Intro 6:40 a.m. He wakes up on the couch. Left jaw is hot. He checks the time, then checks his phone. Three missed calls from the landlord. Two unknown numbers. One text from the girlfriend. Hook Toothache, toothache, all day on the list. Rent due, pockets flat, phone won’t quit. Bookie wants payment, interest by the hour. He keeps moving block to block, looking for a shower. He asks for a dentist, cash price, no forms. Everybody talks. Nobody solves. Verse 1 He runs sink water. Spits. Sees red in it. Looks for pills, finds two, takes one, saves one. Opens the fridge. Nothing in it but a jar. He checks his wallet. One card, no balance. Door knock at 7:15. He stays still. Landlord in the hall says, “Rent today or you’re out.” He waits for the steps to fade, then slips down the stairs. Keeps his hoodie up. Keeps his head down. He walks to the corner store, buys the cheapest ice cup. Holds it on his cheek while the clerk watches him. His phone buzzes again. He turns it off. He thinks about a clinic sign he saw near the tracks. He starts walking that way. Hook Toothache, toothache, all day on the list. Rent due, pockets flat, phone won’t quit. Bookie wants payment, interest by the hour. He keeps moving block to block, looking for a shower. He asks for a dentist, cash price, no forms. Everybody talks. Nobody solves. Verse 2 9:30 a.m. He reaches the clinic. Door is locked. A paper on the glass says they open Mondays. Today is not Monday. He leans on the wall, presses his jaw with his palm. A guy from the neighborhood sees him and says, “You look bad.” He says, “I need a dentist today.” The guy says, “Try my cousin’s place, but you need cash.” He says he has none. The guy says, “There’s a back room on Fulton. Ask for R.” He writes it down on a receipt with a pen that barely works. He heads to Fulton. He checks over his shoulder at crosswalks. A dark sedan creeps past once, then turns the corner slow. He changes direction. He cuts through a laundromat. He comes out the back door and keeps walking. Verse 3 Noon. Fulton street. He finds the address. It’s a barber shop with a second door on the side. He knocks. A voice asks who sent him. He says a name. The door opens a crack. A man looks him over and asks, “You got money.” He shows empty hands. Door shuts. Lock clicks. He stands there for ten seconds, then leaves. He calls a friend from a prepaid phone at the bodega. Friend answers and says, “I told you stop gambling.” He says, “I need a tooth pulled. Today.” Friend says, “Emergency room, but you’ll wait.” He says, “I’ll wait.” Friend says, “They’ll ask for insurance.” He hangs up. He walks toward the hospital anyway. On the way, he sees his girlfriend’s name on a caller ID. He ignores it. He keeps walking. He passes a payday loan place and keeps walking. Hook Toothache, toothache, all day on the list. Rent due, pockets flat, phone won’t quit. Bookie wants payment, interest by the hour. He keeps moving block to block, looking for a shower. He asks for a dentist, cash price, no forms. Everybody talks. Nobody solves. Verse 4 3:10 p.m. The ER waiting room is full. He takes a number. It’s far from the screen. He asks the desk about dental pain. They tell him to sit and wait. He sits for twenty minutes, then stands up. His knee bounces. He presses the ice cup again. A security guard watches him. His phone turns back on. He sees a voicemail preview. Landlord says, “Tomorrow morning. Locks changed.” He deletes it. He steps outside, checks the street, then checks it again. Two guys across the road stare too long. He walks the other direction. He moves fast past a bus stop. He hears his name once. He does not turn around. He takes an alley cut to avoid the main road. His jaw throbs. He spits on the ground and keeps going. Bridge Evening. He’s behind a closed grocery. He tries to pry a back gate, it doesn’t move. He tries another route, gets boxed in by fences. Footsteps behind him. Two sets. A voice says, “You thought we forgot.” He says nothing. They grab him. They hit him. He drops to the pavement. They take his phone. They take his wallet. They leave when a car passes near the alley mouth. Outro Morning. He wakes up on the ground. His shirt is dirty. His lip is split. There is a tooth on the pavement near his hand. He touches his mouth. The sharp pain is gone. He smiles while still on the ground. He stands up slow and looks for a place to rinse out.
