Chapter 1: Soup

My name’s Joseph Friggitello. Pals call me Joey Peppers. Friggitello peppers is the same as Tuscan yellow peppers. Pepperoncini. Only ignorant call em that. A mistake. Keep your teeth by never suggesting I’m yellow, capisch? Unfriendly only dare call me Joey Frisco, to my back. Need it splained to ya? I’m a easy offended sensitive guy. Mama quit when I split. Died of grief when dad, my uncles, cousins and brothers got whacked, all but the youngest, me. I’m insulted my sisters are being watched for a street wise kid like me to stupidly attempt visiting! Sole surviving family male, I’m a threat. When I can make it grievous, on Mama’s grave, I swear I’ll reap hellish pay back!

Where do you think I’m hiding? Where would you? Would be wise you think, to hide where every streetwalker, taxi driver, street punk, junk dealer, boulevard romeo cruising in his gas guzzler, is anxious to turn you in for a bounty? Pick up a few bucks and brownie points for tracking your whereabouts and reporting it in to the mob? Ever heard the phrase “Word on the street”? Ask yourself this. Where ain’t the mob in control? Where some other mob IS, see? Does it matter? One mob is as bad as the next. Not so. If one mob is hunting me to kill me, I prefer the other mob who never heard of me, and couldn’t care less who I am. That’s where I am. Small town in the vastness of rural America, far from major cities. Mobs like target rich environments like big cities. The boonies are slim pickings for mobs. Great for chameleons. Mimicking regional accents is easy.

Copy hair style and style of dress, blend right in with the boonies. American small towns and communities are incredibly generous. Street smarts apply to all size towns. It’s about basic necessities and where to obtain them. Learn where to hide, from law, from predators, and from weather. Learn the where and the hours for freebies, like when food banks and soup kitchens serve. Learn where public bathrooms and water taps are. Where can you shower? Where are the various used clothing shops? It can be cheaper to buy than launder and dry clothing.

Bakeries dispose of old unsold baked goods. Often given to a senior center or charity, who give the oldest stuff to anyone asking, to get rid of it, when a fresher load is arriving. They have to make room.

Which churches and civic groups offer help. Where are government offices to apply for food stamps, unemployment, welfare. Where are the temporary work agencies. Homeless shelters. Free clinics.

Which super markets pitch spoiled veggies and fruits in their dumpsters. Many sell the culls to pig farmers and those are a waste of time to go dumpster diving.

Get to know the bad guys. Pecking orders. Chain of command. You can pick up change for running errands, standing look out, or delivering messages. Which intersections and corners are the highest producing for panhandlers is important to know. There is fierce competition for these choice locations. Unless you’re part of a gang, leave those spots to those who can defend them. Isn’t worth a broken head make an issue. Some police will pay informants. Careful of your reputation! Snitches get hurt.

Information is a big part of street smarts. Schedules of bus lines and trains. Shortest routes across town. Location of parks and camp grounds and what class of folks that frequent them.