Saturday, July 26, 2008

5B

"Smokes!" It was fifteen after the hour, smoke time at the Mental Hospital. "I've got some Barclays, baby." said a gravely voice, coming from a middle aged, graying black man dressed in state khaki pants, shirt and slip on tennis shoes. (No shoe strings allowed.)
"Juice!" ... "Juice!" Morton liked to walk around the ward saying "Juice" he was one of the only patients that didn't smoke but he never missed a meal or a snack and it showed.
Tipton, the big Indian that didn't talk, set at the metal table enjoying his cigarette. He tapped on the table the same rhythm that he always tapped. Two fast taps followed by two slower taps, he usually moaned quietly while doing this. He had been in institutions since he was a boy. He had scars on his arms from when he broke out an aide station window when he was young. Tipton wore blue overalls, was about 6' 4" and weighed about 280 lbs. He was a real sweetheart of a guy but was very intimidating if you didn't know him. Most of the time when he came back from ground privileges his pockets would be full of things that people would give him when he walked up to them and didn't say anything.

4 comments:

yellowdoggranny said...

I think I spent a weekend there once on one of my drunk binges..

yellowdoggranny said...

do you watch saving grace?...it's alll about oklahoma..well, it's about grace and an angel named earl, but oklahoma is the best part of the show..I love it..but holly hunter is so fucking skinny and is nekkid thru most of the show..I want to grab her up and feed her some chicken fried steak with gravy.

billy pilgrim said...

can tipton pick up a big water fountain and toss it through a window?

texlahoma said...

I've never even heard of Saving Grace but I'll check it out YDG.
Billy he probably could. I know it sounds a little like one flew over the cuckoo's nest. We...shit my old lady just made me forget what I was going to say by mentioning the word "beer". We had the bizarro world nurse ratchet. We (the mental health aides) would have to restrain some giant crazy guy (that is trying to kill us) and our nurse would let him go in a few minutes. Yep, a few minutes after that he would be trying to kill us again. I don't miss that job.

Blog Archive