The word from the street
TONY
“You see that lady over there? Just the other day, she was waving like crazy at this taxi but the guy didn’t even notice her. So I yelled at him real loud and he turned around and he picked her up. You know, the driver said thanks, even though I’m just a homeless guy … some of those cab drivers are pretty decent guys.”
PHILIP
Are you voting?
TONY
“No but I’d vote for that Dion guy from the Liberals but I can’t vote since I don’t have an address.”
PHILIP
“Harper’s gotta go.”
TONY
“You know, he thinks homeless people should just get off their ass and get a job. He doesn’t understand how it is on the street. He should be in our shoes for a year or two, if you know what I mean.”
PHILIP
“What are you doing with that thing?”
TONY
“This thing? That the lens from one of those big old back-projector TVs. I’m cracking it out from the plastic housing so I can do my reading better. My glasses don’t work much for me anymore, if you know what I mean. Most people don’ know it but these lenses are amazing.”
Here’s Tony’s “Standing While Homeless” (aka SWH) ticket from last week. I had said it was for $96; it’s actually for $65.
Philip
TONY
“There’s this woman who brings me a homemade lunch most mornings. So recently she hasn’t, which she was apologizing to me for, but I know she’s moving her home and she doesn’t have any place to even make me a sandwich right now. So I just told her not to worry; I said: ‘When you’ll be ready, I’ll be ready.’ “
TONY
“We’re losing another homeless guy.”
PHILIP
“Who’s that?”
TONY
“You remember when I told you about the homeless guy up the street, the guy who was drinking mouthwash? He’s in the hospital — has been for 3 days now. The doctors figure for sure he ain’t coming out of that hospital on his own steam, if you know what I mean.”
PHILIP
“How do you know this?”
TONY
“I spoke one of his other friends last night. The guy says that everyone’s done whatever they could to help the guy, but his insides were totally rotted out. You know, we’re just falling like flies now.”
Homeless Man Speaks 