I had just gotten back to the apartment. I wanted to work on a project and watch Lie to Me, but my hands were shaking violently, so I decided to sleep off the shakes instead. A broken sleep, punctuated by reasonless wailing of the cat (not cute mewing, dying alley cat wailing), and brought to an end by the text saying that my housemate would not need me to bring her back her car tonight, but in the morning. With this news, I decided to stop by Walmart to get soda, juice, and milk (Vegans. How do they eat cereal?)
And as I was leaving, a man, brown straight jaw-length hair, unshaven, his facial hair growing into a goatee, square rimless glasses, calls out to me. "Do you, ma'am, can I have, some money for food?" Shaking, twitching, coughing. I had some cash, $20, but I was going to use it to pay my housemate for a haircut.
"I'm sorry, I don't have any spare cash," I said looking around.
"Oh, ok," he replied dejectedly as he began to back away, "Thank you, anyway."
"But is there a place to eat nearby? I could buy you food."
His face lit up! "Yes, right over there! Can I go get my wife too?"
"Yes, of course. I'll meet you over there."
When I had finished loading my car he had walked back without his wife. I began to drive over and he ran. He ran and ran. Sometimes he would stop and bend over coughing, but he would be back to running again. I think he was afraid that I wouldn't wait for him. (Little did he know about the time I was stood-up by a homeless man!)
When we arrived I told him to order him and his wife whatever he wanted. But there was an 8 minute wait on what he choose. A beautiful 8 minute wait. A wait during which he told me that he was born and raised in Las Vegas, that his mother died and he lost his job, that he was evicted from his home and his ID and other important information was stolen, that his infant daughter went to live with his mother-in-law, but due to scheduling, they were only able to see her one hour a month. 12 hours a year. During which his wife arrived, a pretty woman with blonde shoulder length hair and black glasses held together by tape. Ben and Sharon were thinking of moving on from Vegas, to find their fortune elsewhere, but even having traveled all over, I couldn't think of any place that would be easy to live.
He told me that sometimes when he thinks about what he had it blows his mind. He had lived in a house, he had had a job, he had had two dogs. And now he has his wife, and the generosity he can find in a city without a reputation for generosity.
I invited them to Verve tomorrow night and hope to see them then. Maybe I can think of a way to do more for them.
This about hour long encounter had me cry out, when I got into my car, that God would quickly raise the support that I need so that I might be able to afford to bless others as others bless me.
My heart breaks for Ben and Sharon.
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