"The Angel of Darkness is upon you. Stuck a needle in your arm. So take another toke, another blow for your nose. One more drink fool will drown you....Ooooh that smell. Can't you smell that smell? Ooooh that smell...the smell of death surrounds you."
Lynyrd Skynyrd - That Smell
The other day I went looking for an old friend of mine from the street. I've been trying to locate him for the last two months or so. The first place I looked was an abandoned building on the corner of Jones and Sahara. Last time we talked he told me he was squatting there. When I looked into the windows it appeared as though the place had been cleaned out and new locks put on the doors. I figured if he wasn't there, he had to be somewhere close. I then cruised over to Jones and New Holland. I looked out the window when I reached the corner and saw another old acquaintance of mine from the street. He was sitting on a bus bench drinking a beer. I immediately pull the car over and jump out. I was for certain that he would know where Boatie was.
"Stryker, have you seen Boatie? I have been looking for him and I'm not having any luck." Stryker is a youngin'. I would guess he's twenty three, twenty four at the very oldest. He's a good looking kid. I have told him on a number of occasions that he could win a James Franco lookalike contest. Unfortunately- Stryker - like so many other homeless, is a raging addict. He told me that crack was his first love. But after a while it wasn't giving him the high he craved, so he turned to heroine. When I was on the street, I always did my best to avoid Stryker. If he wasn't high he was a mean bastard. One time we almost got in a fight. I backed down because I didn't want to touch him. Stryker has more needle marks than a porcupine and the thought of fighting him gave me the creeps.
He was wearing the same black hoodie and brown baseball cap as the first time I met him. It appeared like both had been recently washed, I remember them being much filthier than they currently were. "Stryker, have you seen Boatie?" I asked again - this time standing directly in front of him - after my second query, he looks directly at me and says in a slurred speech - "No man, I haven't seen that motherfucker. Hey man, do you have a couple of dollars you could spare. I don't feel so good and I want to get something to eat." He was loaded. And when a person is loaded on heroine like he was, forget about it. It is impossible to communicate with them. Stryker has shot so much heroine in the last few years that it's hard for him to find a vein. Last time we talked he told me he was shooting up between his toes because it was the only place he could find a vein.
I reached in my pocket, pulled out a dollar and gave it to him. At first I didn't want to because I know what he most likely is going to do with the money, but nonetheless it was the right thing to do. I then told him that if he saw Boatie to please be sure to let him know I was looking for him. I should have saved my breath, he was too gone to remember anything.
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