rainy days and cigarette butts

i had dinner plans with my father this evening. we were to meet at the canal/centre subway station in chinatown. chinatown is always a little gross with the wafts of day(s)-old-seafood odor hanging in the air and mysterious murky puddles that if one were to see some mutated creature emerging from their surface, he/she should not be surprised. but rain elevates this grossness to another level, and it was raining.

i arrived there early, and while waiting for him, a homeless man caught my attention. he started to yell about something. i was on the phone with l and so didn't really listen to what he was saying. but the bits of "you chinese" that i caught makes me think that it was somewhat racist. he's homeless probably because he has a mental illness though, and i would rather not antagonize someone who doesn't bathe and clean on a regular basis to avoid making any level of physical contact with them.

while scanning the crowd, looking for my father, i noticed a lit half-smoked cigarette had fallen to the ground. then, i saw the homeless man reaching for it. i had to hold up the magazine in my hand to avoid seeing what was going to happen but then had to look to confirm my suspicions. yes, he dropped it on the wet, nasty ground, picked it up, put it on his lips, and continued to smoke it. after a couple of puffs and more ranting, he dropped it again. the gesture seemed almost deliberate. i couldn't help but wonder if he found the cigarette tastier when dipped in street juice.

what is it with rain and cigarettes and crazy people?