The Screaming Father. (For fans of my sleeping outside + police stories)
I find cardboard
and as the bell signals midnight I wish myself a happy birthday to the last sip of energy drink.
I'm heading towards my temporary home, place the cardboard under and above me, roll a last doobie and fall asleep.
It's not the first night I spend here and besides the occasional bug in the nose everything is cozy next to the wall and the bushes.
The 11th commandmend:
"Don't let them catch you" is of utmost importance when entering other peoples property.
Good morning
I can hear the sound of humans approaching my crib. Something touches the cardboard and lifts it up.
The Scream
It's only one person who screams "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" for around 1 second. I look around and now can see him 7 meters away next to his car and his 2 children. I say "Sorry", pack my shit together, grab the cardboard and jump over the wall. Everything happens within 30 seconds. I can hear the word police coming from his mouth.
Let's get out of here
I place the cardboard next to the rubbish bins and walk towards the center. On the other side of the street stands a policeman looking in the other direction. I realize that it is better to put my hat and jacket into the bag and keep walking.
As I make a turn another cop appears. Also watching, also facing away from me. I tell myself to keep walking as I blend more and more into the crowd of people who are heading to the Tram stop.
Cheers
One man who is waiting there likes my entertainment and I enter the bar next door with enough money to buy a small beer.
A short story and a good one. The scream could have been traumatic but I heard him coming and had the time to prepare myself. The fun far outweights the negative aspects, especially because I was very lucky.