Ferrets Got the Blues

For most of the summer, every time I drove somewhere through town I saw Ferret walking. He never seemed to have a destination. He was endlessly walking on a quest for what I do not know. George seems to think he is going crazy. I am starting to come to the same conclusion.

Lately, as cooler weather has set in, Ferret has once again started to hang out down at the grocery store like old times. He has been a pitiful sight to behold. He doesn’t shave or bathe and he looks so sad and forlorn. He rarely says a word. He sits down there all day watching people come and go as his life passes him by.

This morning I walked down to the shopping center to pick up a half gallon of milk for my coffee in the cool morning air. Ferret was sitting on the bench between the Pig and the dollar store. I sat down next to him to smoke a cigarette before I entered the store and made my purchase. He has really let himself go these days. He looked about as grubby as you can get with really dirty clothes.

“How’s it going man?” I asked as I lit my cigarette and sat down.

“I ain’t feeling too well these days,” Ferret replied sullenly.

“You still living with your mother?” I asked.

“That bitch is driving me crazy,” He replied. “She keeps telling me to get a job.”

“Have you been down to the unemployment office?” I asked trying to continue the conversation.

“What’s with all the fucking questions?” He asked angrily,

“Woah, hold it man, I didn’t mean to piss you off,” I replied. “I was just trying to make conversation.”

“Well, I don’t need your fucking conversation,” He said as he turned to me with a weird look in his eyes.

This exchange had caught me off guard as normally Ferret is a pretty laid back fellow. I flicked the almost spent cigarette out into the parking lot with my middle finger and thumb and then started to get up to go in the store. Ferret reached into his coat pocket to pull out an empty cigarette packet. He looked into it trying to find one last cigarette, but to no avail. I handed him the rest of my pack and he had a “what the fuck?” expression on his face as I did this.

“Why are you giving me this?” He asked. “You never let people bum cigarettes.”

“I just thought you needed it, man,” I replied.

“I’ll pay you back,” He said.

“Don’t worry about it,” I said as I walked off and left to finish my shopping.

I know what it is like to be down and out and every little good thing can make all the difference such as those few cigarettes. I also know what it is like to feel crazy and to not have control of your life. I think Ferret is experiencing those very same things. I just hope he has the good sense or what is left of his sanity to get over to the mental health clinic and get some help. Somehow, I doubt it will happen though. When you get like that you need help from others or your family to pull out of it. From what I have heard, I don’t think Ferret’s mother is up to that task.