Keeping Up with the Jones'

"I have jus' one mo'e story, and then i'll sto'.  I promise.  I's a story the first church acts, the Jones and the Smif.  The Smif are slave person, and he goe' to church wif all he has, one bag, wif all he has.  All his food, there was nofin' more, tha's all he had.  And the smif, he give' all he had, tha' was all th'food he has. The smif' they bring all they has to church, in one bag, and give' to everyone.  And the rest the church they knew that, it was normal.  One day, the Jones, he tells the Smif they can' be there no more.  And the Smif, he leaves depressed.  But the smif' he loves the Jones.

Sid sat there, on the futon, speaking life giving and taking words, clearance pre-popped popcorn grasped in his right fingers, atop his large, frozen food fed belly.  Motioning loudly with his left hand, emphasizing points impossible to reproduce in text.  I sat, transfixed, watching his moist red Santa Claus lips working over his poor, broken uneducated better understanding english, through,his white and gray salt and pepper beard.  Tears proceeding from too long dry eyes.  Witnessing Saint Sid of everywhere.

"Jones', he ask' the Smif to be his servant' and he is very welfy.  And Smif' work' for the Jones good.  He work' hard and lon' for the Jones.  The Jones want to getting rid of some of hi' business, and he see' the smif, and says to him, he says him: Smif, you's a good working, I wan' a give you job, cause you's chrishin.  And the Smif and the Jone's they come together and cry and weep togever cause that's the way the first church was.  It wasn' want we talk about, these churche' on the corner, Race street, or any other street.  They had to love, and they did.  Tha's what the church was.

I jus' have to love people.... I jus' have to love people."

Sid had spoken, to gestured, indicating his conclusion.  He moved his hand up to his mouth, deposited the interrupted pre-popped popcorn into the waiting opening.  He reached to his right and retrieved the bag, digging out more, and moving it to the other side of his body.

"I jus' have to love people."