Deuce | Zineb Benchekchou

ZINEB BENCHEKCHOU

PHOTOGRAPHY

Deuce

I met Deuce on 57th street on a Sunday afternoon. I had approached him asking if I could get to know him and take some photos of him. He was very enthusiastic about it! He put one of his blankets on the ground, I got us some coffee and we started our chat.

"Before I answer your questions, let me record my message and if you know someone in the government, you should share it with them." He then talked frenetically to my phone voicerecorder for over 10 min. He didn’t like being interrupted yet, his stories didn't make sense to me.

"My name is Deuce, D-E-U-C-E. I’m 48 and I have been living on the street for 4.5 years. "

"I was born in Brooklyn and raised as an only child. My parents live now in Florida; I last visited them in June 2008."

"I haven’t showered in 32 months. Since hurricane Sandy. It was in a shelter downtown. But I never went back there. They don’t treat white men well. I prefer to stay here, right in this block."

"I spent all last winter here. I used my blankets and coats.And THIS is what saved my life. C is for Coleman. You should photograph it."

"I like this block because I am close to the Apple store. That’s where I check my emails. My parents write me sometimes. They did 4 months ago but I haven’t answered yet." What about you friends? "I have you. Write this down: Your best friend, the day before you met them, was a stranger”

"I collect my blankets in the streets and that’s all I have in my suitcases. I also own a watch. An Alpha 1 timer. This is not New York time. You won’t understand. It’s a different dimension. It’s Joaning extended travel time!"

Joaning? I asked. "There is Math. Then Newtonian physics. And there is Joaning..." It was hard for me to grab the concept...

"I am a musician. I am a mathematician. I write lyrics and compose music. I miss my
uitar."

"Before the street, I was a federal agent. I was a musician too."

"I used to live at my friend’s place; with my wife before she was kidnapped by the FBI. My friend was forced later to ask me to leave. That’s how I ended up here. He was then murdered in 2011."

"I lost my ID. Show me yours. Benchekchou! Benchekchou! Do you speak French? Careful with the French, you know 9/11 right? The French communist party is behind it."

"Deuce is my street name. It means 2. It’s a war strategy. Use the small card to beat them. I will send you my real name by emil."

Deuce: If you can’t stay, can you come back again? Me: I promise I will, but not before the weekend. Deuce: Email me! Me: I don’t have your email address...? Deuce: You do...

See you next weekend!

Once back home, I opened my notebook to go through our conversation and then I found a very touching note from Deuce along with his email address. He wrote it when I went to wash my hands at the restaurant.

© By Zineb Benchekchou