“The best thing? I don’t even – hold up, wait, no, I got it—“ She paused to let the anticipation build. “The parties, man. We get it in, you know?” She turned from me and toward her friends beside her. One of them, a dude ironically wearing a Brooklyn Nets snapback, extended his hand, palm slighted, toward the sky for her to slap. “For real. What was the other question though?”

“The worst part. What’s the worst thing about Detroit?”

“The murders,” she said without a flinch. Again, she turned from me, but this time looked straight ahead.

Twenty or thirty people were out there with us, scattered around the parking lot of a mall. After spending a few days living in Chloe’s basement, I took a megabus from Pittsburgh to Detroit to stay with Rob, one of my closest friends. By this time, I’d spent time in Baltimore, D.C., Ohio, and Pennsylvania and had applied to jobs every at every stop with no luck. I reckoned I’d land a gig by the time I hit Detroit, but figured Rob would let me crash there for a week or two either way. Three days of feeling sorry for myself led me to get off his couch and check out his new city.


“ I know, shit, maybe two people this summer,” her friend said as she glanced in my direction.

“Why were they killed? And by who?”

“Wrong place, wrong time. You know how it go—“

“Fuck around with them fuck arounds, you fuck around and get smoked,” the third member of their group sang out suddenly, grinning. His antics seemed to annoy the two girls I was talking to before.

“It wasn’t even like that, Brandon, and you know that. And that song is stupid as fuck.”

“You know Lil Mouse got bangers. And it answered the man’s question,” he said with a nod toward my direction.


I studied the three of them as my bus pulled up. Brandon looked to be 19 or 20, darkskinned like me but a good three, four inches shorter. He had an arm wrapped around the second girl, and his lip pressed to her light skinned, freckled face while she smiled. The last member of their group, the woman I initially spoke to, looked the part of a college freshman – down to the pajamas in the daytime and a heavy backpack over her shoulder.

She had a bunch of water bottles in there though, not books. She offered me one to buy when I first sat down at the bus stop, spurring our initial conversations. As I stood up and walked toward the bus headed back uptown, I felt her gaze follow me.

I still feel it.

detroit is probably a place i'll never step foot in. i really don't like the idea of being shot and dying.
» thaitanic on 2013-08-22 07:17:19

I feel it too
» middaymoon on 2013-08-22 10:45:58

Reeeeee
I work at a retirement home and I also sell Mary Kay. I'm trying to get a different doctor so I won't have to deal with my crazy one I have now.
» jabberwock on 2013-08-23 12:17:40

re:comment
Want me to help you with a new background picture?

One can find the most interesting people at bus stops, talking about the most ...interesting things.
» invisible on 2013-08-23 07:56:23

I really like this series.
I think of Detroit as a post-apocalyptic city ahead of its time.

I want you to know that all of my neighbors should hate you because I've been listening to Dream Lover non-stop ever since you posted in the shoutbox.
» Zanzibar on 2013-08-24 05:44:36

RC: Yeah, they probably are... and that's probably why they are on my wishlist.
» jinyu on 2013-08-25 11:15:52

you want to see my girls, you have to earn it
» Zanzibar on 2013-08-25 02:21:05

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA "leaf a comment"

au contraire, I joined Nutang in 2004.
» Zanzibar on 2013-08-26 01:02:54

re to your comment:
I WISH YOU LUCK!!! xD

London eh? care to elaborate on it?
» dannixfresh on 2013-09-08 01:31:53

RYC: Yes. I did just fine. The performance video is coming up soon. =)
» ayl4life on 2013-09-08 10:25:28

Sorry, you do not have permission to comment.

If you are a member, try logging in again or accessing this page here.