Claude Clay
Member
Some events seem almost light hearted upon reflection
Fred is played by OMC; Wilma by Charter Arms
Back in 1978, was late winter into spring and I was manager for a number of rental properties. Some of the buildings had morphed to a welfare client base. So each mother’s day I would be out and about collecting the rent. The area youth were very nice; often expressing concern for my car and my health. They even had a schedule of fees for their services—did I mention how they liked to play with knives when they talked to me? Oddly, fees were not an exact amount; rather they were an object—as in ‘gimme what’s in your pocket’ or ‘gimme your wallet’. Strange how they would not say the word ‘money’. Perhaps like ‘work’ it was a dirty word to them.
Back to ‘that day’ when 3 concerned fellers wanted their ‘fees’. Still ~12 feet between us in a wide hallway and I already hand my hand under my shirt on Fred (soon after this Fred would not leave the cave without Wilma), I told them that I had met with some of their like minded business friends a number of times before and we had all mutually agreed to waive my fees. Honestly, I always felt there was a bit of reluctance and even some negative feelings on their part. I noticed that though they spoke a form of English, they had trouble understanding me. Often our discussions would conclude with them throwing down their knives and gesticulating erratically and saying things concerning my parents and grandparents that they had no way of knowing about. They sometimes suggested I should do things which honestly I do not think are possible. These and other strange suggestions often continued as they walked away.
Anyways….these three thieves-in-training say something like ‘ya, well we are here now so now you do what we say’. They were shuffling closer to me as they spoke, pointing their blades at each other and their chests to emphasize we so I let Fred out to low ready and said ‘Fred don’t want to talk about this again. Drop the shinny’s and leave’. Two did and the third did when Fred made eye contact. Darned but they had what to say about my parentage as they got themselves to leaving. Go figure that they would be so interested in my family tree.
Well, now I figure that the area people’s know that I am not alone when they see me by myself.
The next month I notice two large dudes sitting on the steps as I park and walk over to the building. Wilma is in my left vest pocket that I put the car keys in—my hand is still in that pocket though not on the keys. As I get about 12 feet away, all of us having maintained strong eye contact
Lefty says: you held down on a brother…
I says: ya, what, do they want their cutlery back?
Lefty starts to say something when righty chimes in smiling with: my aunt likes you
I says: you look like you belong to Betty’s table
He laughs and says that’s her and he will have a talk with them boys.
I was never bothered in that building again.
A few years later I met up with one of them again….but that’s another story.
Fred is played by OMC; Wilma by Charter Arms
Back in 1978, was late winter into spring and I was manager for a number of rental properties. Some of the buildings had morphed to a welfare client base. So each mother’s day I would be out and about collecting the rent. The area youth were very nice; often expressing concern for my car and my health. They even had a schedule of fees for their services—did I mention how they liked to play with knives when they talked to me? Oddly, fees were not an exact amount; rather they were an object—as in ‘gimme what’s in your pocket’ or ‘gimme your wallet’. Strange how they would not say the word ‘money’. Perhaps like ‘work’ it was a dirty word to them.
Back to ‘that day’ when 3 concerned fellers wanted their ‘fees’. Still ~12 feet between us in a wide hallway and I already hand my hand under my shirt on Fred (soon after this Fred would not leave the cave without Wilma), I told them that I had met with some of their like minded business friends a number of times before and we had all mutually agreed to waive my fees. Honestly, I always felt there was a bit of reluctance and even some negative feelings on their part. I noticed that though they spoke a form of English, they had trouble understanding me. Often our discussions would conclude with them throwing down their knives and gesticulating erratically and saying things concerning my parents and grandparents that they had no way of knowing about. They sometimes suggested I should do things which honestly I do not think are possible. These and other strange suggestions often continued as they walked away.
Anyways….these three thieves-in-training say something like ‘ya, well we are here now so now you do what we say’. They were shuffling closer to me as they spoke, pointing their blades at each other and their chests to emphasize we so I let Fred out to low ready and said ‘Fred don’t want to talk about this again. Drop the shinny’s and leave’. Two did and the third did when Fred made eye contact. Darned but they had what to say about my parentage as they got themselves to leaving. Go figure that they would be so interested in my family tree.
Well, now I figure that the area people’s know that I am not alone when they see me by myself.
The next month I notice two large dudes sitting on the steps as I park and walk over to the building. Wilma is in my left vest pocket that I put the car keys in—my hand is still in that pocket though not on the keys. As I get about 12 feet away, all of us having maintained strong eye contact
Lefty says: you held down on a brother…
I says: ya, what, do they want their cutlery back?
Lefty starts to say something when righty chimes in smiling with: my aunt likes you
I says: you look like you belong to Betty’s table
He laughs and says that’s her and he will have a talk with them boys.
I was never bothered in that building again.
A few years later I met up with one of them again….but that’s another story.
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