Words Just So

From My Window

The Toyota looked brown under the glare. Early morning sun trickled down the alley street between the Hungarian Catholic church and the row homes on North Belnord across from Patterson Park. People were waking, starting coffee, rubbing the sleep from their eyes. Frying eggs in pajama bottoms. Inhaling fresh ink and newsprint.

“Put your pants on!” yelled the young black woman to the middle-aged white man.

He was begging, pleading for her to come back to the car.

“Put your god damned pants on!” She yelled again.

“Come back to the car.” He pleaded.

The young woman walked back to the car, careful to avoid his grip. They were both under some sort of intoxicated spell.

The man struggled to pull up his pants with one hand as he tried to hold the young woman's arm.

“I want my money! Give me my money!” She yelled.

“I don’t have it with me. Get in the car and we’ll go get it.” He said.

“I’m not going anywhere with you!” She yelled.

The man was still struggling with his pants.

“Put your god damned pants on!” She yelled once again.

Both doors of the car were ajar. The man finally had his pants up. The woman pulling from his grasp, ran down North Belnord.

It looked as if he wanted to follow, but his state did not allow. Nor did his bare feet, which had gone unnoticed up until now.

The man stumbled back to the car and sat in the drivers seat. Fumbling under the seat for some time before he pulled out a glass bottle filled with brown liquor. He crouched and took a sip, screwed the lid back on and replaced the bottle beneath the seat.

The passenger door still ajar.

The woman appeared once more. The man pulled himself from the drivers seat and tried to grab her arm. Successful, he forced her back into the car and slammed the door.

“I don’t have the money here. We’ll have to go get it.” He said.

They drove off.

I stood staring out the window. A feeling of disbelief. Another car turned the corner and drove  past. The fog was lifted.