Day Fifty-Six

    ****NAMES CHANGED TO PROTECT PORTLAND'S STREET KIDS*****

KL and Houdini don't show up for breakfast so as soon as I'm done eating I jump on the max and go to Cameron's press release. I ask him how he feels and he says, "All that and a bag of chips". Hungry runs around from person to person getting all the attention a celebrity cat deserves. Kate Lore drops of doughnuts donated by voodoo. She kisses Cameron on the cheek and apologizes, saying she can't stay.

At 10am we move in front of the City Hall building where Cameron reads off a list of compromises he has reached with the city. It's hard to really absorb what these agreements mean as he lists them off. Mostly the city is agreeing to reevaluate things such as their camping laws and other discriminatory policies. Cameron then reads off his list of thank-yous including one for his writing teacher he should be in class with and a special thanks to Hungry the cat. There are 50-75 spectators and Voodoo doughnuts has donated enough for all of us. Cameron has his own custom made vegan doughnut with blueberry filling, peanut butter, fried banana and chocolate chips. We all scoot in and surround him staring as he takes his first bite. Cameras flash and microphones are shoved in his face as he chews.

"How does it taste?" I yell. 

"Like food."

People cheer.

He tells everyone to grab doughnuts and eat but we all hesitate. No one wants to be the first to grab one. Finally, someone does and the rest of us follow suit. My mouth is watering as I grab an Oreo and peanut butter doughnut. Voodoo is one of the Portland comfort foods I've become overly attached to in the last three years. I haven't had them since I've been back in town. As I take my first bite no doughnut has ever tasted so good.

The various newspapers and television channels swoop in and attack Cameron. I keep hopping from place to place to try and escape the various cameras. This is futile though as cameras outnumber the people. Every photographer grabs photos of Hungry as she struts around the hoopla. She is one special, famous cat. I say my goodbyes to Hungry and Camera and go to the library until lunch.

I pass camera crews outside my sleeping spot on my way to Day Services #2. They have a wiener dog tied up to the gate so I stop and say hello to him. I ask one of the crew how filming has been going. He says they'll be gone in about an hour and I say I'm happy to see them go as they are taking over my home. I find KL and Houdini at #2. We decide to go to the library. On our way KL jumps up onto our spot to see if her wallet is up there. Houdini stands and screams at her saying everyone who passes is going to call the police on us. A pregnant lady walks by and says, "I'm just impressed she can climb up there." Houdini keeps screaming.

"Leave," I yell at him, "Your paranoia is what's going to get us caught, not what we're doing."

Houdini starts screaming in my face that he's not paranoid because he's never gotten a felony and the whole same saga I hear every day when he starts this paranoia shit. He keeps saying he's going to beat me up and he'd go to jail for life just to get me to shut up because I talk too much shit. When KL sticks up for me he starts yelling at her too.

"Yell in my face Houdini," I say, "Keep going. You are on probation for domestic violence and you're a black man yelling at two little white girls in a city that is racist as Hell. What do you think is going to happen?"

He won't stop so I ditch them and run to the library. I don't want to be there when people call the police. KL finds me and apologizes purfosely. 

"It's okay," I tell her, "We all know you're dating an asshole."

She says she's going to fill up our soda and come back. She doesn't though and when the library closes I go to dinner alone. After dinner I sit and read, enjoying having a quiet minute to myself. I start to wonder where Houdini and KL are when there's no sign of them after 8pm but I stay put and read. My phone rings with an 866 number. I think about ignoring it as it's probably a bill collector. I answer anyways.

"This is a free call from inmate Houdini at Multnomah County Jail. Do you accept this call?"

Oh fuck. I accept. 

He tells me they got him on his probation violation. He ran so they chased him and beat him up. He threw everything he had so they couldn't find it so there's no new charges. I double check this on the online inmate database and he appears to be telling the truth. He asks for KL but she is no where to be seen. I check all the usual spots but no one has seen her.

I figure she hid to avoid the police. I have found her every other time before so I'm not worried when I go up to shelter.

-mm