bill pushed his shopping cart down the torn up side walk
with hannah, his fluffy rust-colored puppy, happily walking beside him
he had read in the paper about the food pantry
open ten to noon
it was now a few minutes after twelve
and noticing that the sign pointed him in a direction that would have led him across a pebblele driveway and then through grass and down some steps
he pushed his cart toward another entrance
only to find that one too had stairs that needed to be maneuvered around
as we were closing up i saw him and asked if he was looking for the food pantry
yes.
his name was william.
one of his eyes was wide open staring and clouded, the other looked at me sharply, with questions and …what…
having lost part of his right leg, he walks with a limp
he is thin, a slight of weight man
but not of spirit
he is very very proud of his little puppy hannah
he’s a veteren.
he has two children.
one is having troubles
‘you know how it is’ he says.
yes, i say.
but i do not.
i’ve known people with ‘troubles’ but they’ve been of the ordinary variety
loss of job, or spouse, or life
those problems
but a life of promise
that stagnates
turns in on itself
left unfullfilled
no, i have not known that
perhaps that is the only dividing line
bill was the only one who showed up before we closed
and i am so happy we waited three hours for him
thank you bill
i’m happy we met
i hope we meet again soon
tell me more about this…. i want to do some food volunteering. can i help you?
yes they are looking for volunteers. last week was the first week so it’s a learning curve. i’ll e-mail you the details.
also – anyone else in the area feel free to e-mail me and i’ll get you started.
for all the chicken owners out there – if you have extra eggs they would be greatly appreciated! also anyone with fruit trees that are producing at the moment – fresh fruit is also highly regarded!
i once met a woman who said prayed she could be the answer to someone’s prayer each day. how wonderful you can bill could connect. thanks for the inspiration!
Thanks so much for your encouragement. It meant a lot. One of my friends suggested I talk to other adoptive moms who work full-time jobs…
I thought it was a great idea, and then I realized that I only knew stay-at-home adoptive moms. I appreciate your note so much.
Beautifully written.
This world you speak of, it is not so different from your own. Don’t think that you don’t understand it. You would be surprised how closely a man on the streets life parallels your own. He still has hopes and dreams and comforts. He generally has a family. He lives and breathes just like everyone else. Most often he is there because that is what he’s chosen.
oh beaux, thanks for those words. it’s true, all you say. when i wrote about stagnation i was thinking of his daughter. bill is not leading an unfulfilled life. he was there for himself and one other person who could not get there. in spite of having some difficulty walking he walked in a sprightly way, if that can be said. and he was full of love, for his puppy, and his daughters and his friend he was shopping for. he’s doing better in the sense of loving better than most of the people in business suits i see everyday.
thanks for the focus. and for giving a voice to those people we often think of us voiceless.