Porter's days blur monotonously. He sleeps late. He dresses methodically, sporting a showy wardrobe of 2-tone tassled loafers, silky shirts and straw hats. When he's not in front of the house, Porter sits on the couch of his mother's apartment, where he lives. A TV drones with Jenny Jones, Jerry Springer, Oprah.
Someone gets takeout.
Porter's best friend, Charles Pough, drops by nearly every day. Pough, known as Baby Charles, also serves as Porter's adviser, bodyguard and chauffeur. I try to keep him out of trouble. . . . Though Pough drives Porter everywhere, the secretary of state's office says he hasn't had a valid Illinois driver's license since the early 1980s. Porter's only sister, Debra, a nurse who works the overnight shift, also says she wants to keep Porter out of trouble.