"What you want"

Nobody wants to be me. Man, nobody. Welcome to NYC. Got a job here but got canned. Been trying to get another job, but can't; There are no other jobs on the market. So, tomorrow I'm going to be homeless unless I convince my family to take me back in, but I've asked and there's no room in anyone's place and no extra money for food. I maxed out my credit cards by “borrowing from Paul to pay Peter”. I've given my stuff to my friends and family to hold until I get back on my feet. I hope I get back on my feet. I even tried going to VR, but they only take people with disabilities. I tried the library, the unemployment office. I'm out of ideas. So, tomorrow at 12:00 pm, I'm homeless. I don't even know how to be homeless. If no passersby give me money, how will I eat? What if I need to go to the bathroom? I won't have a toilet? Go to the grocery store, maybe? I gotta apply for more jobs, but I won't have an address to put on the application. What? I live on the park bench? No more showering for a while. Ew. So, unless my lotto ticket wins tonight or I find a generous stranger to let me stay at their house, I'm fucked. I'm fucked. 

           So, I do something I swore to myself I would never do again. I applied to a local fast food chain. They took me on with my temporary address and somehow, since I showed my Land Lord proof of emloyment, he agreed to hold off on the eviction notice but said she'd charge me interest on my rent. So, I went back and asked my new boss, what hours I'd be working and she told me it varies but it's always between 4 am and 11 pm. So, I started looking at fast food joints that were 24 hours to apply for graveyard shifts. On my second interview, I got another job, so I could pay off my landlord, maybe. 

           I get up the next morning, eat breakfast, and shower. Thank God I still have a shower. I feel the warm water bouncing off my Caucasion flesh and it feels relaxing. I love how the soap foams over my body and the refreshing feeling I get when I step out of the shower. I almost lost that. Wow. 

           I'm two months behind on rent. Damn it. I don't know if this'll work if I'm not promoted. I take the subway to work since my subway pass is good for another month. I head into the fast food joint and look. Everyone is younger than me. It looks like they're in their teens. I'm in my fifties. I don't have a wife and kids which is a blessing since they won't be homeless with me, but a curse because that's what every person wants: a spouse and children. 

*

           I start my shift: “Thank you for choosing ^&*(, my name is Wess, How are you?” The customer says something like, 'Fine'. So, I say what's next on my script: “And what can I get for you this morning?” They order one of our combo meals and get coffee. I do this with each customer an the reader doesn't want to hear every transaction. Just the exciting ones. See, one of the customers had four people in the car: One man driving in the front, one woman in the front, and two women in the back. And as I handed the man the food and beverages one of the girls flashed her vagina by accident. Why would someone where a short skirt with no underwear? But, I enjoyed the view and became aroused. 

           Then, there were the drunk customers. Remember, the drunk customers are going to be assholes but they'll be better assholes if you're nice to them. One customer that evening threw up and had to be kicked out of our restaurant. See, alcohol is a mood enhancer. So, if a customer is angry, they become more angry and throw things. They also leave their possessions at our store. Things like purses, lip stick, condoms, all kinds of stuff. So, we put everything in our lost and found. Original, right? 

           Then, this young, skinny woman comes in wearing a wet bikini and bottom piece, a towel and a purse. There are different colored daisies on her two-piece. Then, she comes to my counter and I say my line with a smile:  “Thank you for choosing ^&*(, my name is Wess, How are you?” She smiles and says she's, “Good”. “And what can I get for you this morning?” I ask. She orders a cheeseburger and I tell her. “That'll be $5”. She hands me a $20 and I put it into the system while glancing at her cleavage. I put down she gave me $20 in the register and the register opens. Then, I glance at her cleavage again. She's about a C cup and she reaches in her purse and pulls out a hand gun. I freeze because I'm scared. 

           She speaks loud and clear: “Empty the cash register and put everything in this purse”. I point up. There's a blinking red light. I tell her she's on camera and can be prosecuted for armed robbery. She fires a bullet which I feel in my right ear. It misses me. I take the $20s, $10s, $5s, and $1s and put them in her purse and she commands. I'm looking at her gun instead of her tits. She stuffs her purse with the money like a Teddy Bear maker stuffing a Teddy Bear. She keeps the gun pointed towards me as she backs away. I ask, “Why? What do you need the money for that you'd risk being arrested?” And without a blink she says, “For rent and food for my kids” and she runs out. In our minds we're all criminals and we're all saints. We think we'd do the best thing if we were in a situation or the worst thing to our enemies if we thought we wouldn't get caught. The money she took to pay her rent could be the money I need to pay mine. Considering where I am in my life, maybe I should've let her blow my brains out. Then, I wouldn't have to worry about rent, food, or beg anymore. But, I make the decision.

           I tell my boss and he calls 911 and the police get a copy of the video and have cameras on the street. They're called the invisible cops. It's easy to identify her and track her since we're in a big city. They track her and we get our money back and I get a paycheck in two weeks. I don't know if it'll be enough to cover rent or not. As I walk home, I see a gun store on my left and wonder if there are other ways to pay my bills.