“I’ve been here 11 years. I came out for the diversity and convenience of the place.”
“Do you have a high and low point from your time out here?”
“Low point, shit…living a few blocks up the street smoking rocks. It’s no good you know.”
“Where were you living? On the street?”
“Not on the street, just in the Loin…then overcoming that shit on my own. Being sober.”
“I feel you. I lived in the TL for about 18 months. How’d you overcome it on your own? Smoking crack seems like a hard thing to kick.”
“It was sort of a recreational thing, in a way. I knew where I was gonna end up if I didn’t pull up on it. I had a homey out here that was a bad influence, we were partners in crime you know? He bounced…and things got better for awhile.”

“You got a high?”
“Coming through that man and still making it in the city. Paying shit for rent and holding a steady job.”
“How long you been clean?”
“5 years.”
“Congratulations.”
“I still smoke weed and drink beers you know- “
“But haven’t touched the rock?”
“Haven’t touched the rock. Even coke, you’re like ‘Ah yeah!’ and have a little bump every now and then but it’s not really worth it. You wake up and it’s like, I wish I hadn’t done that.”