Life in the Village, Summer of '87
The hottest, most disgusting summer ever
Power 95 Degrees - Every Day
Lori didn't like the air conditioner
"Spare a lil bit o' change, Miss?"
He sang every day as she walked past him, down Saint Mark's Place after work. Sitting on the curb against the black wrought iron fence, his head wrapped in a small white turban, his big brown eyes looking seriously up at her. It was subliminally sung, below his breath, an innocent song, incidentally conveying the message that he needed money.
One day she and Lori decided together to give him change the next time they walked by. They laughed about his innocent song one Saturday morning. They locked the apartment, turning the key in the triple lock, over and over again, and left.
"Spare any change - Miss?"
At the sound of the familiar lullaby, Debbie reached into her purse, rummaged for spare change and came up with a dime and some pennies. She quickly dropped them into his hand. His song interrupted, he looked up at her with big brown eyes. She gasped. He looked as if he were about to cry.
