{"id":8908,"date":"2014-02-27T05:00:14","date_gmt":"2014-02-27T13:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bullmensfiction.com\/?p=8908"},"modified":"2022-08-03T13:15:52","modified_gmt":"2022-08-03T17:15:52","slug":"the-double","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mrbullbull.com\/newbull\/fiction\/the-double\/","title":{"rendered":"The Double"},"content":{"rendered":"

132 W. JACINTO, APARTMENT 6<\/em><\/h3>\n

I pull my cab up to 132 W. Jacinto and park. Rosalita Morales is 23 years old. She has big lumpy formations on her left arm where they have inserted needles and tubes for her kidney dialysis 3 times a week, for years and years and years.<\/p>\n

\u201cMorning,\u201d I say as she climbs in the cab. She has dark skin and dark eyes, skinny.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I guess it is, isn\u2019t it?\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

I take her to a doctor on the east side, which is different than her usual place: the dialysis center. She is inside the doctor\u2019s office for only about 30 minutes. I wait for her in the cab.<\/p>\n

When Rosalita comes out she\u2019s crying.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, shit, shit,\u201d she says in the cab when we were on our way back to her apartment.<\/p>\n

\u201cBad news?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou see this?\u201d she says, referring to the lumpy formations on her left arm, on the opposite side of the elbow. \u201cThat fucking doctor says there\u2019s clotting going on in my arm and we have to use the\u00a0other<\/em>\u00a0arm! That\u2019s all I fucking need.\u201d<\/p>\n

She looks at her right arm, her good arm. It is smooth and thin, beautiful. She strokes it a couple of times and then looks at the ruined cauliflower of her left arm.<\/p>\n

\u201cEither my right arm or one of my legs,\u201d she says. \u201cThose are my choices. I\u2019m gonna look like more of a freak than I do already!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re on the organ list, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, but I just got on that list not too long ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you\u2019ve been on dialysis for years.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c3 years ago, when I was 18, my mother gave me one of her kidneys. You can live with only one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

I turn left on Congress, right by the statue of Poncho Villa on his horse. The horse is rearing with its two front feet in the air and a fierce look on its face, which mirrors the look on Poncho Villa\u2019s face.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, 3 months into it everything was going fucking great! Then, I stopped taking my anti-rejection drugs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know, I really don\u2019t know, but my body rejected\u00a0\u00a0the…my mom\u2019s…kidney.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s rough.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, it was kinda my fault.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was in the hospital for 3 months, I almost didn\u2019t make it. So, now I\u2019m on the list again, but they didn\u2019t want to put me on it for a long time, because of all that, but they finally did anyway. I had to go through like a million fucking psyche tests. My mom was real mad at me.\u201d<\/p>\n

I take a left at Grant Road and miss the yellow arrow just barely. I feel the camera flash through my windshield and know the automatic cameras have caught me running the light. The ticket will appear in the company\u2019s mailbox within 10 business days. I will get the ticket and a lecture and will have to pay 134 dollars to the courts. I\u2019ve already had 2 others. One more and I\u2019m gone.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy brother said he would give me one of his kidneys,\u201d Rosalita says. \u201cBut, he\u2019s skeptical. I can\u2019t blame him.\u201d<\/p>\n

I pull up to her apartment and she climbs out.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you so much,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Her face is as sad as an old heavy sunflower, dried seeds falling to the ground like teeth.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

CORNER OF 36TH<\/sup>\u00a0AND COUNTRY CLUB<\/em><\/h3>\n

I know I shouldn\u2019t stop the cab, I should just keep on driving, but I need the cash. The neighborhood is shitty but it\u2019s still early, only 10 o\u2019clock a.m. Two guys are standing at the corner where the mini mart is, waving at me. 2 young Latino-looking males, dressed in price-tag-still-on baggy pants and big long shirts. The police don\u2019t need to profile, people profile themselves by being so needy for approval. They can\u2019t resist looking the part.<\/p>\n

