Q-Man is my name.  I live on the streets of downtown Fort Worth; don't got a home to call my own; been livin' this way ever since my wife threw me out.  Cheated one too many times; now look where it got me.  On the streets.  This life ain't worth livin'; I deserve far better than what I got.

I used to be friends with Eek.  Never did know his real name; poor guy was tetched in the head.  He always talkin' out of his head, talkin' to people that wasn't even there; people oftentimes thought he be on drugs he was so out of it at times.  Felt sorry for him; he couldn't have been more'n 22 to 25 at the most:  he was just a baby-faced kid; he might have been in his twenties, but he looked no older'n fifteen at the most.

I firs' met Eek las' Thanksgiving when the shelter we was stayin' at had Thanksgiving dinner for the residents.  It was right nice; the meal was a traditional Thanksigiving Day meal:  turkey, cranberries, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, stuffin', choice of pecan, apple, or punkin pie for dessert, and green bean casserole.  It was wonderful to be able to eat real food for once 'stid of scroungin' 'round in the dumpsters for somethin' edible, which is what a good portion of us homeless folk usually done.

Well, anyways, I be eatin', havin' me a fine time, when I saw this kid sittin' all by hisself.  I felt sorry for him, so I sat with him, tried to strike up a conversation with him.  He didn't say more'n five words at the most; if he did, he talked crazy-talk, but he seemed to be a right nice fella.  He said his name was Eek, and he was from the planet Zircon.  (See?  Told ya he was tetched in the head; usually what he say don't make any real sense!)

He seemed to be harmless enough, so he and I became friends.  I found out that Eek loved jelly beans, in any shape, color, or form.  He also loved marshmallows and gummy bears.  He was livin' on the streets because his parents had too many kids and they say he another mouth to feed, so they threw him out the house.  He been on the streets since, tryin' to survive, just as we all was.

I took to Eek like a big brother.  I tried to make sure he eat enough or had fairly decent clothes on his back.  He was a ratty lookin' kid, all skin and bones; hell, if a big breeze done blowed in, he would have blowed away like a kite!  I tried to make sure he got to his doctor appointments; he had seizures and often had convulsions when you least 'spected it.  They'd scare the hell out of you too, each an' every time.

Well, just a few months back, Eek, he got hit by a car while crossin' the street.  Durn fool never looked as he crossed the street; he just barrelled into traffic and hope the cars missed him.  Well, a nice Hummer H2 nailed him but good; he died a few hours later of his injuries. We knowed from seein' him lyin' in the street that he was hurt bad.  An ambulance was called; he was taken to the hospital, but nothing could be done for Eek.  He was as good as gone already by the time they got him to the hospital.

He was only 24 years old, just barely out of childhood/teendom.  Such a waste; he would have lived longer had he not tooken crazy chances!

Well, we miss Eek; he might not have said much (or looked like much), but he was a right nice kid, just the same: never said anythin' bad 'bout anybody; he respected people, and when he wasn't in his own li'l fantasy world, he could make you laugh when you least expected it.

Well, I'm cryin' again as I think of my little buddy, so I'd best go.  I will write in here again soon and maybe perhaps share my story.  I think I have a story to tell, so I will write again.  Take care!

~Q-Man.