Skilly and Spooky

i’ve been trying to think about things to blog about, but alas, life has not given me too much blog worthy fodder this week.

i did a police ride along with a family member on friday and that was actually a lot more fun than i thought it would be.  of course, people seemed to be behaving themselves for the most part, so it was a kind of slow day.

there were a couple of transient teens that i wanted to bitch-slap for being stupid, but i restrained myself.  i just stayed in the car.  really though, do these kids really think life on the street is better than the alternative of being a productive member of society?  i’m a liberal.  i think people who need help should have access to help.  but panhandling, taking over family parks with sleeping bags and drama, spending panhandled change at starbucks, these are things i could do without.  these kids have other choices.  they are not like the folks that are homeless because they can not hold a job, house, family, or have mental illnesses.  those homeless i do have compassion for.  those homeless are on the streets because when Reagan was governor of California he shut down most of the state-run mental institutions where a lot of these people need to be, turning then loose on the streets to carve a life out for themselves.  i have great compassion for a lot of those homeless because despite mental illness, most are really good people.

take Skilly for example.  Skilly was a homeless man who hung around the last cafe i worked for.  he was a sweet, dear man who had addiction problems and mental illness.  he would hang around during the late night, careful not to sit at our tables or ask for anything.  he did so because there were often just 2 girls left to close the place up, one of which would be upstairs totaling the books, the other downstairs stacking chairs and taking out trash.  so, 2 girls, downtown, unprotected, and a day’s worth of cash.  and Skilly getting our backs.  then there was Spooky, his dog.  Spooky was a pit or boxer or one of those ferocious looking dogs.  he was the CHILLEST dog i have ever met.  Skilly could tell him to sit and Spooky would sit, until Skilly told him to move.  he would stay all day if Skilly told him to.

Skilly would show up when one of us was in trouble.  one time english teacher friend was getting out of her car to come to the cafe.  another homeless man approached her asking for change.  when she told him she didn’t have any he became aggressive.  he backed her into her car, to the point that there was only her car door between them (she wasn’t in the car, just standing).  Skilly comes around the corner and chased the guy off.  my friend was ok, and we all felt safer knowing that Skilly was hanging around.

when asked how he was doing he would always reply with, “I could complain, but it wouldn’t do me any good, would it? *wink*”

sometimes a few of us would buy a bag of dog food or a hot meal when we were a bit fatter in tips than usual.  working at a cafe didn’t keep us rolling in cash, but we tried to help when we could.

one day Spooky was stolen.  he was found a week or 2 later in a dog fighting ring.  they had been poisoning him to make him fight.  he was ok, but still.  why would someone do that to a dog?????  especially that dog.  he was so chill.

then it happened again, but this time Spooky was not found.  right about that time Skilly became scarce.  friends would see him all strung out.  it seems he got involved in crack or something.   he didn’t even recognize english teacher friend when she saw him.

i heard that Skilly passed about a year after i quit the cafe.  i guess losing Spooky was too much for the man.  too bad.  he was one of the coolest guys i ever met while living downtown.

RIP Skilly and Spooky.  you were loved and you are missed.

maybe i’ll write more about the characters i knew while working there….  hmm…