It was hot. Hot hot, so hot you gotta sit out on yo porch hot. I mean, damnation and hell fire ain't got no comparison hot. And here I was walking down the sidewalk burning my soles. That was ok though. I had myself a pocket full of candy, and not that melty chocolate kind but the sweety sweet sweets kind. I fished one of them out and plopped it down on my tongue. Ahh, it was almost heaven.
"Hey boy!"
Mr. Guntherson was yelling at me from across the street. He was prone to sitting on his porch during days like this. They say it's on the account that he doesn't have an air conditioner. I think it has more to do with him not being able to walk no more and Mrs. Guntherson just leaves his sorry ass out there and hopes someone will cart him off like old furniture. There was another man sitting in the rocking chair next to Mr. Guntherson's wheelchair.
"Why don't you join us?"
Ahh hell. I stopped to think a bit. I like to think slow, keeps me from messing things up. There's a reason Mrs. Guntherson puts him out here. I wasn't sure if I felt like mixing it up with old Mr. Guntherson today.
"Much obliged suh, but I better..." I said.
"Oh stop standing around with your teeth in your mouth and come over here." He said.
I sort of half shrugged my shoulders and turned to cross the street. The asphalt was even hotter than the sidewalk had been. I scooted my ass across that street quick. Not quick enough though, I turned just in time to take that pickup truck square in the face. Now at least I ain't got to worry about getting caught standing around with my teeth in my mouth. The doctor said I can just take them out when I want to.
Those two men on the porch? I cain't recall what came of them, last thing I do recall is that nasty old man's laugh wheezing out of his yellowed lungs as I swirled into darkness. The ground burned against my cheek lying there on that hot black street.