I stop the cab. They get in the back of the cab before I really know what\u2019s going on.<\/p>\n

\u201c12th<\/sup>\u00a0and Valencia,\u201d one of them says.<\/p>\n

They both scrunch way down in the seats.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m gonna need the money up front,\u201d I say. \u201cThat\u2019s a long way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust drive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot without the cash, man.\u201d<\/p>\n

He opens his wallet and flashes it at me. It\u2019s loaded with bills. Then he puts it away again.<\/p>\n

\u201cI need the money in my hand. 30 bucks.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI ain\u2019t giving you shit, man,\u201d he says, and gives the other guy a fancy handshake. They both laugh.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen you\u2019re not going anywhere, get out.\u201d<\/p>\n

They look at me with a hatred that seems far greater than is warranted. The quiet one jumps out and starts walking off. From the way he walks it is clear he\u2019s drunk. The other one just sits there.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finally he sits up and opens his door and slowly puts one foot down on the pavement. Then, as I turn back towards the front, he leans into the cab again and swings his left hand over the seat and hits me on the right side of his face. It stings, swells up immediately. My pride is shattered, and I\u2019m dizzy for a few moments. The kid laughs and struts slowly off to his friend. I drive out of there feeling very lucky, and unlucky, at the same time.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

2550 NORTH ORACLE, APARTMENT 6755<\/em><\/h3>\n

Some of these apartment complexes are as big as villages and as confusing as LSD labyrinths. It\u2019s a medical voucher, Charlotte Bercher. Her apartment is 4512. After 15 minutes I find the right building, and then begin looking for the apartment. There she is waving at me, walking down the sidewalk. Middle aged white lady, like a sun-bleached eggplant.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow you doing today?\u201d I say.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, not so good. It\u2019s getting hot isn\u2019t it? I almost fainted.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, very hot here in the summertime.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI wish my neighbor would give me the money he owes me,\u201d she says. \u201cHe owes me 5 dollars. I\u2019ve got to do laundry. The office has a machine and you put the money in the machine and it puts the money on this card and you use the card on the washers and dryers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAh.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t have any money on my card now. All I could do was wash my towels, I couldn\u2019t dry them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy don\u2019t you hang your towels out to dry in the sun?\u201d<\/p>\n

She looks horrified at the idea and gives a scoff. \u201cHa! I mean, I\u2019m not prejudiced or anything, you know, but, the, er, the\u00a0Mexicans<\/em>\u00a0are always doing that, hanging their clothes out like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMakes sense to me,\u201d I say. \u201cIt\u2019s free, it\u2019s natural.\u201d<\/p>\n

Charlotte receives a government check every month and her basic needs are taken care of. She is safe and secure as a hamster in a Coca Cola cup.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t like scratchy towels,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd that\u2019s your right.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTowels get all scratchy if you dry them in the sun.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYuck.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, yes,\u201d she says. \u201cPlus dryers are faster.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her days are narcotic run-ons of soap operas, rape fantasies, grilled cheese sandwiches and country music. Every once in a while she gets lucky and has a doctor\u2019s appointment.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you know I signed up for the George Strait fan club?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut that bastard never sent me anything, not even a hello.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are rude these days.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHmmmph.\u201d<\/p>\n

She has a 12 o\u2019clock appointment. Colon exploratory probe.<\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t eaten since yesterday,\u201d she says. \u201cWhen you take me home later can we stop at We Went Wongs?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll buy you a coke.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOk.\u201d<\/p>\n

I drop her off and head out. I take a big drink of water from a bottle that was frozen in my freezer all night, and now thawing slowly. It\u2019s as cold as glacial run-off on my lips and throat.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

1280 SOUTH VISTA DEL MONTE<\/em><\/h3>\n

I decide to work a double shift, so when the sun goes down I\u2019m still out here. The night goes slow for a while. Then about midnight I get caught in a gun fight outside a frat party. Some gang members invade the place. A couple of college girls jump in my cab. They are not the girls who called me to come get them, but I don\u2019t care and I get out of there with some bullets zinging. It\u2019s confusing and scary and the girls are crying and cussing and one of them is very drunk.<\/p>\n

