Washington

There came a time when I began hanging out in this little park on Pennsylvania Avenue, North West, at I think 22nd Street, but I wouldn't want to be held to it. This park was just a couple of blocks south the White House towards Georgetown. It was right triangular, the long side fronting Pennsylvania Avenue, the short side adjoining 22nd Street, and the back side with benches set back from the avenue under big shade trees. Across the street was a hotel or rooming house of some kind, three or four stories tall. The park was a nice place to sit where one could watch the street and pedestrian traffic, but still be a bit removed from it.

The most interesting thing I found at this park was an older guy who frequented it everyday. He dressed like a wino but didn't drink. He was medium height, somewhat stocky, late fifties or early sixties, bald on top but shaven. He wore brown leather shoes, slick worn slacks usually brown, always a soiled suit jacket. If one looked close, no matter how hot and muggy it got, one might see that underneath his seedy exterior were clean white long underwear. He read papers from the trash receptacles. He mosied down to the corner store now and then. He talked to people but not to other winos, in fact no winos hung out in this park and he was the only seedy looking character. He talked to all kinds of people mostly well dressed. Occasionally I heard snippets of conversation, sometimes intellectual, history and such. I liked the mystery of him. And it was from this mystery that I created the character of advisor to the king. Personally I never talked to him. I really did not want to know him.

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