So as I pondered the end of my relationship with Katie, it dawned on me that being angry and wanting to hurt her was just not me. The truth is, we have grown so far a part over the last few months that it doesn't even really hurt. Anyway, that is for another post. I want to talk about my weekend.
Friday morning around 5 am I decide I want to go out and do some good deeds. So I head downtown at 10 am to buy some cigarettes from my friend John Coleman. He runs Cousin's Cigars on Euclid Ave. I did not know this was John's day off but I decided to still buy some cigs. I bought 4 packs of Newports. They were the most expensive ones they had and I figured the homeless would like them. So yeah, my good deed was to offer cigarettes and maybe some money to any pan handler that asked. I decided I would make them a deal. Cigs and money, but they had to take a picture with me. So, it didn't start off to well as it started raining. I decided to drive to Tower City and check out the mall, I hadn't been there for a couple years. I parked and made my way in. I walked the mall for a half hour or so and then decided to go walk the streets around there in search for my homeless guy. The sun was out finally...but there were no panhandlers in site!
I sat down in public square and was people watching. Watching people wait for the bus etc etc. I first struck up a conversation with Curtis. He was dressed up like a college kid. He said he was in town from DC trying to get a job as a manager of Mcdonalds or Golden Corral in Brook Park. He told me how he had been in and out of jail and was determined to do right. We talked for about 20 minutes and I told him what I was out to do. He said he smoked, so I offered him a pack of cigs and he accepted. It was a good conversation and he was a really nice guy. I'll have to check out the Golden Corral in a few weeks to see if he got the job.
So after Curtis got on his bus, a guy sat down next to me. His name was Willie. After about 5 minutes of just bull shitting about the cavs and sports, he mentioned where he slept. In a door way across from some Church on E. 9th st. He never asked me for anything and said he only panhandles when he has to. He is diabetic and if he really needs food because his blood sugar is out of whack then he will ask. We talked for 2 hours as his bus number 23 went by 4 times. He was catching the bus over to Clark because at 3 pm they give away food to the needy. I told him I would take care of him at the end of our conversation, so he didn't have to worry about eating that day. He had so many interesting stories about things he has seen and witnessed on the streets as a homeless man. The 2 hours flew by. He alerted me to why no homeless were around when I was out looking. It was the 1st of the month and they were all spending there ssi checks or welfare on drugs. Not him though. He was definitely not a drug addict and told me how he would not even let the drug addicts stay around him.
So as we walked into Tower City I gave him the cigarettes and $32 for food. He gave me a chinese Yuan that he had for good luck. I told him that as we see each other in the future we will pass it back and forth for good luck. I gave him my name and number and I'm sure I will see him again someday.
So far the lucky Yuan he gave me worked ok.
I played poker at Nautica for 16 hours total this weekend and won over 500 bucks.
