the backpack she pulled out a bottle of mouthwash and a bottle of water. Using the mouthwash, Kitty rinsed her mouth with the water.

The teen-ager walked up to Patty like a seasoned prostitute. Two years on the street had made Kitty that way. Patty didn't like the idea that someone this young was on the streets. There was little she could do about it. Lately, Patty had been trying to build the girl's trust. She wanted to talk the girl into getting off the streets.

"Girl, you need to get off the streets." Patty told her. "Jose is going to get you killed."

"I don't have anywhere to go." Kitty said as she fell in step beside Patty. "I know what a foster group home is like. Terri told me. If I've got to sleep with someone, I'd rather earn money for it."

"Dcf isn't going to let that happen." Patty had this conversation before with Kitty. "Talk to the cops. Or maybe that girl, Maria, who runs the Out of Darkness Children's Shelter."

"Cops will put me in juvie or a group home. I told you, I don't trust a shelter. Not going there." A car stopped up ahead. "Watch my bag."

Kitty left her bag with Patty as she ran up to the car window. Kitty got into the car. It took off. Leaving Patty holding Kitty's bag. Kitty knew that Patty was going up to Fresco. Patty figured Kitty knew Patty met Jim at the Fresco in the plaza each evening. Patty guessed that was a sign of trust, that Kitty left her bag with her.

Palm Springs, Fresco: 4:12 AM

Patty had a sudden urge to seek out a dealer and buy some crack. She had these urges so strong sometimes she was terrified she would slip. Patty was afraid if she slipped this time, she would never beat her addiction. The urges came at the strangest times. Patty walked on, she'd meet Jim, and they would pool their resources for a motel room.

Jim usually sat on the side of the Fresco's parking lot away from where most people parked. It was smart to keep people from noticing you if you were on the streets. Street people who attracted attention had the cops called on them. All a person could do if they wanted to loiter somewhere was to pick an out of the way place and hope no one notices them.

An ambulance was pulling out of the back parking lot. There were a couple of police cars. Patty walked up to one of the Sheriff cars and spotted a deputy she knew.

"What's up Tony?"

"Old man died of a heart attack." Tony replied. "A guy was screaming for someone to call 911. When one of the people called 911 the guy left."

"Didn't want to be involved, I guess." Patty couldn't blame whoever it was.

Patty watched the ambulance and two Sheriff cars leave. As Tony's car passed a woman heading to her in a SUV she called out. "Why don't you arrest that whore?" Patty shook her head.

Not wanting someone to call 911 on her; Patty walked across the street to an empty building. As Patty came across the empty parking lot, the car that picked up Kitty earlier, dropped her off. As Kitty approached Patty smelled the pot and sex on her. There was a time when Patty wouldn't have noticed. Now Patty seemed sensitive to the smell. Patty felt that itch to seek out a dealer again.

Patty handed Kitty her backpack. "Thanks Patty." Kitty pulled out a fiver and tried to hand it to Patty.

Patty shook her head. "I've got plenty, keep it for yourself." Patty felt it was too much just to hold onto a backpack.

"I'll owe you a favor." Kitty stashed her backpack behind a empty store front across from the Fresco and headed back to Military Trail.

Patty wanted to grab the girl and drag her away. Kitty was a good kid. Smart too. She deserved a better life than this. Patty thought about calling 911 and reporting her to the police. The problem was that if Kitty saw a County Sheriff, Green Acres Police, or Palm Springs Police car cruising the streets she'd hide someplace until they left. It could destroy the trust Patty had built with the child if she found out that Patty had called 911 on her. It would also hurt Kitty's quota for her pimp and that could get her badly hurt if she didn't meet her quota.

Six months of being sober had caused Patty to realize one thing about god. He didn't exist. If god existed why did she let a child be prostituted on the streets. Why didn't god strike down a pimp who had destroyed the innocence of that child. Turning her into a pot smoking street prostitute. Where was god when people like Kitty needed him.

As Kitty disappeared onto Military Trail, Jim was walking down Cresthaven. Patty was happy to see his lanky form strolling towards her. She stopped thinking about wanting a hit. For the moment thoughts of Kitty and god left her mind. This was the reason she had stopped seeing her regulars, she wanted a better relationship with Jim. She didn't think she could do that if she stayed a prostitute.

"I hope you did better than I did." Patty said as she walked up to him.

"Not much, but Bill turned me onto a place to camp before he died." Jim told her.

"That was Bill who died?"

"I was right there beside him. He was talking crazy before he died. I think he wanted to tell me about the place, but it seemed jumbled to me." Jim remembered Bill saying 'it came back'. "He was talking like the place just appeared out of nowhere."

"I don't know if I want to camp out in the open." Patty saw Jim smile.

"Don't worry. We have a luxury hotel."