The View From Scranton

Ditchings and Diggings

Ditching Kenny was a cinch. In fact, I didn't even have to try. I'm going to the Linden Market for cigarettes and a paper, said I. He kept walking. The way I taught him to walk. The only way he knows. Expecting me to catch up. Linden was closed so I hit Frank's and took another route. So long, sucker.

Kenny slogs where I slog. Lives in the House that I live in. We're both mandated, it's just his mandate is a bit stronger. And a helluva lot more severe. I didn't want him to work where I work 'cause I knew he'd wanna walk with me each morning. Wreck my solace. A soundtrack for my crawl over and up hill upon hill to a place that I don't wish to be.No thank you. I don't wanna hear about the House, the people in there. I don't wanna hear about the job, those people either. And I sure as all fuck do not wanna hear about Kenny. Ever again.

Kenny just maxed a 1-2 for soliciting a runaway teen in an Allentown park. I don't know what he said or how he said it, but the boy wasn't having any. Now for the rest of his life Kenny'll have to register under Megan's Law. Make no move without the state's permission. He's not allowed in parks anymore either.

Kenny's currently on parole for burglary. Or so he says anyway. Everyone in the House lies so much about their lives, their crimes, you don't know what to believe. Kenny though is probably being relatively truthful. I mean, he's freely spilled everything else about himself, including the episode in the park, why would he lie about a burglary?

Or a compulsion to burgle. This isn't his first fall, this is like his 6th. Or 7th. Or 8th. I lost track in the too long telling. I did try to calculate his time away. Came up with 16 outta 20, with a long of 2. Yep. Kenny's been down 16 outta the last 20 years, and has never been out for more than 2 in a row. That's time.

You can see it all over his face. Kenny's not an unhandsome man. Strong jaw, square head, jailhouse-solid build. Mediterranean, I'd guess. His ears stick out too far but we can't have everything. When you get to the eyes though, there's trouble. They don't know where they wanna be. What they wanna do. What they're thinking. They're the eyes of the institutionalized. Looking to be told where to settle. Reminds me of Jack Henry Abbott and how he didn't know where to buy toothpaste. Locked up so long he lacked even the basics. That's Kenny. Kinda.

So like I said, I sprung for the paper and walked alone. Beautiful. Not the walk, the paper. Last time I had a NY Times in my hand was in the Bradford County Jail. I used to have Sunday's delivered if you can believe that. Make the thing last a week just so I was never without. Today though I pictured a more pleasant place. South Beach. Particularly The Crescent on Ocean Drive. I had a pad there for awhile. Got the Times on the doorknob every morning. And when I'd come home after a long night out I'd quick-change into some cabana wear, grab a smoothie from the downstairs cafe, and make my way across the street to the sand and the ocean. A club kid I knew ran the beach chair concession, always saved me a seat, and nearly every morning I took it.

The Atlantic wasn't lapping at my feet this day, and the sun was without any tropical fervor, but the Times didn't disappoint. I wanna get mad about exurban sprawl outside Tampa (and I did). I'm glad to know the Gerbers are teaming with Maxim (now I do). I'm inspired by the billionaire feats of Jack Ma's alibaba.com, hard-wired by the can-do cats at Judy's Book. Just having the paper at hand made me feel closer to the world. And trust me, I am nowhere near.

I swung to the same sensation last week with The New Yorker. Everyday I carried it to and through slogville, and every 10 minute break and every half hour lunch I devoured it. I even copped a peek during smoke breaks but got dirty looks for my effort. In fact I got dirty looks all around whenever I broke out a New York anything. Still do. You think you're better than us, they scowl. Uppity ex-con. I'm not mad though. They're right. I do think I'm better than them.

So there.

posted by John Hood. @ 9:53 PM