Louis and His New Basement Door
Louis had this new basement door. We were standing around and watching him and his brother drilling holes into it, it was side by side with the old one, and the basement hole was wide open. He wanted a new hinge, he wanted it to swing all the way out so he could get the pallet jack all the way up to the lip and he could just slide it down the big pieces of wood I helped him nail down a few days before so that he could have a ramp for when the trucks dropped off those big orders of cake boxes and pastry boxes and water bottles. Slide them down, wouldn’t have to worry about them.
We were standing around watching the brothers drilling holes into that big sheet of iron and one of us said something about it not fitting and one of the brothers said shut up and they kept working, and we watched the sun continue to shrink or whatever it does. We were usually out around this time. We were usually standing where we were then. There usually wasn’t this big piece of fucking door.
Corky was across the street and he waved from the window so we waved back. Corky wasn’t always there with us but also sometimes he was and he liked to keep his soccer ball under his foot and we’d fuck around and try to scoot it out. He’d go to actually play and someone slung more to drink out the basement hole and he’d look a little jealous but then he’d keep going down the street to the park where he had his games.
Corky had his ball under his arm and he had the light too. But then these kids skidded the corner and basically ran over his feet, or they could’ve, if they really wanted to. So Corky was mad.
We did the shit with the ball and Louis and his brother had finished with the drill and then we heard more engine growling and the kids came around again so I guess they were just riding around, and Corky said get off your fucking bike pussies! and the two kids laughed and they each held up two fingers and stuck their tongues through and held up middle digits and Corky got madder and they went around the corner again.
Corky went into Louis’s store and he got a kind of brownie in plastic and he smushed it in his face and then said I’m thirsty. Before he could go back for his drink he wouldn’t pay for the kids came around again, but first you could hear them. Corky ran into the street. Corky waved his arms like he was gonna fucking clothesline them. The kid driving definitely freaked. He wobbled the bike but didn’t let up so they still went fast and they went wobbly fast, and the kid in back sank into the pavement and conked the back of his head and didn’t move and the driver fell sideways but he didn’t make such a bad noise like his friend did.
He was definitely confused. Shit must’ve hurt. He got up though. He ran towards Corky who was facing us from the street. Corky felt him coming, I bet, because he did his favorite move, that thing from the movie where the kid throws some shit so he distracts his enemies then pops them. Corky didn’t have a gun.
Corky had a soccer ball and he threw it at the kid’s head and it bounced straight off and I swear I saw the bump starting right there. The kid on the pavement didn’t move.
The driver not on the bike anymore ran at Corky again and Louis turned on the drill again and his brother kinda just walked back into the store because he didn’t care, I guess. Still not too dark but you could see people coming up the street because it was time to go home.
We fought in front of people before. We gouged some kids in the park once. Corky had cleats on.
The kid was good though, after the soccer ball. He kicked Corky in the knee real hard and he crumpled a bit but aimed his head at the kid’s belly. The kid then crumpled too. Corky rolled sideways. He didn’t look good but he got out the way from where the kid fell. But then the kid rolled too and they were at the same distance like before. Corky swung his left and hit shoulder and waved out his hand going fuck fuck and the kid chopped at his neck and then threw open hands at his nose and Corky had a nosebleed.
But that made the kid tired, we could tell, and Louis said now Corky! Corky put the fist in his face. We waited for the kid to go down but he showed his teeth and threw his hands at Corky again. They’d meet and then jump back, meet again. Louis’s brother was in the doorway with an orange juice bottle.
They got panty and hot, and it was harder to fight. You don’t get to choose when they go down. It’s annoying but if you run then you still did a good job. You’re still standing if you can get away. They stared at each other and rubbed their eyes and spit. The kid said Kelly.
Kelly, who I guess who was on the pavement, didn’t say shit.
Kelly let’s go!
Kelly lay as non-moving as the bike.
Louis’s brother was smiling and drinking his orange juice and walked past the fighters out to the street and said did he shit his pants? and made faces. The driver swayed over and kinda looked sleepy and confused. Louis and I were sitting against the wall.
A car was coming and the driver and Louis’s brother picked up smelly Kelly with arms around their shoulders. They waved at the car as it slowed around them. They walked him like he was okay but that kid was not there.
Louis’s brother was saying something quiet to the bike driver and they dragged Kelly bumping over the curb and then paused at the basement hole and then Louis’s brother took control and let Kelly kind of just dissolve into the basement hole. Louis started on the door again while the driver kid went to go check on his bike. No one ever really went down there anyways.