4. George Washington

Ha. There's George Washington panhandling outside of Jewel Market. A chair made out of boxes, a sign, and a cup. Right after church too. Very business-like.

He's got a lot of nerve, George Washington. I see a new veteran's patch on his jacket, which I doubt is true considering the stories he tells about himself. Or maybe the stories are the lies, and he really was in the Army. I do admire his style, though I would never do it, straight out asking for money. I'd rather wash car windows at stop lights, but I'm too short. How do I get by? Sometimes it's a big fat mystery.

"Hola, Betty!" George Washington waves and gives me that shiny smile. I don't even look up.

"Feliz navidad!!" he yells.

Crazy guy. It's May, not Christmas. Hey. When did he learn Spanish? And when did I learn Spanish? Maybe it rubbed off from the day worker guys that hang out at St. Mark's in the mornings. Sometimes they share a cup of coffee or one of those weird Mexican pastries. Last week I noticed that I understood what they were saying. Maybe I'm from Mexico. Pequeno bettita linda. Yeah, right.

Look at that. George Washington is flirting with the blonde lady and her blonde collie.

People are not worried about George Washington like they are about some of the other guys. He is kind of ragged, but he doesn't have that intense look in his eyes that might mean trouble. I wish I had that intense look in my eyes. I practice it in a mirror, but I just look mad, not scary. I hate it when people come up to me. Little kids try to see what's in my cart. No one would do that with Tony's cart. That cart looks like it might explode. I guess Tony looks like he might explode too. No one comes near us if I'm with Tony. But George Washington is a magnet, so I keep away from him.

He sure does keep his eye on the ball. Grand finale, money in the cup, clink clink swish! Everybody smiling, transaction complete. And away goes the fancy car.

George Washington makes it look so easy, which is definitely not true.