This is but a sample of this story. The complete version is available in my print collection Man Against the Future. From there, you can order signed copies, or buy it for the Kindle or the Nook.
These stories were also the inspiration for my book, Lost at the Con, which you can buy from my site signed, or acquire it on Kindle and Nook.
From the moment he stepped out onto the pavement in front of the transit station he was clearly lost. He tapped out the address to the hotel into his phone with one hand and guarded his luggage warily with the other, but to no avail. Confusion washed over his face like a cold sweat and it was apparent to everyone.
“Which hotel you lookin’ for?” A voice called out from the void.
“Huh?” He looked around, wondering where it came from.
“Which hotel you tryin’ to get to,” the voice asked again, revealing itself as a lanky black man in an oversized t-shirt.
“Ummm… The Mariott.” The nerd replied, unsure of himself, his voice breaking.
“You here for the Con, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Shit, man, I could tell jus’ by lookin’ at ‘ya.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, man, come on, the hotel’s this way.”
And without a second to think better of it, the pair of them were off on their way.
“Shit, man, the look on your face, I thought you were stayin’ at some place way out of town, but your place is close, man.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah, man. So you ready to party?”
“Ummm…”
“You ever been to this Con, man?”
“No. This is my first time.”
“Shit, man. This place is a par-tay. You guys for the con really know how to party, like, it doesn’t stop, man.”
“You here for the Con?” he asked, naively.
“No, man. I’m homeless. I work the conventions now and again setting stuff up, but mostly I’m just homeless.”
“Oh.”
“This place is always better when the Con is goin’ on, though.”
“It’s a lot of fun.”
They reached the intersection and the homeless man pointed down the street to the right. “Down that way, that’s where the party is all the time. That restaurant, it don’t close. There’s a party going on there from tonight through the weekend, it’s fuckin’ kickin’.”
He pointed down the left, “Now we’re gonna cross down this street, and then your hotel is gonna be right here close. C’mon.”
And they went as soon as the light changed.
“So, man. This is it. This is you right here, man. You just head up that walkway there and you at the Marriot lobby. It’ll be a party in there all weekend, too, for sure.”
“Thanks for the help, man.”
“No sweat, man. But now that I helped you, you think you can help me out, like help me get something to eat tonight?”
“For sure,” he said and without thinking his wallet was out and he had a crisp five dollar bill in his hand.
He gestured for the homeless man to take it.
“For reals?”
“Of course.”
Thankfully, he snatched the bill and offered his hand for a shake. “Shit, man. You’re all right. My name’s Sylvester.”
He took his hand and shook it with “Andrew.”
“Andrew, you should come on down and hang out tonight, man. You’re all right.”
“Maybe. I don’t know what’s going on.”
“For sure.”
“But seriously, thanks for your help. I really appreciate it…”
“My pleasure, man. My pleasure.”
They shook hands again and parted ways, never to see each other again. Andrew left thinking, I feel like that was money well spent, what a way to start a con, and he meant it.
These stories were also the inspiration for my book, Lost at the Con, which you can buy from my site signed, or acquire it on Kindle and Nook.
From the moment he stepped out onto the pavement in front of the transit station he was clearly lost. He tapped out the address to the hotel into his phone with one hand and guarded his luggage warily with the other, but to no avail. Confusion washed over his face like a cold sweat and it was apparent to everyone.
“Which hotel you lookin’ for?” A voice called out from the void.
“Huh?” He looked around, wondering where it came from.
“Which hotel you tryin’ to get to,” the voice asked again, revealing itself as a lanky black man in an oversized t-shirt.
“Ummm… The Mariott.” The nerd replied, unsure of himself, his voice breaking.
“You here for the Con, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Shit, man, I could tell jus’ by lookin’ at ‘ya.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, man, come on, the hotel’s this way.”
And without a second to think better of it, the pair of them were off on their way.
“Shit, man, the look on your face, I thought you were stayin’ at some place way out of town, but your place is close, man.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah, man. So you ready to party?”
“Ummm…”
“You ever been to this Con, man?”
“No. This is my first time.”
“Shit, man. This place is a par-tay. You guys for the con really know how to party, like, it doesn’t stop, man.”
“You here for the Con?” he asked, naively.
“No, man. I’m homeless. I work the conventions now and again setting stuff up, but mostly I’m just homeless.”
“Oh.”
“This place is always better when the Con is goin’ on, though.”
“It’s a lot of fun.”
They reached the intersection and the homeless man pointed down the street to the right. “Down that way, that’s where the party is all the time. That restaurant, it don’t close. There’s a party going on there from tonight through the weekend, it’s fuckin’ kickin’.”
He pointed down the left, “Now we’re gonna cross down this street, and then your hotel is gonna be right here close. C’mon.”
And they went as soon as the light changed.
“So, man. This is it. This is you right here, man. You just head up that walkway there and you at the Marriot lobby. It’ll be a party in there all weekend, too, for sure.”
“Thanks for the help, man.”
“No sweat, man. But now that I helped you, you think you can help me out, like help me get something to eat tonight?”
“For sure,” he said and without thinking his wallet was out and he had a crisp five dollar bill in his hand.
He gestured for the homeless man to take it.
“For reals?”
“Of course.”
Thankfully, he snatched the bill and offered his hand for a shake. “Shit, man. You’re all right. My name’s Sylvester.”
He took his hand and shook it with “Andrew.”
“Andrew, you should come on down and hang out tonight, man. You’re all right.”
“Maybe. I don’t know what’s going on.”
“For sure.”
“But seriously, thanks for your help. I really appreciate it…”
“My pleasure, man. My pleasure.”
They shook hands again and parted ways, never to see each other again. Andrew left thinking, I feel like that was money well spent, what a way to start a con, and he meant it.
The complete version is available in my print collection Man Against the Future. From there, you can order signed copies, or buy it for the Kindle or the Nook.
These stories were also the inspiration for my book, Lost at the Con, which you can buy from my site signed, or acquire it on Kindle and Nook.
Comments
http://www.best-short-stories.com