empoweredfamily.org

Friday, October 9, 2009 at 10:36pm

"Excuse me" she says. "Do you have a little change so I can get me some food?". I told her to walk with me to the hot dog stand on the corner of Maple and 7th. I asked her "What do you want to drink?" She looked at the picture on the stand window and said to me, "That fruity icee looks good!" Humm... I tell her, "Well that's too high shoot, how bout a Snapple?". She says, "Yeah okay, that's it I want a Snapple!!! What kind? She says "Any kind is fine with me but I want my hot dog to have everything on it okay?"

While we waited for the hot dog (with everything), she walks closer to me and says ... "Lady we are wearing the same jeans! I have on skinny jeans too, see your jeans are like mine!"

Her smile made me forget she was homeless. Her unpredictable behavior, her great since of humor, and her desire to relate to my life made me forget about the uniform track marks on her left arm. She was a woman still. Not a "NO-body". The more she spoke the more I also noticed the cosmetic lie, this woman was much closer to my age than her appearance. This woman was in her late 40's but she looked 75 years old. I'm sure there was a time this woman had dreams and maybe even a time she lived them. I wanted to ask her... "Why?" I wanted to say, "Why are you here begging for money?" "Why are you using?"," Why are you homeless?" ...

But oddly rather than ask those questions, instead it felt more important to ask her NAME.