Pawns in Play…

George went and sold his car stereo at the pawn shop this morning for the grand total of $20 dollars.

“These places are the biggest rip off,” I told him as we sat in his car waiting for the shop to open.

“I needs the money,” George said, looking deflated at my saying that.

The shop finally opened and I walked around looking as George did his business with the proprietor. It is amazing to see what people will sell for a few bucks. You could find almost anything in there from knives, to chainsaws, to bicycles, to DVD players, etc.

“Come on, let’s get the hell out of here,” George said in a huff as he walked by me unhappy with what the shop had offered him. It was a $200 dollar stereo, but George took the twenty bucks anyway.

“I told you so,” I said as we climbed back into George’s car.

“I need gas money to make money today,” He replied, surly.

We drove through the drive-thru at McDonald's and got some coffee and sausage biscuits, George’s treat, and then headed back over to the shopping center to park for George to wait on his first customer of the day after filling up George’s car with fifteen dollars of gas.

“What you be going to do today?” George asked me as we sat in the parking lot waiting.

“Same ole shit,” I replied. “I will go home and write about this.”

George laughed.

“I need to give you more interesting things to write about,” He said as he grinned.

“No, no, things are fine. They are interesting enough,” I replied. “I don’t want you to get into trouble.”

It was the morning after Sunday and one of the rare times that George is sober. They don’t sell alcohol here on the Lord’s Day. George was itching to get a drink though and told me so.

“Go buy dis brotha a beer,” He told me as we sat in the car.

George had spent his new found twenty dollars for breakfast and gas. Whether he drank or not depended on how many rides for money he gave today.

“Man, I am broke as well,” I said. “I can’t even afford a dollar beer.”

“You be havin’ Daddy Warbucks,” George said of my father.

“If I go to him for money then he will think I have started back drinking,” I replied. “I would rather just be broke and muddle on through this.”

I borrowing money is a sure sign of me drinking again so Dad would be right to be wary.

George’s first customer of the day finally came walking out of the grocery store, recognizing George’s car, and waved. It was an older black lady carrying four plastic bags of groceries that lived nearby. Her hands were full.

“Here we go,” George said excitedly as he rubbed his hands together.

“I’ll see ya man,” I said as I got out of the car and walked on home to a beautiful and glorious spring morning with the temperatures hovering in the sixties. Here’s to hoping it will be a grand day. It got off to an interesting start.