I use to only work in an office to earn money, but recently I started calling out to pick up junk on the streets. Technically it sits on the side of the road, not exactly in the streets and someone posted it on Crigslist in the "free" section. Normally "free" translates to "junk", but I find someone's junk and sell it to someone else like trashy treasure.

Most of the time it ends up missing a power cord or components cause leakage through a hairline crack that the owner sometimes mentions in the post, but some leave it out in order to attract a few poor saps just in case the first one passes on it. I know it attracts a few because I arrive to others that look like me. We definitely fill the description of the modern day "junker".

A "junker" use to only really mean someone either lacked skills to work a normal job or committed too many crimes to apply at a normal job. Now a "junker" stays up searching the internet to find things that look like an easy flip into cash. Everything I earn I put towards my retirement. I thought working a 40 hours a week job that required a degree and a number of years in the HR field meant guaranteed retirement, but after crunching the numbers my retirement officially kicks in 2 weeks after I take my dirt nap. That only happens if my funeral takes place at a Shakey's and my ashes sell at the occult auction.

I decided to auction my corpse to prevent grave robbers. Flipping taught me one thing, people flip everything, even a corpse. My next flip might lead me to flipping a corpse. They make a lot of money. 3 corpses and I retire 3 years earlier. It almost seems worth it, maybe after working another weekend I might, but at the moment I make enough flipping old washers and kitchenware to retire at the young age of 65 . Every time I say 65 I think 62 sounds better ... sounds like 3 years better.

Written By:

Johnny Roque

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://smirkfiction.wordpress.com/2021/06/19/flipping-the-streets/