Night People

"Have you ever been accosted/assaulted by a street person?" question I'd like to ask my boss

Yeah, working at night is different: there isn't as much traffic, which is a good thing, although you don't know about the people that are out there; what they've been doing, toxins they've been ingesting, etc., so in a way you need to be even more careful. I've seen some very peculiar behavior. Look, it's bad enough that we have to do this job at night, because you cannot get into these strip malls during the day, but then to have someone "fuck" with you, sometimes it's all I can do to not just lose it, ya know? Not only the vagrants, etc., I've also had to deal with cops, firefighters, garbage guys, you name it. And all I want to do is my friggin' job!
I guess the craziest thing I've seen happened on the road; I was coming back from Milwaukee
(I think) last summer and, heading southbound on the Dan Ryan, I was a mile or so from the I57 split. So I'm in the correct lane to stay on 94eastbound (Bishop Ford) when I see this black Caddy come flying past me in the far right lane, he lost control right under the overpass (95th
street?), scraped up against the wall, went flying out into traffic, hit at least one car, spun around, and bam! hit the same concrete wall he'd just scraped up against. I was about a quarter mile back, but I saw the whole thing happen right in front of me. Then, as if it wasn't weird enough, the guy jumps out of the car, doubled over in pain, and takes off running, up the embankment and into the night. As I passed by, I could not believe my eyes. I figured, yeah that car's stolen, and who knows what other kind of mischief the dude was wanted for.
Usually, though, you'll be doing your delivery, and someone will approach you begging for money. If I have an extra dollar I'll usually give it to them, saying "That's all I got, man."
I remember there was this guy on Leonard (?) St. in Grand Rapids, he'd show up every week
at the same time, always offering to help unload, then he'd hit you up. But this was no "spare change" guy, he'd ask for $5 or $10. I be like "What?" He'd say "Yeah, you truck drivers make a lot of money, right?" I'd give him a couple bucks and say "Now, get the fuck outta here!"
Then, he'd wave to me as I drove past on my way out of there.
Usually a dollar or a cigarette will satisfy the beggar; one guy wanted to "look at" my truck:
he said he used to be a driver, lost his license, etc. (violins). So, he walked slowly around the truck and trailer, as if he were doing a thorough pre-trip inspection - very strange. I had to keep my eye on him as I delivered, to make sure he didn't reach into the cab or something.
I've been propositioned a couple of times; once the woman just said "Would you like some company?" I said "Sorry, I'm working." Another one, a homely-ass broad, drove up in her car,
said she needed gas money, and offered to give me a blow job. "I swallow," she said. I thought "Yeah, good for you." Those three incidents happened in Rockford, in a seedier part of town.
I dunno, maybe I'm an easy touch, or look like one anyway. See, I rather be "flashed," which has never happened to me, than propositioned by a "crack-ho." Another point about street beggars:
I am always aware of the knife I keep in my left pants pocket (for cutting through shrink-wrap, etc.) just in case someone gets pushy, ya know? I mean, I have a lot more to lose than they do, but, if it comes down to it...
The cops have usually showed up when I've set alarms off; that's happend a couple times, no big deal. Sometimes they want your I.D., but I always cooperate. I learned long ago that it's not worth it to give the cops a hard time; they're just doing their job, too. There were a couple of instances, especially with this bagel company (which we no longer deal with) when we got complaints from the neighbors about noise. You know, the truck idling, the reefer raging, etc.
Of course, me cursing and swearing out loud (usually about the fucked-up job the warehouse guys do) didn't help. But they just gave you a warning: tone it down or you have to come back later in the day. "Yes sir!" is about all you can say at that point. I set a smoke alarm off once in
Kalamazoo, it was the strangest thing. I thought I'd set off the store alarm, but the fire dept.
showed up, not the cops. So, they checked the store out, but the manager had to be called, etc.
It was a big mess. I think what happened (shhhhh, don't tell anyone!) is that, as I entered the store, I had a cig in my mouth; I was only in there for a minute before getting rid of it, but that must have set off the smoke alarm - wierd.
And, of course, you have our friends the garbage guys. Talk about noise! Geesh! And smell!
Anyway, I haven't had any real run-ins with 'em. In fact, I'll go out of my way to cooperate with them (kinda like the cops). I figue the sooner they get in and out of the spot, the sooner I can get my job done. So, I'll move outta the way if they need me to. Sometimes it's a pain, especially if you already have your ramp set up and everything, but...Now I know to try and park so they
have access to the dumpsters without hitting me, or having to go through major changes. Hey, I know what it feels like to have obstacles thrown in your way, when, like I said, all you want to do is your friggin' job!
I'd say the "night" people are pretty much done, and the "morning" people are getting up, somewhere between 3 and 4 in the morning. I dunno, I haven't studied it that closely. I'm always grateful for the sunrise. Not only have the "vampires" gone away, but, since I've been busting my ass for several hours now, the daylight gives me that "second wind" I need to finish off my day.


More soon,


Steve