That one part of town

There is a part of town where you only have to mention it's name, and you will receive a sympathetic nod.

There the people have few teeth.   It is not uncommon to have to chase off roving bands of large wild dogs.  Dead cats bloat in the ditches beside the road.  You can peek through the cracks in the walls.   You have to climb over the stack of washing machines to get up the telephone pole.   I have had conversations with customers about how hard it is to quit meth, and how he plans to go buy some after I leave.   I have been informed about what it means to be a Juggalo, and I acted like I didn't know just to hear him talk.  

It is an interesting part of town.  

The ugliest thing you've ever seen

There has been two instances in which a customer asked me if I wanted to see the ugliest thing I have ever seen.

The first was in a dilapidated apartment complex.   I forget what the problem was, but the customer was in the center of the room in a wheel chair.   She asked the question.   I was stunned, and worried what I was about to see next, when she lifted her shirt up.  In between her bra cups, was a kind of gap.  Where the sternum should be was a soft spot, and you could see her heart or organs moving behind it.   The lighting of the room made her pale skin take on a greenish hue.  


The second time was pretty cool actually.   Two people in chairs wave me in the front door.   They were like the grandparents in Willy Wonka, and didn't get up...seeming to live in the chairs.  They had mini fridges nearby.

Their issue was the his and hers televisions.  If she changed the channel to her tv on the right side of the room, his tv on the left side would change channels also.    For the fix I cut up some soda boxes they had, and made an infrared directional tube to direct only their remotes at their tvs.     While fixing I was standing next to an empty terrarium.   Noticing my puzzled look, the man told me.  "Ya, I had a pet cobra."
I look at him.
Without any sign of sarcasm.  "He's around here somewhere, let me know if you see him."
I about flip out.  I'm looking all over for the hiding cobra, and both he and her start laughing.

That is when she asks.  I tell them, "I've seen some ugly things.  I don't know if I do or not."
She points me over to a salt water aquarium.  Inside was one of those large sucker fish, and it had tentacles all over its head.  

I smile.  "Nope, not the ugliest thing I've ever seen."

Native

Installing government paid for phone at a residence.  The place was hard to find.  It wasn't a house, but a tin shed, with an add on.   He was an old Native American, and his two adult children lived with him.   Nearby was a cleared foundation.   He tells me how his house burned down two years ago, and the tribe said they would rebuild it.  They had been putting him off the entire time.   They shared a single room, and it was littered with garbage, and had beds on the floor.   While leaving, I noticed a bath tub filled with soapy water.  I hadn't noticed it because it was hidden from the road by a sheet of plywood.  

Father, son and daughter were all missing numerous teeth.