A Wet Day

Kevin woke up to rain pounding off his apartment window on Gerard Avenue. He quickly splashed some water on his face and brushed his teeth before starting to pack the Yankee T-shirts, sweatshirts and hats that he sells down on 14th Street.

Everything is usually hauled on a small cart in a taped-up cardboard box, but changes have to be made for the weather.

“Business will be slow today,” Kevin explained. “There’s no sense in carrying stuff that I’ll just have to carry back.”

The pared-down merchandise was stuffed into two black garbage bags that were knotted together and slung over Kevin’s shoulder like saddlebags. The aluminum folding table was roped over his other shoulder as he headed downtown.

“Some people just stay home on days like this,” Kevin explained. “I probably won’t make much, but it’s better than nothing.

“And maybe I’ll get lucky,” he continued. “There could be a patch of clear weather this afternoon or maybe a lot of people will get soaked and want to change into Derek Jeter T-shirts.”

Kevin laughed.

“That probably won’t happen,” he admitted. “But it never rains inside (Tropicana Field) so I’ll be able to watch the Yankees at Tampa Bay tonight. That’s enough to get me through a wet day.”