he stood pat  

she was late 

               but she had a three miles walk to meet him at the coffee shop  they usually got to spend better than an hour before he had to be at work  

all he had to do was catch a bus come to town then walk five blocks 

he entertained and distracted himself during his walk with those characters who also disembarked from the bus depot the homeless pushed out of shelters by seven the panhandlers and the youthful panhandlers who were playing the Im homeless game
                 among those he cultivated one adversary who threatened to kick his assthreatened to assembly a gang – never happened -- to beat him senseless   

that was his fault

                   though he liked to think he was provoked  he wasnt usually rude

the panhandler was aggressive maybe that worked for himmaybe he was able to intimidate donations 

he told him he was barking up the wrong tree

If youre hungry as you say you are he eyed the guys dog  it wore a brandnew red bandanna around its throat he didnt much like dogs then Id suggest you eat your dog  He looks like hed be good for a couple of weeks of meals       

he laughed at his joke ofcourse he would it tickled him to tell the punk something he probably didnt know allegedly William Randolph Hearst said WHO? William Randolph Hearst he owned the castle on US 1 heading out of Cambria allegedly he said Give me a magazine cover with a beautiful girl, a dog, or a baby on it, and I’ll give you a magazine that sells.” 

             although his recollection might be somewhat sketchy altered suffered by shrooms he ate in the Heartbreak Hotel in Missoula Montana  the quote appeared on the cover somewhat perverted by National Lampoon whose function was to lampoon American culture Right. What’s lampoon? Fuckin look it up

the kid hopped around him menacingly drawing attention to himself the dog barked but the kid wasnt interested in getting his nose brokenjaw broken or was his dog interested in getting thrown over the wrought iron fence into the swift running creek beneath the intersection

maybe the kid thought panhandling adjacent to the Mission would soften people up

he was atheist

God and His bleeding heart cohorts could feed the kid  and his dog

he looked at the illuminated clock on the wall

she wasnt going to make it

he bought a cup of coffee and walked out the door

the shops manager followed him out the door  Excuse meshe said excuse me excuse me

he didnt think the voice was calling to him so he crossed the street

Excuse me!

he was almost startled  but he was aware of someone at his back

reaching the sidewalk so they wouldnt be in the street he turned to her  Yes

I ah  I wanted you to know that I’ve had some complaints about you and your ah  friend.

Complaints

Yes.

Shes not my friend  Shes my girlfriend

I know that.

Yes I know you know Youve been serving us nearly every weekday morning the past month or better

Yes.

What complaints

P – D – A.

P D A

Yes.

Simply yes

Well, yes.

Youll have to excuse me I dont know what P D A is

one would have thought he asked her to show him her tits not that he would be opposed to seeing them she was endowed she was likely the reason so many business men downtown went there for coffee a blouse isnt worn at halfmast in the morning like a bartenders blouse at night if it isnt wore to trump up business  com’on

she blushed

the colour looked good on her

he smiled 

he tried to disarm her embarrassment

                                         an embarrassment that she suffered for him

he never let his ignorance embarrass him

                                            he was always willing to learn something newthe error of his ways

PDA.

Repeating it over and over isnt telling me anything

You really don’t know? You’re not teasing me?

I despise acronyms Yawant me to know what your customers complaints are then you need to spit it outBut before you do as an issue which particularly gripes me Why didnt they approach me

I don’t know why they didn’t approach you. That said, PDA means, public display of affection.

he howledsplit a gut

she stood there listening to him witnessing his evident humour

when he finally gathered himselfcomposed him to speak he said If those complaints continue you tell them you said something  An then tell them I said if they have an issue with my affections they can approach me an say so 

Fuck em

he smiled at her Thank you for advising metelling me something I did not know Ive learned something new today If we dont learn something new every day then were not living right Thank you

she returned his smile

If I didnt say so this morning that’s a handsome blouse  Im a big fan

1636,  Friday,  25  1. 19

1419,  Day-between-Two-Ts,  3  6. 20

Aerosmith  Walk This Way  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4c8O2n1Gfto