Saturday morning, we had some time to kill, Mijo had to be on campus at 8:00am for weigh-in but the meet did not start until 9:00am, so I thought it would be fun to drive around a bit. I am still getting to know our new little Ford Escape and have been enjoying driving it around town. It was all fun and games, we left our son at school and headed up west on Stassney Lane until it dead ends and we turned left to where Central Market is at on Ben White and South Lamar. It was so quiet with no traffic, we got a light cold front, so the weather was beautiful in the low 50s and the sun was still low in the sky. I went out on South Lamar, then headed back on Oltorf to 1st Street and I remembered the aquarium store, which is cool and shaped like a dome. It is somewhat hidden and Wife didn't even know it existed, I think Boy showed it to me a few years ago. I drove towards it but it was closed, so by then it was closer to 8:30, so I thought maybe we should just head back to the school. I popped back to the BenWhite frontage road and figured I would just turn on Manchaca Street which goes right next to Crockett HS. The underpass where Ben White and Manchaca meet might be the most dense area of a tent city here in town. Both sides of the street are lined with tents and tarps, nothing but bums and druggies as far as you can kick a can.
I couldn't help it, we pulled up as the light changed. I was blinded by the activity of one bum fucking with a huge street box, the ones that hold electronics for the street lights. I couldn't figure if he was trying to open it or just vandalize it. Maybe he was going to spray it with some Windex and give it a clean, but I doubt that. Well, at the same time, to our right on the sidewalk a couple of literal zombie bums, they must have been high and out of their minds started wandering onto the road. I quickly did the math and figured at the rate this fuck is moving, he is going to be in front of me to prevent me from going when the light changes. Sure enough, I watched his slow retarded drugged out waltz out on the street and he moved towards us about as creepy yet as harmless as it can be. His eyes were gone, he was in another world, his warm-ups were clearly around his thighs, thankfully his shirt was long enough. The other bum luckily stayed on the sidewalk and didn't venture out onto traffic, but this one was enough. I was at the same time staring at him and staring at the light hoping it would change so I could make way before he stepped in front of me. You know how life works, he stepped right in the path of the right tire as the light changed, but the car next to me gave zero fucks, he never slowed down and just sped by this walking speed bump at a good pace which somehow sucked the zombies attention, he turned towards where the car sped through which opened up my lane just enough and I did the same thing.
I have rarely felt dirtier and or more disgusted than right there. It felt like I was being held hostage to this junkies life and all it entails. I feel for the people that have made bad decisions and end up living life like this, there should be systems to help them, but fucking junkies do it to themselves. What more than Don't Do Drugs do you need? There is nothing glamorous to the drug life, this is where you end up when it consumes you. Something needs to be done about this. Fine, the fucking city wants to claim my house is now worth over $500k, and then make me pay taxes at that rate, do your fucking part and keep the city clean to make us want to live here. This shit keeps up, we will all migrate on out to the suburbs and Mayor Adler and his junky pals can keep Austin and all its glorious history.
No comments:
Post a Comment