It's usually fun whenever OWS Jack visits the floating book shop. Today he was wearing a three-quarter length black raincoat on which he'd scrawled "Occupy Sandy Wall St" on the back. Recently, he'd immersed himself in a demonstration near the U.N., where supporters of Israelis and Palestinians squared off. He was raised a Jew but has forsaken all religion. He held a sign denouncing Israel, while shouting words denouncing Palestinians, one of whom asked: "Whose side are you on?" He said he was against all of them. A cop was called and Jack was told to vamoose. Today he spotted a Korean/English New Testament I had on display, picked it up and searched for passages that proved its evil intent, reading them to me. He wants all religious people to "Wake up" and stop believing the lies told them. He cited the young Hasidic men who stand in front of the Sheepshead Bay train station and try to convert other Jews to their particular brand of faith. He is insulted when they ask: "Are you Jewish?" Sure enough, two of them came walking toward us. He immediately confronted them. At first he seemed bent on ridiculing them, asking if they knew who the first Prime Minister of Israel or the first President of the United States was. They had no idea. He also asked if they preferred the boundaries of biblical Israel or the current state's. I moved away. Fortunately, he toned it down and they had a reasonable discussion for a half hour. Jack is not a bad person. He's simply a character. I much prefer his rhetoric to that of Political Man, whose left wing rants are annoying and boring. Jack is at least entertaining, and he isn't a leach like PM is. He works for his money and is charitable. He calls himself an Occupy Wall Street Capitalist.
A gentleman who lived on the first floor of one of the apartment buildings on East 13th approached me. I hadn't seen him since the storm and knew he must have been hit hard. He came by to pick up his mail and see how re-construction was progressing. The night of Sandy he fell asleep on his couch and was awakened by the pounding on his door by the young women in the next apartment. They hurried up the street as the water was rising. Just as they reached the corner where I usually set up shop, water started rushing along Avenue Z. By a stroke of luck, a friend of the girls was passing in his car. He took them to safety. The gentleman, whose name I don't know, has been staying with a friend, which he prefers to staying in Florida with his mom. I laughed when he told me this, knowing how crazy a mother can make a child, but if I had that choice I'd take the warmth of Florida over a Northeast winter. He was told it would be six to eight months before he would be able to move back to the apartment. He is the only ground floor occupant returning. He lost everything but clothing that stops at the waist. He was certain his cats had drowned but found them perched on his couch, which the flood water had tilted onto its side, an image easily envisioned.
The floating book shop was completely lucky. I got the most advantageous parking spot, which allowed me to sit in the car whenever the cold became too much, which made it possible to extend my winter hours. My thanks to the people who bought, swapped and donated books.
Visit Vic's sites:
Vic's Third Novel (Print or Kindle): http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Website: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/
Vic's Short Story Collection (Print or Kindle): http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/6b86st6
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tiny.cc/94t5h
Vic's Screenplay on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3
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