freewriting 14.08.07 05:30

I'm finding it quite difficult to focus on this conversation. A man down the street erects a yellow banner; is his road construction disguise really so compelling? I have to wonder if the pretense of secrecy outweighs any real efforts.

I nod at what is probably an okay time to nod. His mouth keeps moving, so I allow my eyes to wander away again.

Flag man hardly pretends not to know us as we pass. Everyone is very casual around here.

A man dressed for an important meeting trips as we approach the corner. He quickly reassembles all of the green pages in his portfolio before marching away. How many people on this block don't work for us? We turn right as if we had been going that way all along.

I somehow manage a single noise for acknowledgment, interest, and neutrality. I'm almost curious about what he's on about with all of those colorful gestures.

A red banner stands some distance in front of us, so he stops and I stand with him. She walks ahead with his wife; neither of them miss a step.

His hand is on my shoulder. He's peering at me above his mirrored lenses. He's stopped talking.

I guess his plan was to escape via this manhole. He jumps down in. At this point, he's not worth the trouble, but I follow him down there because he's not as well known for his mental stability as his trigger finger. Too bad about his new white suit, though.

He's tired of his responsibilities, I guess. Somebody, something, somewhere, last straw; whatever. I put my hands comfortably in my pockets as he steps away in the shallow sewage. The wall behind me is cold and less than cleaned to a shine, but I make a point of looking as casual and disinterested as possible.

I just shrug to the girls when they poke their heads cautiously in above me a few minutes later. They help me out and we continue down a busier street than earlier, all color codes packed up for the day. I guess we're too busy coaxing a scared child out of a sewer to worry about rival gangs trying to shoot him.

I guess I'm a babysitter more than anything, now. I kind of miss the old days.