Jesse Renno
Dawn At Pittsburgh’s Union Station, 9/10/25 Continued from Do You Feel Safe?
Being pulled away from me by the eyes of Hulk, who was pointing with his square Pollack/EyeTalian meat helmet head, Plaid circled wide. The two meat poleese swooped down on their next mark, shoulder to shoulder. Hulk, who I now noted was wearing a rash guard, made me feel better, that he had measured me for a supplex or rear naked, and that this light heavyweight mulatto only rated a stuff and buff. This light-skinned fellow was a sissy for any eye to see. I think they just hassled him to make their grilling of me look random. I went to the counter and bought tickets in case these guys decided to rob me later. My tickets would remain electronically valid. They did me a favor, as I saved $200 for buying when and where I did. The young agent even complimented me on how organized my wallets were, with a slot for every denomination, “Wow, you do go all over!”
In retrospect, any world system whose muscled-up gun-thugs fear my physical person is ripe to be eaten. Small, old, weak, alone, burdened with luggage and silent, that I was chosen as the most dangerous man coming from Chicago to Pittsburgh, is an indictment begging for a conviction. By contrast, the informer on the train, the “rugby” player had no gear, not even a pouch or pack. I watched him in part, because the man without a burden is the violent actor, not the beaten down wage refuge cracker or whipped-boy milk-dud Amerinegro.
…
The Amish, who made up, as normal at Pittsburgh, 20% of the 50 or so passengers, laid over from the Floridian waiting on the Pennsylvanian to Lancaster County, had been very interested in my being questioned by the cops. I remained standing and organized my tickets, opening my wallets and counting out my various monies. When the money was away and tickets stowed, a young man, a teenager, with blue shirt and black pants with suspenders, as yet no beard, with a bowl cut of straight blond hair just above his big blue eyes, walked up to me. He was perhaps 5’ 8” and 135 pounds, broad shouldered, was traveling with a woman that could be his mother or grandmother.
“Hello, sir,” he said, and I extended my hand. He took it with a very strong hand and we clasped, “Hi, I’m James.”
“I’m Jesse Renno. I am visiting family, headed to Altoona, coming from Wyoming. How are you?”
“Okay, Jesse, waiting for a ride here, headed to Baltimore Monday morning.”
“They had a lot of questions—interesting. He was very interested in your business. I am curious as well.”
“Oh, I’m a boxing coach; no big names, stay with men I train, travel a lot.”
“Where to?”
“I avoid the Southeast, New York, New England. Will be setting up a gym for a man in Missouri who buys raw milk and liver from the Amish there.”
“I see. Me, I’m waiting for the 7:30 train wondering where I can buy something to eat. The food on the train is very bad.”
“It’s not healthy—nothing in the cafe car is. Only quality food at a decent price is the breakfast for $20. Here, I have two bags of dried meat in here and I only need one for next week’s travel.”
[Pulled out pork smoked sausage.]
“Oh, no, that is your food, you need that. I was just wondering where to get something.”
“There is just some hipster coffee place around the corner that will have soy milk, cakes and doughnuts. I’m spending all week with an old Italian woman who loves to cook. I’ll be lucky not to get fat. I’m trying to cut weight—the fatter you are the harder you get hit and I like to spar with my fighters; can’t afford to blow my neck out.”
“How old are you?”
“Sixty-two.”
“You get along good. Age has not caught you yet.”
“Oh, my hips are torn. I was on crutches until March, when I made enough money in LA to get this fancy suitcase on wheels.”
“Yes, that is a nice one!”
“Jesse, a man named after a gunfighter should not eat soy and muffins. Here, take this.”
“Let me pay you for it.”
“No, it was free to me, and to you. This lightens my load by a pound.”
“Okay, thank you. I will be right back.”
“He went to his pack, next to the old woman, brought me a cheese stick, and said, “This has been in my pack for three days, all I have. I want you to have it.”
“Thank you, Jesse.”
“I am not with her, just traveling together. We are supposed to travel together, it is safer.”
“As a man who always travels alone, I agree. What part of Montana. Amtrak doesn’t go there?”
“Buffalo.”
“In the northeast, Medicine Bow Range?”
“Yes, near the Powder River. You have been there?”
“I have been to Medicine Wheel Mountain.”
Smiling wide, “Yes, yes, I know it. We are about 5,000 feet, much lower. An outsider climbed one of the mountains this summer and did not come down, froze up there. The bus runs from Denver to Buffalo. We are at the end of the line, 4500 hundred people at 4500 hundred feet—easy to remember. Ten miles from the Amish store. But I came the other way. The Jefferson Service runs through Billings to Buffalo. You can take it to see the Devils Tower. You cannot see it until you are right there—the hills around it are higher. I think the Jefferson Service runs to Minneapolis. That is the way I came.”
“I have often wondered about taking a bus or train to a small western town. Do they have motels or hotels?”
“We have cabins. People have cabins they rent. You would be welcome. You should ask for me—someone will know me and we can visit. You will like the country. The water varies, we have stale water, the neighbors sweet water. We are on wells and trade water for various uses. You have lived in Wyoming?”
“I have visited Lovell, Rock Springs, Cody and Evenston; am familiar with the water issues. I stay with Mormons in Northwestern Utah, right by the border.”
“We have some of them,” he smiled, “Do you know the Monies?”
“No, I do not now any. But Money is a great name for a Mormon.”
Smiling, “Oh, they spell it with a U and two Ns—well-known people.”
He looked at the older lady to check on her and I said, “Jesse, I will come to Buffalo, if my hips hold up, next year, and ask for you.”
We shook hands as he smiled, “That would be nice, James. I have not boxed.”
“Your hands are strong enough—you’ll do.”
I headed outside to wait for Punky.