The First Male by Lee Hayes Read Free Book Online

Cisco Gray, who ran the greasy diner in which he worked, asking him to come into work as soon as he could. Cisco’s nephew, Jamal, who was notoriously unreliable, had failed to show for work—yet again. Cisco had threatened him with termination several times, but the threat lost teeth each time it was uttered without any bite.
    Simon didn’t mind going into work, at least it would be a distraction. He wasn’t going to class and didn’t really have anything to do. He figured that since his appointment with the doctor wasn’t until late in the afternoon, he’d work a few hours, make a little money and then bounce, making his way over to Dr. Myles.
    After he got dressed and gathered his things, he wandered down the long, creaky wooden hallway of the of the six-unit apartment house in which he rented his space. Once he reached the end of the hallway, he started descending the staircase that was covered with the most awful, dirty blue, industrial carpet that he had ever seen. Tacky silver Christmas garland was woven in between the railing of the staircase and a large, used wreath was tacked to the wall. He moved down the staircase, but stopped midway, suddenly. The front door had just closed and he heardthe voice of Ms. Sanchez, his landlord. She was speaking loudly in Spanish and sounded angry.
    Please don’t see me , Simon thought.
    Simon’s rent was about a week late, which was his routine, and he wouldn’t have it until the end of the week. He had hoped to avoid her until then. He listened as the floor creaked beneath her feet as she walked down the hallway to her apartment, the only one on the ground level of the building; she liked to know who was coming and going in the building. Often when Simon’s keys struck the lock of the door from the outside, she’d poke her head out of her door to see who was entering. He heard her dig into her purse for her keys, as she usually did, and then listened as the key struck the lock and the door opened. He waited a few seconds after he heard the door slam before he dared move. Quickly, he descended the rest of the stairs.
    He stepped boldly outside into the fullness of day. As soon as he opened the front door, his senses were assaulted by stimuli from every direction. The cool wind sliced through his skin, sending chills throughout his body and causing him to shudder. He reached into his satchel and pulled out his sunglasses, hoping they would help block the light that drilled into his head. The light seemed so bright that he thought he was staring directly into the sun. A city bus with squealing brakes trudged up to the bus stop directly in front of his house and came to a screeching halt. The high-pitched shriek felt like needles shooting into his skull. He collapsed against the door and covered his ears with his hands, partially blocking the piercing sound. Sweat poured out of his skin, in spite of the below-average winter temperature, and his knees felt weak, as if they would buckle.
    When passengers de-boarded the bus and others stepped on after paying their fares, the bus pulled off and Simon slowlyregained his balance. He looked around the street to see if anyone had noticed his episode. He was a bit embarrassed. From what he gathered, no one had paid him any attention. Anyone who might have seen something probably thought he was having a crack fit. In this neighborhood that was full of drug addicts and whores, he knew no one would care, even if they had witnessed it.
    He took a moment to steady himself. Now, he was convinced that he really did need to see a doctor. For someone who had never been sick a day in his life, he certainly had had his share of strange episodes this week. He hadn’t known sickness or pain in all of his life and found himself ill-equipped to deal with the sensory overload. He didn’t know what to think or what to do, but he was becoming concerned. Maybe he had developed a tumor, he thought to himself.