Streetwise

Bobby Ray was a regular visitor to Downtown Hazard and was a fascinating character. For a while there I saw him maybe once a week. He was a little blond haired guy about seven years old, usually bare footed in dirty short pants, probably the only pair he had. I never knew where he was from, but I did know he was a tough kid, street wise, already at that age. I talked to him sometimes but he was not very friendly. Wouldn't talk about his self very much. So I left him alone and let him do his thing. He was smart and he was not alone. He had a little scrawny looking dog that was always with him. The dog was smart, too. Bobby and the dog would mosey into the dime store, just like the rest of us did, and survey the candy counter and the toy counter and whatever else might be interesting. Picking up items to examine closer he would reach down casually and hand the dog something small. The dog would immediately turn and head for the front door by himself. Once outside he would go to one side and sit and wait for his master to come out later. Now I don't care who you are, that was slick. If it was a candy bar, Bobby always gave the dog his share. It was then I realized that every time I saw the kid he was eating something. After a year or so I stopped seeing the kid and his dog. I hoped he had moved on to better things.