copyright Al Forbes
“And dry leaves can make good insulation for cold winter nights!” Dr. James Hunt said, a touch too cheerfully, Alex his assistant thought. She bit her lip. Teaching homeless people how to survive on the streets seemed like a good idea on paper, but out here, it was a joke.
“Of course,” James continued, “newspaper is even better for insulation. I’ll pass out a list of recycling centers.” The assembled faces watched him impassively, just waiting—Alex was sure—for this to be over so they could get their promised free meal. They knew all this already; they must. It was a like a Boy Scout leader teaching a platoon of Special Forces about pocketknife safety.
“Well, I think that went well,” James said after the class. “What did you think?”
“It was a band-aid solution on the real problem.”
“Sometimes a wound needs a band-aid while healing takes place. I’m addressing the city council in a few months on the issue. I’ll share my research with them.”
“What research?”
“The research where I live on the street for two weeks,” James said. “I’m starting in a month.”
Alex stopped. “You’re crazy, it’s almost winter.”
“So?”
“So what if you die?”
“Then that will speak much louder than I ever could.”
“Tell me where you’ll be, at least. I’ll bring you soup.”
“Only if you bring enough for everyone.”
“How many homeless people are in the city?”
“About 13,000.”
“Be careful.”
He put a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll try.”
October 4th, 2015 at 11:13 pm
A very real statement about a very real problem that no one wants to talk about. Message received.
October 4th, 2015 at 11:27 pm
What a saint. Sometimes you can’t possibly understand until you’ve been in their shoes. Well done, David.
October 4th, 2015 at 11:29 pm
Thanks, Amy. I don’t know if I could do that, even for a short time. But it would definitely give a person a new perspective on things.
October 5th, 2015 at 4:50 am
That made me go cold at the end. 13,000 homeless people. It’s so sad that there are so many. I like the fact that he is going to be one of them so he can give his real findings, even more so during the cold winter months.
October 5th, 2015 at 10:00 pm
I wish I had that kind of courage. Maybe someday, if I could find a way to make it matter.
October 8th, 2015 at 4:10 am
I try to make a difference when I can, but I am just a droplet in the ocean. I know I can bring a brief smile to someone’s face, I wish there was more that could be done though. Witht he amount of empty buildings, more shelters could be opened.
October 5th, 2015 at 6:29 am
So many homeless people struggling through the colder part of the year. Thanks for a reminder that they can use some help.
October 5th, 2015 at 9:59 pm
Too true, Steve.
October 5th, 2015 at 5:04 pm
Great post. I can’t imagine having to live outside all the time. I think about this lot and try to help in ways that I can, such as food and clothing. There is a charity organization that collected blankets one year and a group of people where I live make mats out of plastic bags ( the mats are very strong and are crocheted after cutting the bags into strips and tiring them
altogether)
October 5th, 2015 at 9:58 pm
Those sound like great things. It’s hard to know what to do sometimes, but every little bit helps.
October 5th, 2015 at 7:16 pm
Good story, great twist at the end.
October 5th, 2015 at 9:59 pm
Thanks, MG.
October 7th, 2015 at 8:53 am
What a brave soul he is! To think he is going to live among the homeless during winter is commendable!
October 19th, 2015 at 7:41 pm
Yeah, I don’t know if I would. My aunt wondered if there was a sequel to this one, so I’m thinking of it.
October 19th, 2015 at 8:22 pm
Sequels are nice for those who can remember them. LOL!
November 13th, 2015 at 1:46 am
hilarious!