When I get them to their sorority house, the drunk one opens her door and does a face-plant on the sidewalk. She is complete dead weight. Me and the other girl lift her up and drag her to the front door of the sorority house. The passed-out girl is wearing a dress and the dress rises up to her waist. She has yellow thong panties and orange waxed legs.<\/p>\n

The fare is $14.50. The girl is annoyed when I ask for money. She gets a twenty out of her 200 dollar purse.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust give me back a 5,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

I keep the 50 cents and save it for the future.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

THE PEARL NIGHTCLUB, ORACLE AND WHETMORE<\/em><\/h3>\n

A drunk guy drops a hundred dollar bill on the floor of the cab when he gets in. I reach down and gather the bill up in my fingers as the drunk guy turns to look at a woman who walks out the door of the nightclub.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

281 WEST LAGUNA<\/em><\/h3>\n

It\u2019s almost 6 o\u2019clock and I\u2019ve worked for 24 hours straight, which is technically against the rules, but there are ways around the rules. Just when I\u2019m about to go home, I get another call for a nearby address. One more, why not. I drive over. A young white kid comes out of the house dressed in what looks like a restaurant uniform. It\u2019s early but the sun is well up.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Furr’s restaurant on Saint Mary\u2019s,\u201d the kid says.<\/p>\n

Furr’s is a local family restaurant. I head west on Saint Mary\u2019s Road.<\/p>\n

\u201cGoing to work, eh?\u201d I say. I figure the kid\u2019s a breakfast waiter at Furr\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\u201cYep,\u201d the kid says.<\/p>\n

Tucson is waking up, but I am drowsy, and nearly done. How many years of this? How many years more of it do I have, can I take? I\u2019m 47 now, been doing this for 14, have no plan for retirement, haven\u2019t paid taxes for a long time. Dues, yes, but taxes, no.<\/p>\n

When they get to the Furr\u2019s restaurant, the meter says $20.85. I turn around to tell the kid the amount and the kid is already out of the cab.<\/p>\n

\u201cI gotta get the money from inside,\u201d the kid says.<\/p>\n

He goes inside the restaurant, which looks empty.<\/p>\n

\u201cShit!\u201d<\/p>\n

I jump out and run after him. I open the door and goes inside. A couple of waiters are standing behind the counter, another is setting the tables. There is the sound of a vacuum cleaner and it smells like potatoes and onions frying.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you guys see a kid come through here?\u201d<\/p>\n

They both nod and point to the other door on the other side of the lobby that leads outside.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe doesn\u2019t work here?\u201d I ask.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve never seen him before,\u201d one of the waiters says.<\/p>\n

I run to the other door and go outside into the early morning. I see him now, way down the block, running. I can\u2019t catch him and really I wouldn\u2019t want to find out what would happen if I did catch him. I stand there and watch him run. Go, man, go.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m breathing heavy, but it slowly goes back to normal. I know I won\u2019t be able to sleep now and I don\u2019t feel like going home. I go back inside the restaurant and sit down in a corner booth and look at the menu. I\u2019m the first customer of the day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“I know I shouldn\u2019t stop the cab, I should just keep on driving, but I need the cash<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10546,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[13],"class_list":["post-8908","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fiction","tag-work","writer-mather-schneider"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mrbullbull.com\/newbull\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8908","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mrbullbull.com\/newbull\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mrbullbull.com\/newbull\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mrbullbull.com\/newbull\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mrbullbull.com\/newbull\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8908"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/mrbullbull.com\/newbull\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8908\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11423,"href":"https:\/\/mrbullbull.com\/newbull\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8908\/revisions\/11423"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mrbullbull.com\/newbull\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10546"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mrbullbull.com\/newbull\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8908"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mrbullbull.com\/newbull\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8908"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mrbullbull.com\/newbull\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8908"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}