Some places humans may have to share the space with the animals that inhabit the area. In the Big Apple humans have to share the streets with rats. It is ironic because the City will pick up stray dogs; and will catch members of cat colonies, neuter them and put them back in the colony. For rats, they do nothing. Rats are so common as much as you see a pigeon, squirrel, cat or dog you will see a rat. The difference between rats and other animals is that the rats are bold and they fear no human.

Walking down the street I stopped dead in my tracks. I looked I was face to face with a big fat rat. I looked at the rat, the rat looked at me. We made eye contact, I said you have got to be kidding. I’m the human the side walk was made for humans. The rat just stood there. What was on his mind? He did not fear humans, maybe he was thinking of jumping and taking a bite out of me if I don’t step aside. To break the stalemate, I took a step to my right; as I stepped to my right, the rat moved to the left. The rat and I still had our eyes locked on each other. Then I took another step to my right, at the same time the rat moved to the left.  Dam the rat still is looking like he wants to bite the hell out of me. Should I just end it all by kicking it? Then I make another move to my right and the rat made his move to the left. We are now parallel and still maintaining eye contact. Then I notice since the rat and I moved half a radius the path to walk down the street is clear. I see the rat has noticed that the path to walk up the street is clear. Nobody don’t need to tell me twice. I just took the path down the street and went about my business, and the rat walked up the street about his business.

Woman was standing on the stoop with her pit bull terrier. The dog look like any other dog waiting for the master to move. Then suddenly the pit bull looked attentive. He saw something or someone that got his attention. Shit, I hope it isn’t me, all I need is to be bit by a pit bull who has the most powerful jaws of all the canine species. The pit bull is in hunting mode, then he sprang up, leaping at its prey. But what and where is the prey? I’m the only one here and I know the prey isn’t me. As the dog leaped in the air and when he was coming down at the target I see a good size rat run at the precise spot the pit bull will land. The pit bull’s timing was brilliant, he timed it that he will land precisely on top of the rat as the rat runs by. But the pit bull forgot one thing.  That he was on a leash. As the pit bull was going to land on the rat, the owner pulled the pit bull back on the stoop. The dog was disappointed as the rat zoomed on it merry way.

Taking out the garbage one late night. I opened the garbage can and what do I see sitting on top of the garbage inside the garbage can. It was a big fat rat. It is just sitting there not moving and as still as a statue. I banged the garbage can in hopes that the rat will run away. It just stood there. Hell, I decided to put the garbage in the can and be done with it. I lifted up the garbage bag to dump it in the can then suddenly the rat made its move. As my arm was in the air getting ready to drop the garbage bag in the can, the rat jumped at my chest. I jumped backwards and shouted AHHHHH yeah it might have sounded like little girl or even a Carlton Banks scream. While jumping backwards and screaming I was brushing my body with my hands to brush the rat off me. But as it turns out, when the rat jumped he jumped right past me and ran under a parked car. It’s a good thing nobody was around to witness this event because it was fucking embarrassing.

Even at one of the busiest subways Pennsylvania Station in the heart of N.Y.C during rush hour. A rat decided to run from the streets onto an escalator, as you can see the rat was attempting to go down an up moving escalator. He isn’t making any real progress going down, yet New Yorkers are so used to sharing the streets with rats they just move out of the rat’s way. Where are the stray cats when you need them?