Standing on the corner of 23rd street, waiting for my mom and my sister. Light drizzle, busy saturday, minding my own business.
I spot this homeless lady, I’ve seen her before, I continue minding my own business. The lady, which at a closer examination actually has facial hair, she has a thicker beard than even I can grow. And clearly its a female. Now I am not trying to be mean or funny, I’m just stating a fact that really stood out.
So the lady stops in front of me and starts to “talk”, I put it in quotations because what she was saying was not at all understandable. I looked away in hopes that she would just keep moving, but she just got closer and louder.
So I did something I seldom if ever do, I just walked away. She started screaming louder at me, but I just kept walking, she eventually moved on. Look, if I could understand you, I’d answer your question as best I could, but you are screaming at me, invading my space, and I simply cannot make out what you are saying.
The 7 train, bringing my son over to my place on a friday night. We board the train, I see a homeless man, he seeks my eyes and observes my son.
I keep moving in to find a seat and avoid what I know will come if we sit close. But alas my innocent boy is oblivious to this and sits right across from him.
Now to avoid a potentially worst situation I sit there as well. Here it comes. The man engages in conversation. Now this guy is a good looking male, he has bright green eyes, light brown hair and a nice smile.
Clearly there is a bitterness that darkens his demeanor, understandably so. He curses a few times as he speaks, to which my sons eyes widen and he looks at me for assurance. However aside from the few curses this guy speaks intelligently, and his message was positive, so I allowed him to continue without evading.
He simply starts by asking my son “are you happy young man”, Aneil looks at me and I nod that he can speak to him.
Aneil: I’m ok usually.
HM:You are ok, are you joking young man?
Aneil: Yes, I’m happy, usually, sometimes I’m not.
HM: Do you eat everyday?
Aneil: Yes, I just ate pizza.
HM: Is this your father, healthy and strong?
Aneil: Yes, this is my dad.
HM: Do he and your mom take care of you?
Aneil: Yes they do.
HM: Do you have a place to sleep?
Aneil: Yes, this weekend I’m sleeping at my dad’s and during the week I am home with my mom.
HM: So you have a home and your folks take good care of you.
Aneil: (*Nods* and says yes) My dad bought me a wii, and I live in his house and my mom’s house.
HM: So you have two f’ing homes! Dude you should be super f’ing happy! You have a great life! You should be grateful for your blessings!
HM: When you go home, search on yahoo for “funniest homeless people and their signs” you will see me and my sign, “let’s eat, you buy”.
Then before we can say anything else he gets off the train on the next stop. I wanted to hit this guy off with something, but he never asked and he didn’t give me a chance.
Aneil asked me “daddy, doesn’t he know I’m a kid, why did he curse”. I told him some people curse, but that he needs to filter past that and see the message behind their words.
8:30 a.m, f train to midtown. I hear screaming, I think its a baby, then I hear it again, but it doesn’t sound like a baby anymore, so I look around. There I see a young male, probably in late teens, has the blank look in his eyes, the blank expression, mouth hanging open, and he randomly screams.
There is an older gentleman next to the screaming young man, he tells him “don’t scream, what stop do you get off”. The kid speaks loudly “34th street, penn station, buuuuddyyyyy”.
The ride continues, random screams, but overall calm. Then we go to get off and he starts screaming, scaring the sh*t out of people on the platform. I let them go ahead and create some distance.
I continue to my next train, and I see them again, waiting for the same one. I pull away and go towards the other side, no more screaming for me please.
These are just a tiny fraction of the things I see everyday in “NEW YORK”.
Home 
