I skipped college and hung with a gang of hoodlums and felt cool. Each gang member was ambitious and wanted to control the streets on that block. I lost interest when the gang members starting becoming less ambitious and were getting married. I drifted away.
By that time I was kicked out of the house and was sharing a cramped room with this skinny boy. He was a nice guy with good habits. He used to introduce himself as KP. I never asked what his name was; I met KP in a cafe where he overheard me talking that I was looking for a cheap place to stay for a couple of months. He walked over and offered to take me in as a room mate and split the rent. I agreed without a thought; it was one of the good decisions I had taken so far in my short life.
KP worked at a plush 5 star hotel. He was in accounts or something. After I ran out of money he fixed a job of apprentice for me in the hotel. I had to help the guests with their luggage and run errands for them - BELLHOP. My easy job was made difficult by my title "the apprentice". The oddest and the dirtiest of the job were shoved at me by the other bellhops. I was never allowed to help any of the fat tippers and only got to lug the stuff of the stingiest and the cheapskates.
The days slipped fast. I got busy with each passing day running errands for friendly, rude, curt, threatening, demanding, polite... guests. It was winter before I could ask myself to take a break. I had saved a bit by that time and KP had staring showing some signs of good health. Then one cold evening an old grumpy man checked in.
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