Osito

Villy Diernisse

Copyright C Villy Diernisse
All Rights Reserved

Madder than hell. Ready to carve Thanksgiving turkey, and no way to get a plumber. Wife and kids upset, but…got no choice. I throw the tools in the truck and drive an hour on the near empty highway in to the city. Idiot! Why the hell did I buy that damn apartment building? Frustrated I send a stream of tobacco juice out the window; hitting the windshield of the car in the next lane. "Don't blow your horn at me, You stupid bitch".

Sure enough. Raw sewage pouring down halls and stairs and spilling out onto the sidewalk. Stinks like an outhouse on a sweltering summer day. Stench from piss and turds, and stench from tampons and condoms. No wonder Sam, the druggist, got himself a fancy sports car. Goddamned. Look at all those scumbags. Is that the only thing those people ever do? And what kind of idiot throws potato peels down the toilet? Stupid ass on third floor flushing toilet, and more crap cascade down the stairs. Windows and doors wide open. Oil burner blasting away; a gallon a minute. Oil bill sure to eat up next month's rent. Women screaming, men cursing, and kids crying.

"Shut up I yell in my best Spanish." But they don't.

Stoppage must be in the basement, and I slosh through six inches of raw sewage to the clean-out. No! The main is clear. I drag my toolbox up stairs slippery with toilet paper and damn near tumble back down. Six feet down in apartment D, and snake won't move. The wax ring breaks when I yank the bowl off. Damn it, don't have another. Well plumber can fix it tomorrow, they'll just have to use toilet across the hall. Still can't get snake through and I bend a hook on the end. Two dozen tries and it finally hooks. Move it six inches and hook lets go. Damn it. Two hours later I finally pull it through. A goddamn teddy bear. I curse a blue streak. Stupid kid gave her teddy a bath and flushed him down the toilet. I'll wring her neck.

I get wet-vac and start on third floor. Tenants pester me, but like hell I'll clean their apartments. They can be up to their eyeballs in crap for all I care. Over an hour before I can begin mopping. Have only a gallon of disinfectant, but it will have to do. The smell of incense and cooking odors mixed with stench of raw sewage waft out from the apartments. Wash up as best I can at basement slop sink and put tools in truck. Starved, tired and dripping wet with sweat, I look down the street to closed luncheonette. Moe closing up candy store too. Thinks he's doing me a big favor by selling me lousy candy bar.

Back at the building electric cord hangs out window and a kid sits on stoop aiming hair dryer on shabby teddy bear. Scared she looks at me.

"You mad at me mister?"

I don't answer, and she puts the dryer down to pull teddy's shirt up. It fell back down when she picked up the dryer. Twice more she tried, and I sit down next to her, blowing teddy's butt while she holds his shirt up.

"He's my Osito."

I nod. It is getting dark and a cold wind blows.

A toothless smile, and her grimy hand reaches up for the rest of the candy bar.

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