Henry and his buddy Dave struggle out of the halfway house in the Canal district of San Rafael. Henry has soul and no teeth. He also carries a cane and uses our cabs regularly. They need a lift to the 7-Eleven for burritos and to Al’s Liquors for refreshments. They smell for lack of bathing. Both are ‘down-and-outers’ but for now have a roof over their head and money for cab fare. During the ride, while Dave remains silent, Henry talks non-stop and cracks off-color jokes. Being toothless makes him almost unintelligible. He tells me he just got out of a 90-day rehab. I wonder to myself what that might mean. I figure it’s for alcoholism for obvious reasons. “I lived in a room I can only describe as a fucking cell”, he points out. I imagine his present abode can’t be much better. Funny and sad this one. They live life like they have the plague…segregated and bottom feeding. I get a $5 tip from Henry. I bid him well till next time.