#234 Lives of the Artists- Jabari Asim
It is after hours at Reuben’s sign painting shop. The fellas
are “Talking John Brown Jive” or slinging B.S., playing checkers and unwinding
from the day. It’s a scene that could be in a small shop anywhere. Nothing
important is being discussed but that doesn’t mean nothing meaningful isn’t
taking place.
Among the tall tales and bad jokes, is this gem that any New
Yorker who’s ever come face-to-face with a subway rat would appreciate:
“I’ve seen better [fighters]…the best I ever saw used to
skirmish in the back of my uncle’s Laundromat. They were rats, understand. Big,
rowdy looking rodents. They’d actually stand on their hind legs and trade
punches.”
While the night winds down, a young man bursts in. He, and
many others, are being hunted down for sport by the cops. Handing out protest
leaflets is their only transgression. When the cops follow uninvited into the
shop, the men know better than to interfere, but that doesn’t mean they’re not
wanting to fight back:
“Reuben balled his hands into fists, stuffed them into his
pockets to avoid thinking about them.”
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