I was downtown grabbing a coffee on a patio, when this fella stopped by and asked for some change. I apologized for my dearth of hard currency, and instead offered him a smoke. He seemed down so I asked how his day was progressing, fiscally speaking.
“Lousy. It’s a Tuesday.“
I wondered aloud how that was an issue.
“Tuesday to Thursday are shit out here. People just keep to them- selves and don’t even look you in the eye. The weekends are usually worse, ’cause they’re all drunk or high and blowing off steam from the work they hated all week. They just pass that hate onto you.”
I was intrigued, and followed simple deduction with a query concerning Mondays and Fridays being his ‘money’ days, and if so, why…?
“Fridays, the week’s done. They’re either goin’ to work and feelin’ a little flush and fortunate – maybe even smug about their station in life and what they got at home – or they’re skippin’ off and takin’ a day to themselves, and givin’ me the wink and a coin in some sorta weird ‘I’m not workin’ today either’ thing. But Mondays is the best, ’cause they came from church the day before and are washed in guilt. They be tryin’ to earn favour with whatever God they think is tallyin’ their shit. They’re makin’ up for somethin’…and it makes the pain of startin’ their week weigh a little less, I suppose. Guilt’s a heavy thing, brother.“
He butted out his cig’, smiled with toothless vanity, and shuffled off towards the piercing and porn block of Granville – his dusty black trenchcoat flapping in the passing draft of electric buses and wayward limos of underage drinkers fresh from the burbs. And when the waitress came by to settle my order, I asked if I could change a ten for some coin. You see, I couldn’t help but be selfish in the end. I couldn’t help but think of the people behind this man’s theory. I couldn’t help but wonder what it’s like only feeling guilty two days a week…