"I've got to pay the rent," he continues waving a white envelope in the air. "I'm only $100 shy."
His landlord strolls to the outside table where we're sitting. She's elderly with wild white hair and hugs me and then him.
Handing her the envelope he explains, "I still owe you $100 from last month and I'm a $100 shy for this month too but I'll make it up when I get well."
Flashing a Cheshire smile she nods, "It's OK. How're you feeling?"
He smiles and holds up his cane. "Better everyday."
She nods and looks at me. "How's your mother?"A thousand years ago they'd worked together.
"She's great," I reply. "I was with her over the weekend."
"Good, you tell her I said hello," as she turns back to him, "and you take care of yourself."
She leaves us alone sitting at the plastic table under an umbrella with a book and my papers spread over it. A basket of shrimp arrives and I offer him some but he declines saying he has to leave.
Standing, he smiles as we embrace and he hobbles away.
I sigh as I sit back down.
"Blessed are the poor for everything God has will be yours," Jesus said and it makes me wonder.
No longer hungry, I push the basket away and take a sip of wine. The sun rains warmth down on me as I stick my bare feet in a chair looking at the deep blue sky. An ocean breeze blows cool from the north as I take my sunglasses off and rub my eyes trying not to think with my head but with my heart.
A couple enters the patio ordering Bloody Mary's and steamed oysters. Sad country music plays from speakers suspended overhead. The bartender sticks his head out and gives me a thumbs up and I nod to let him know I'm fine.
"Blessed are the poor ... MY ASS!" erupts from my heart. "Poor sucks!"
A flock of seagulls squawk circling overhead admiring the shrimp basket. The couple slurp oysters. All is calm. All is bright.
Then my head kicks in responding to my heart. "Blessed are the kind ... because they find kindness" and it makes me wonder about Karma.
A beer commercial comes on the television suspended overhead. The sound is turned off but I watch the "most interesting man in the world" do fabulous things before topping it off with a Dos Equis beer. I stare at it.
I know what it's like to be broke. I've been poor and been surrounded by others poorer than me. I've witnessed incredible acts of kindness and horrible indifference ... often by the most righteous of people. I've been abandoned and been found again too so I pause, tap my chest and blow a kiss to Sarah whose spending the day off island. I ponder these things and take another sip of wine.
A seagull flies down and steals a shrimp.
Grabbing my I-phone I update my status. "Sometimes God kidnaps your day. Like today. You know that Beer commercial with the most interesting man in the world. That's bullshit! It's me."
The bartender changes the radio station and "The Beatles" preach "Baby you're a rich man too."
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