"jUST ONE DAY"

The minute I wake up I'm in worry mode. I call the house of delegates and leave them a message regarding the looting of my apt.  to see if they can help me. I also decided to call the chat line. There was an "old friend" on there who I've never met in person. Steve grew up in Detroit. When I told him that the cops here don't  seem to care about our safety he said: "That's how it is in every major American city, you're right, all they care about are the murders."

He claims he's going to bring me a vcr next week and help me set up a security system.   (which never happened)  He said that if I don't catch them red handed they'll just keep at it.

I start to leave my apt. I can't let the maintenance men see me leave. As soon as I open the door, the m.man is walking past my door. I stall so he doesn't see me leave.

I step outside and a begger yells "hey miss lady, hey miss lady, well god bless" I've mentioned him in an earlier blog. I can't help but to be annoyed by the poor who ask the poor for money. I go to the bus stop. It's me and a latino woman waiting for the bus. A clean white man of about 55 with a large trash bag says "Excuse me but I have a question. (i know the latino woman doesn't understand his English)

 I just came from social services and they denied me. I need money for the bus" I told him that I don't carry cash. I don't notice his trash bag immediately. Trash bags are an immediate give away to homelessness. I tell him that no one in my apt. bldg. are allowed to use the social service office even though it's only a block away. I explain that the people in my bldg. are city residents and the social services is in the county, so we aren't allowed to get food stamps or anything of the like from them. The homeless man said "I'm sorry to hear that maam."

The bus is coming and that's when I notice his garbage bag. I ask: "are you homeless?" yes, he says. He walks over to the city garbage can, finds a pizza box, pulls it out and begins eating the scraps. In my case, I just went through the starvation, I never would go into dumpsters and eat out of them. One day a homeless man said to me "you wouldn't beg either?" "no" I said, I just went without the food and wondered if it would kill me"