Michael? Who's Michael?

As I walked through Yurba Buena, past the Moscone Center, I heard three whistles come from behind me. Then, “Is that you, Michael?” was screamed at me by a woman. “Swinging your butt on the wrong side of the street?” I chose not to turn around. I don’t know anyone around here, especially who would be up at 7:30 in the morning. As traffic roared by the voice kept screaming and I realized that the person must be crazy.

I got to the light at 4th Street and waited. Then the woman came up from behind me saying something about how she doesn’t know who I am or knows that I don’t know who she is, talking to no one in particular. Ignoring walk signals, she made her way into the intersection, stopping a van. The driver said something to her and she turned back with a “Whore! Bitch!” and crossed 4th. I crossed and made a left, to avoid running into her again.

After a few blocks, on Folsom and 5th, she walked up to me. “Do you know where Bryant Street is?” she asked me. I asked her if it was up that way, closer to Market, unsure. She said no. I looked towards the freeway and said, “Oh yeah, it’s two block down that way.”

With her arms crossed, she thanked me and walked on.

Nagamuko is a Eunuch

A.G. let Nagamuko out. He left the screen door open. He’s living with us now, we forgot to tell him which cats can stay in and which can be put outside. We lived in a big, white farm house. It was evening and there were cats all over the lawn. The grass was slightly overgrown, lush and wet. Trees with Spanish moss, perhaps. I saw Nagamuko running with other cats like him, orange and striped. From a distance, I watched Noggi run and jump up at Andrew, swatting at his face. I went to chase him.

Noggi turned into a boy wearing khaki shorts and a khaki shirt. He looked like Prince Harry with his strawberry blonde hair, pale skin but in a Boy Scout uniform. I said, “I’m sure glad you changed into a human because now I can tell you why we have to keep you inside.”

He said, “What does ‘fixed’ mean?”

“Why are you fixed?” I asked.

“Yes, what does that mean?”

“It means your man-tubes have been cut off.”