“Oy, I'm so tired. I have to work from 8-12pm! What time does this store close?”
“Like 9 o'clock...”
“Oh, then what am I going to do after the store closes? I've never worked this store before. You work at the San Diego State bookstore, huh? Is your name Deon (the only other black dude who werks at da store)? Shameka's brother? No? Oh. So do you goto State?”
“Yeah.”
“What are you studying?”
“Film.”
“Ohh, you want to act, huh?”
“Nah, direct.”
“Oh, okay. All the girls there are BARBI DOLLS. They show a lot of skin. Where I'm from girls don't dress like that.
“Where u 4rm?”
“Seattle.”
“...Oh.”
“My major is social work. I intern at a place around here on Mondays and Wednesdays (2). I work with kids. I don't get paid though. I'm going to go get some coffee, you want anything?
“Nah, I'm kool {Jackie leaves, then comes back a minute later}. Hey dawg, you see dat fine chick dat just came thru here? She lookd GOOD!! She was Asian, had Dark brown hair wit blonde streaks...”
“I don't like Asian girls. I like Latinas and Black girls. I don't like White girls, Asian girls... I like Filipino girls, though. There's a lot of Filipino girls at State. I think it's because the weather there is a lot like here– warm. Filipino girls like Black guys. They like Black guys because when Blacks and Filipinos mix their children look beautiful. Have you been to L&L's? I used to live in Hawaii, and the food is like that. The girl who works there, her boyfriend is half Black and half Filipino. NAOMI CAMPBELL is Chinese, did you know that? She's a quarter Chinese. And... TYSON BECKFORD is Asian. You can see it in his eyes {pulls back eyes}. But I wouldn't date a girl from State, because they have STD's. I read somewhere that 1 out of people at State have STD's! That's why when I go to use the restrooms on campus, I get THE ITCH {scratches ass}! It itches! I don't have STD's, though. I'm a virgin.”
“4real.”
“Have they started laying people off?”
“I kno they let go some backpack people.”
“Are you looking for another job?”
“Ima havto, prolly...”
“Yea. “San Diego is so expensive. Utilities last month was $200! $200! And I got this car {points at car} and my insurance is $150 a month!”
“How long have you been out here?”
“Since August.”
“Oh.”
Planned services pays $8.”
“What's that?”
“Landscaping. You know, planting things and stuff. That's my other job (3). I do it at 6 o'clock in the morning. They work around your schedule, but you can only work 20 hours a week. Food services is my other job (4). I work at Sbarros and Panda Express. Have you ever been to Steak Escape? The smell stays on you. I hate food services. They don't like older people like me, they like blond girls. If it were up to me, I'd just work at the bookstore. The people are so nice... You know JIN?
“Huh?”
“Jin! You know, “LEARN CHINESE?”
“Oh, heh, yeah...”
“He's awesome! {Sigh} I saw him on VH1, he has a video with all the BROTHERS. He won like 10 contests. He rapped off the top of his head. He's good because he's from New York and was around all the BROTHERS... And a lot of people at State do drugs! I know a guy who did METH! His hands are all wrinkly, and his veins are all purple and his face is all wrinkled. He did meth for two years. His body is completely destroyed. I heard EL CAJON is the meth capital of California.”
“Yeah, I usta werk in El Cajon, at Target. A lot of crackheadz come thru, u kno?”
“The employees?”
“Nah, the customers.”
“Oh. Are they White? Did they have long hair? WHITE TRASH. That's what I call them! ”
“Heh, nah dawg. They just... people.”
“How could you tell?”
“Just the way they acted, homie.”
“Oh, because we minorities don't do things like crack. That's what White people do. I don't know if I'm stereotyping...”

{pause}

“Are you in a fraternity?”
“Nah. Fraternities r 4 wannabe Kappa fags 4rm morehouse, NIGGA!! (Ok, so I didn't really say dat last part...)”
“Oh...”
“Are you?”
“Well back when I was an undergrad I was in a Christian Fraternity. We did a lot of fun stuff. No drinking, though. Just CLEAN fun. I don't drink that much. When I do, it's out of the house. But I don't drink a lot. I used to go to AA meetings, for my major, and I saw what happens to people. They're livers are destroyed. I went to one for “lifer's”– people who were almost dead. So I've seen what happens to people from the beginning, college students, to the end, near death people.”
“Wait, how old r u?”
“Mid-thirties.”
“Wut?”
“Mid-thirties.”
“Oh. So you're a graduate student.”
“Yup.”

{Jackie sips his coffee. He managed to get cream on his nose, somehow.}

“You got something on your nose.”
“Oh! {rubs his entire face over and over again}”
“You got it, dawg {Jackie keeps rubbing his entire face for like 10 more seconds. Shits ridiculous}.”
“Okay {15 second silence} I DID DRUGS when I was about 18. I did WEED... HASH... I did SPEED... no... not speed.... ACID! I did acid. I used to do it at my dad's house back where we lived. We were upper-class, and upper-class people tried stuff like that, you know... Oh, I got to go clock in!”

That's the end... talk amongst urselves... -Shrapnl

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