RAZE

How I met RAZE

I was spending a few days in New York and one night I had to cross the Bronx on foot. Not the smartest move in the world, but at that hour taxis weren't passing and the street was quiet. I walked with my hands in my pockets, looking at the ground, trying not to draw attention.

On a corner there was a guy leaning against the wall. Shadow, hoodie, unfriendly face. He saw me pass and said the typical "you looking for something?" without moving. I asked his name, more out of curiosity than anything. He looked at me with a completely flat face and said:

"Do I look like the yellow pages? Call me whatever you want."

That cracked me up. I was about to respond when blue lights appeared at the end of the street. Two patrol cars closing in fast. I froze like an idiot, not knowing what to do. When I turned to say something to the guy, he was no longer there. I didn't see him move. I didn't hear footsteps. He had simply stopped being on the corner. The fastest I have ever seen someone disappear.

The cops stopped me. I spent the night at the station for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. During those hours I couldn't stop thinking about him. No one disappears like that. Something about him didn't fit the rest of the world.

Weeks later I went back to the same neighborhood. I don't know exactly why, but I went back. There he was, on the same corner, with the same crooked smile, as if no time had passed. I walked up and offered him a job. He stayed quiet for a few seconds, looked me up and down, and said:

"Do I look like someone looking for work?"

"Exactly. That's why I'm offering."

He accepted with one condition: nobody tells him what to say. If someone asks him a stupid question, he can answer with another question. If someone bores him, he can disappear. I told him that's fine by me.

Now he's at FaceWTF. Same tone, same attitude, same speed at cutting a conversation when he doesn't care.