Tolerance

It rained today. A light drizzly kind. I worked outside all day. In the bad area of town. Houses falling apart, blue tarp covering the roof to stop the rain from coming in. Dogs. Not cute little furry ones. Pitt bulls and Rott's pulling on the chain, with big teeth showing. Barking aggressively, yanking on that small chain held securely in the dirt with that little post. Lurching at you, inches from you, so close the froth from their mouth gets on your pant leg.

God, please don't let this be the time the chain breaks.

I read meters at houses that smell of cat urine, from the outside. Houses where I can hear a mother (who shouldn't be) screaming at her children so loudly I can hear through the wall, kids yelling,"no mom don't hit me, I'll be good." By the time I call the cops, its too late the damage is done. Houses where I know meth people are. Aluminum foil covering the windows. People coming and going. Paranoid people, who come out to see what I am doing, am I a cop? "Oh, its just the Utilities lady". "Your not going to shut my electricity off are you?" "No, I'm just reading the meters." "It's okay man, shes just reading the meters."

One of these days, I'm going to go into a backyard and never come out. Some crack head is going to think I'm a cop and shoot me. Trust me, it will happen.
I've been bit by a dog 5 times already, not by a poodle, but by a Pitt, Rott, German Shepard. They take your flesh between their teeth and shake you like a rag doll, and you think its over. Your heart pounds out of your chest, all you can think about is getting the hell out of there. The last dog bit me in the face. The owner was standing right there. "Shit!" I remember saying, "Am I bleeding?" She's like looking at me, the way you look through a magnifying glass, slowly, peering at me. "Uh, not to bad, just a little bit." I could tell she was lying. It didn't look as bad as I expected, hurt like hell. His tooth went through the bone on the side of my nose. Still hurts to wear sunglasses.

Yeah, rained all day, a light drizzly kind....I hate rain.