The Bad Clown.

There's this guy who hangs around the streets of Venice and Santa Monica. He reminds me of sort of a warped clown, perhaps a character from Shakes The Clown even. Though he wears no makeup. He generally wears this hat I can't really explain it other than it reminds me of the circus. He has curly hair, full of gray and his nose and eyes scream for full clown makeup. But as I said, he wouldn't be a Ringling Bros Clown. There's something about him that's just not right.

It was about three years ago when he first noticed me. Well us. Me and my friend S. We were getting ice cream and he walked by and said something vulgar. Of course I responded with some vulgarity of my own and he smiled in such a disgusting way it pissed me off. Since then it felt like very time I was in Venice I would cross paths with this man. First with my friend and then eventually with my ex. It was only then that he seemed to back off a bit. We'd go to eat breakfast from time to time or hang out at the market or on the beach and he'd walk pass and look, but not too hard.

This past weekend was no different. I took Allycat to my favorite breakfast place and we spent most of the day walking and shopping and as we walked back to the car he appeared out of nowhere and started to smile. I can't explain it to you, but it's a dirty smile. It's the type of smile you feel rather than see and it makes you very uneasy. She was terrified and I was pissed again. I'm not scared of this man though, perhaps I should be? I don't scare too easily but I do know that I don't like him and none of the other people who have been with me who have crossed paths with him have liked him either.

Today I saw him again, walking up the promenade. I turned my back to him as he spied me and continued to talk on the phone while he passed. Watching his reflection in the window across the way, a technique I learned when I was a kid of only 14 hanging out at 3am in the morning on the streets of Chicago in my punk rock days - how to watch people without letting them know you really are watching them - I saw him curve his lips up into that smile. The disturbing one I mentioned before, he was waiting for me to turn around and notice him. I never did and slowly he continued on his way.