When I lived in Dallas the first time I used to pass a lot of homeless people on the way to work. There are two reactions people usually have when they see homeless people:
“They deserve to be that way. If I give them money, they’ll probably just spend it on drugs.”
Or
“It sucks to be hungry!”
I’m not saying I’m some sort of saint, but I choose to react the second way. Yes, the first reaction may be true but I also think it’s easy to tell yourself that so you don’t feel bad about not helping.
And since I must be fed every few hours,I really hate for other people to be hungry. So I started carrying Rice Krispy Treats and granola bars in my car to give to my homeless friends. Sometimes they would ask me my name and I always told them Mandy. No, not because of my friend Mandy who you met yesterday. I think there was a Mandy Moore song on the radio when I first said it. Like I said, it was a few years ago.
The worst homeless situation I saw was at the corner of Royal and I35. It was a lady and her teenage son. She looked like a homeless person out of a movie, like she had been sweeping chimneys all day. And I just felt so bad for the teenager. My roommate at the time always had tons of extra food in the house that she was never going to eat. So I gathered up a bunch of it and took it to Hope and her son. I named her that. I don’t think I ever found her again though. Frank and his roommate Mark ended up eating the food.
Then there was Crack Whore Annie (I didn’t name her that.) Some of you from Dallas may know her. She’s “lived” at the corner of Lemmon and 75 for years. One day I was driving home and it was past my feeding time so I was hungry and grouchy. I saw CWA and thought, “If I’m hungry, think how hungry she is!” So I forced myself to go get her a hamburger from Wendy’s. When I gave it to her, she was grateful but then she asked, “Do you also have some money? I really need to get to the shelter…” Okay, okay. Reaction #1 was probably appropriate for CWA.
I never had much luck giving out fast food. One Sunday I made Frank drive through McDonald’s to get several hamburgers and I thought we could drive around and hand them out. But we couldn’t find anybody! Guess they think Sunday is a day of rest too. And, yep, you guessed it. Frank ate the hamburgers.
Then a friend at work encouraged me to come with her to a homeless shelter one night a week to serve food. Feed people at no cost to me? I liked the sound of that. So I worked behind the counter like a cafeteria lady, thinking the other people along side of me were volunteers too. No, they were a homeless couple and they lived and worked in the shelter. The lady started telling the other people that we were sisters. I thought it was kind of funny so I went along with it. But week after week she’d give these Oscar-worthy performances, “Have you talked to mom lately?” she’d ask, “She always liked you better.” Or “I can’t wait till we go shopping at the mall, sis,” and “Call me!!”
I feel bad because now that I live in the suburbs, I don’t see as many of my homeless friends. I don’t carry Rice Krispy Treats anymore and I haven’t gone to see my sis at the shelter in two years. While I hope my old friends are in homes now, it would be nice to head down to Oak Lawn and 35 and see them. Hopefully they’d all say, “Hey, Mandy,where you been?”
10 comments:
I have this thing I do called BumWatch(R) on the way to work. There are some regulars that hang out on Ross and in Lakewood. BumWatch is not the same as DayLaborerCheck. I always feel bad when not everyone gets picked outside Otra Parte Nite Club.
I once saw a guy passed out on the sidewalk at 9:15 in the morning. His cart full of cans was still there and the paramedics were on the scene, so at least his stuff wasn't going to get stolen. I swear the paramedics looked like they wanted to poke him with a stick rather than touch the poor guy.
My favorite bum is the one I named Legless Joe. He hangs out in Lakewood outside Minyard's and Starbucks and pretty much the whole area around the Lakewood Theater. He must roll miles everyday. I never give Legless Joe any money. He seems a little hostile.
Have you met Shorty? He's the guy who lives under 35 at Mockingbird. I read about him in the Observer once. I don't go by there that often but when I do, I always yell "Hey Shorty!" and give him whatever pocket change I've got. He has a good attitude about being a bum and doesn't make any excuses about where the money's going.
CWA is still around but I don't see her as often since panhandling became illegal in Dallas. Last time I saw her was at the Walgreens on Lemmon
I have homeless guys that dig through my garbage dumpsters in the alley. I've done my part by separating my cans in their own bag and leaving them beside the dumpster. I just hate the thought of them climbing inside the dumpster and digging through the trash.
It is true! I bought him peanuts and he yelled back that he didn't want them. I dropped them next to him anyway- and I might be crazy, but I think I jumped in Whitney's car and he ran along side and threw them at us?
Do you guys remember the bum on the Drag with really long hair and he played the guitar? One day he shaved his head... I noticed and made a mental note to tell Whitney when I got home- the minute she walked in she said to me "did you notice that bum cut all his hair off, the one that plays the guitar?" Good stuff!
Anyway, I now have started seeing him on S. Congress and I feel like we are old friends.
I remember him! He's was actually pretty good on the guitar, right? And I totally remember when he shaved his head! Too funny.
Don't forget about Leslie and his thong.
I am so tight with the guy who now plays guitar on S. Congress (formerly in front of the "renaissance festival" on the drag. In college I wrote a paper about him for a class--how I thought he was so good and he should get a record deal!!
Except the only song he knows is, "I'm a joker, I'm a smoker, I'm a midnight toker."
Remember on the first Real World when Julie from Alabama made friends with Puddin' the homeless girl, and she spent the night on the street? I think we all took something away from that episode that we carry with us today.
I gave away my Subway sandwich to a deaf, homeless guy on 24th and the drag. He gave me one of those cards with the sign language alphabet on it. I felt so guilty for just buying my sandwich, that I just had to give it to him. I still get sad about him, and that was like 13 years ago.
When I was at UT there was a homeless woman who carried her urine around in a jar, that didn't me sad, just grossed out.
Totally remember when Julie from Alabama spent the night with the homeless people. At the end she's like, "See y'all. Gonna go back to my fancy loft with seven strangers--where people stop being polite and start getting real. Could you get the phone?"
Urine lady--ew.
You're just a grumpy old man, Dad Frankie! :)
I want to hear Tucker's other story!
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