Hangin' Out in Roxbury

I work in the South End of Boston. Several blocks down Washington Street is an area known as Roxbury. It has a very urban feel with less "gentrification" than other "up-and-coming" areas of Boston (like the South End and Jamaica Plain). Our Ruggles Assisted Living Community is in the neighborhood which is why I frequent the area from time to time. It's a neighborhood struggling to re-invent itself while remaining true to its history as a center of Boston black culture and society (and embracing its newer Latino residents).

Anyway, so now you know more of the "scene." A Silver Line bus stop on Washington Street is the site of the following conversation. The sky has grown cloudy and drops of rain are beginning to fall. I decide to wait for the bus to take me to Downtown Crossing. Around me are people just hanging out and chatting in front of a housing project.

A young black man in a wheelchair rolls up to me. "How are you?"

Me: "I'm doing pretty good. How are you?"

Young man: "Doin' OK. People are sayin' it's gonna rain. I can't stand it!"

I look around. "Yeah, it might rain. But what are ya gonna do? At least it will clear up tomorrow."

He laughs. "Where'd you here that? It's going to rain for three days!"

Me: "No way. If it rains for three days, I'm going on strike. I heard it's only going to rain for a day. I like my weather report."

Him: "Where'd you here this weather report?" He takes a lick of a drum stick ice-cream cone. There's a whole box of them on his lap, and a can of Bud Light (unopened) lays next to him.

Me: "I heard it on the radio."

He laughs.

Me: "No, public radio. They are a certified source. It's solid information."

Gesturing his dissent, he gets ice cream on his nose, forehead, and hat. I contemplate telling him, but wasn't sure how to tell a stranger that he's just made a huge mess of himself.

Him: "I saw it on TV, on Channel 2, Channel 4, Channel 5. Rain for three days."

Teddy peers past me across the street. "Hey, Big Daddy," he calls out to the large man across the street.

Big Daddy: "Teddy! What's up? Come over here!"

Teddy: "Fuck you! Come over here!" He gives him the middle finger, but in a friendly way. He turns back to me. "All the TV channels say the same thing. Three days."

Me: "You can't depend on TV! You can have your three days of rain if you want, but I like my weather report better."

In the distance I could see the bus coming. So could he. Suddenly he changes the subject. "What's your name?"

Me: "Jenny. What's yours?"

Him: "Teddy. Do you have a pencil?"

I look through my purse. I see a pen, but suddenly wary of his intentions, I pretend not to find one. "No, I don't have pencil. I can never find one when I need one."

The bus pulls up and the door opens. Teddy calls out to the bus driver: "Do you have a pencil?"

Me: "Teddy, I have to get on this bus. I gotta be somewhere."

Teddy: "Write down your phone number. I'll call you later." (never mind we still didn't have one).

I step on to the bus. "Teddy, it was nice talking to you. Bye!" I wave. It had been fun talking to him, but I wasn't about to give him my phone number.

Teddy waves. "Nice talking to you!"

And now ... I have to go. I have a tea to go to.