Throwaway People

Rescued Kitty

Palm Springs, Sears Outlet: 12:00 PM

Little C was a lifter. He stole anything he could get his hands on. He even lifted the wallet of a homeless guy who had a epileptic seizure. Taking the guy's last few dollars. Afterwards he kicked the guy in the head for good measure. He wanted to make sure the guy didn't get up and chase him.

C. was watching the routine of Water Jim. He watched him talk to Bobbi over on Military and Forest Hill. Jim made a little money selling water to pedestrians and a few cars. Little C figured he could take the man, who looked weak.

Little C was shorter, but C had a muscular build. Despite a crack habit. Which Little C credited for keeping him in shape. He watched as Jim walked behind the plaza buildings, heading towards the Sunshine Flea Market, which wasn't even open. It was the perfect place for Little C to take him. Sunshine Flea Market was closed and no one was around.

Little C followed Jim from a distance. Jim went around the corner at the end of the back road behind the plaza shops. Little C turned the corner hoping to catch Water Jim at the corner where no one would see them.

Little C. got hit with a cooler partly full of bottled waters in the face. With enough force to stun Little C and knock him backward. Jim had a knee on Little C's chest. A four inch folding knife pricked Little C's throat.

"I want to know about Jose, Casa Sombrio, and Andy. I also want to know about Kitty." Jim smiled down at Little C. "The canal is only six feet away and I have no problem cutting your throat."

With a warning to Little C to keep his mouth shut, Jim let the little bastard go. He learned little more than Bobbi had told him.

Jose had his harem at Casa Sombio start with child porn, sent the kids out to regular clients, and finally had them work the streets. Andy had showed up with Kitty six years ago. He gave Kitty to Jose in exchange for work as Jose's enforcer. Like Bobbi, Little C thought of Andy as a bad ass. Little C. knew these things; because his cousin Carlos worked for Jose.

Jim sat his bag down and leaned against the wall. Hands on his knees. "Breath, just breath."

Jim was trembling. He was glad that Little C. was gone. C. would have taken it as weakness on Jim's part. It didn't pay to show weakness on the streets. It wasn't fear. It was adrenaline pumping through him. Encounters with people like little C. didn't scare him. As soon as he got it under control Jim went back to Military to face his real fear. People in general.

Jim didn't interact well in social situations. He honestly didn't understand society in general. He found society to be suicidally stupid. Society in turn didn't like Jim, he was often considered a little slow, or possibly dangerous. Jim avoided society in general. Every time he had to interact on a social level it terrified him. This undiagnosed social anxiety disorder was why Jim was on the streets.

Lake Worth to Palm Springs: 3:32 PM

Patty came back early, having gotten herself thrown out of the park. A old man made a crude comment to her about her singing. Patty simply gave him the finger. He called 911 on her. Saying she was threatening him. Smug little bastard stood there looking on as the cop told her to leave. The cop's excuse for running her off was that she was soliciting. Not people, but money.

Most places have a 'move along policy' where street people are concerned. Authorities attempt to move street people out of areas where they are considered inconvenient. What happens is that the street people on Forest Hill end up moving to Military Trail. People complain about them on Military, so they end up moving onto 10th Avenue. From 10th to Lakeworth Road to Jog Road to Forest Hill again. Just a continual cycle where nothing is really accomplished.