Sketches by Eric Walters Read Free Book Online

fifty cents each comes out to twenty bucks,” Brent said. “Breakfast and cigarette money.”
    â€œIt would be great if we could get enough money to get a motel room again,” I said.
    â€œThat would be nice,” Ashley agreed.
    â€œNice, but probably not going to happen,” Brent said. “Let’s just sell the papers and take it from there.”
    â€œWhere are we going to sell them?”
    â€œDown by one of the off-ramps coming off the expressway,” he explained.
    â€œLet’s go,” Ashley said. “If we really want to try to get a room tonight we need to sell all the papers and then do some serious panhandling after that.”
    I took one more look down the alley. The cat was peeking out from behind a dumpster. I’d be back later.
    THE LIGHT TURNED RED and the cars started to slow down and stop on the ramp. Brent and Ashley walked between the two rows of vehicles, offering papers to the drivers. A car window slid down and Ashley handed the guy a paper and took his money.
    We were taking turns going out to sell, and it was my turn to sit on the stack of remaining papers, which was getting smaller all the time.
    The light changed and the cars started off again. Brent and Ashley skipped through the cars and reached the safety of the sidewalk on the far side. We wereseparated by the stream of traffic—cars and trucks racing off the highway, trying to make it off the ramp and onto the street before the light changed to red again.
    I looked off to the side. There were two people coming toward me, a girl and a guy, and they had a dog with them. It was a big, black retriever with a red bandana tied around its neck. Neither of them looked much older than me. As they got closer I could also see that they were street.
    â€œMay I pet your dog?” I asked.
    â€œNo problem,” the girl said.
    I reached over and gave the dog a scratch behind the ears. It turned and started to sniff me.
    â€œProbably smells cat,” I said.
    â€œYou have a cat?” she asked.
    â€œNo, not really, but I was petting one just a while ago. What’s your dog’s name?”
    â€œSquat.”
    â€œWe called him that because that’s where we found him . . . in a squat,” the boy explained.
    â€œYeah. You should have seen him, nothing but skin and bones,” the girl said.
    â€œIt looks like he’s been eating pretty good since then,” I said. The dog was actually a bit fat.
    â€œThat was months ago. We make sure he eats,” the boy said.
    â€œHe eats, even if we don’t eat,” she added, a bit proudly. “Some people may think that’s stupid but—”
    â€œI don’t think it’s stupid!” I said, jumping in. “That’s just right. He’s your pet and you have a responsibility to take care of him, and that’s what you’re doing.”
    â€œExactly.”
    A car horn sounded and I looked up in time to see Brent and Ashley dodging traffic as they came across the road.
    â€œHow’s it going?” Brent asked.
    â€œGood, man . . . good to see you,” the boy said as he and Brent shook hands. The girl gave Brent a hug and then hugged Ashley. Obviously they all knew each other already.
    â€œThis is our friend, Dana,” Brent said.
    â€œHi, I’m Spencer, and this is my lady, Anna . . . and you’ve met Squat already.”
    â€œHow you doing, Squat?” Ashley asked as she gave the dog a hug around the neck. “I love his bandana.”
    Anna smiled. “Nothing’s too fine for our baby.”
    â€œWhere you staying these days?” Brent asked.
    â€œWarehouse just south of Queen Street,” Spencer told him. “I think it used to be a shoe factory.”
    â€œI know the one,” Brent said.
    â€œAny space there?” Ashley asked.
    â€œBig place,” Anna said. “Not much privacy and lots of people there every night.”
    â€œIs it