Now those of you who know me also know that most of the time I am the hard, hearted Hannah, the vamp of Savannah, but those of you who know me well, know that I do have a soft side and have been known to tear up at the slightest thing that most people except as every day happenings. Like this morning. I had to take Elvira in to the beauty shop early and so was heading west up Abriendo (if Abriendo does indeed run past the library in an east west manner.) when a young girl passed in front of my car. She was shabbily dressed and pushing a cheap baby stroller which was a resting place for several bags as well as a child of perhaps 9-10 months of age. I know the homeless shelter is located on that street or the next one over.
The picture is frozen in my mind. I know she was headed there. Many things pointed in that direction. The stroller was not one of the padded ones like most parents we know have. She was wearing a coat and the baby was wearing a cap that covered its ears. What struck me most was the baby. I am sure it was a boy for some reason. He sat erect in the stroller and clutched the bar to keep himself upright. He stared straight ahead as if to memorize everything before him. His mother walked quickly with her head down. This was no early morning stroll. It was a mission. It was as if the baby also knew that he must hang on and not lose his grip lest he cause a problem that would deter them from the job ahead. They were alone in time and space for that moment with me watching them like a voyeur from some other place. And my mind went back in time.
I have never been homeless. I raised 5 kids and worked 2 or three jobs at a time so I would not be homeless. There were times I wanted to give up, but I never knew who or what to give up to, so I just kept putting one foot in front of the other and marched onward to the drum beat that was in my head.
Would I live my life different if I could live it in reverse? You bet your sweet ass I would! I would never have left my first husband and everyone of those 5 kids would have had a college education. There would not have been a choice given to them, but life can not be lived that way. My kids have all grown into respectable adults with kids and grand kids of their own. I have great grands which I guess makes me old. Ah, but with age comes wisdom. Or so I hear.
No, with age comes a mind that works overtime. And speaking of overtime, I wish it just worked like it is supposed to. I spend a few hours every week with a lady who is older than me and we spend most of our time trying to remember what it was we were talking about. We have a trove of memories that are in there some where, but not readily recalled. And then there is that damn overly sensitive side that goes with old age. I cry when I hear almost any song, but the one that leaves me a sobbing heap is "Seven Spanish Angels" with Willie Nelson and Ray Charles. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0OhbJPrzWc Course Happy Birthday to you does the same thing. Abused animal pictures send me into a 3 day depression. Hell, any animal picture sends me into a whole new realm.
It has been a couple months since I started to write this article and the picture of the mother and son is as fresh in my mind as it was that morning. So here is the deal, can someone out there tell me why I can remember my social security number, my first phone number, the address of the house I lived in 65 years ago, but I have no idea where in the hell the car keys are, or that I have a doctors appointment? I set here in my house all day and when someone says, "What did you do today?" I draw a complete blank. I saw a cook wanted sign the other day and actually talked to someone about the idea of me going to work there. My God! If I had to get up and actually go somewhere at the same time every day, it would drive me nuts! But then when someone asked me what I did I could say, "I worked all day," which would have actually only been 3 hours, but it sounds good. Back to the subject at hand.
I watch for the mother and baby every time I drive through the Junction, but no signs of them any where. So I am going to play out my own scenario. I think they went to Posada and there they got a bus ticket back home. I think they lived in the south and they are back with her mother and the mother loves her new grandson. The lady pushing the stroller went to school and got a really good job and they all lived happily ever after.
That is how things work in my head.
The picture is frozen in my mind. I know she was headed there. Many things pointed in that direction. The stroller was not one of the padded ones like most parents we know have. She was wearing a coat and the baby was wearing a cap that covered its ears. What struck me most was the baby. I am sure it was a boy for some reason. He sat erect in the stroller and clutched the bar to keep himself upright. He stared straight ahead as if to memorize everything before him. His mother walked quickly with her head down. This was no early morning stroll. It was a mission. It was as if the baby also knew that he must hang on and not lose his grip lest he cause a problem that would deter them from the job ahead. They were alone in time and space for that moment with me watching them like a voyeur from some other place. And my mind went back in time.
I have never been homeless. I raised 5 kids and worked 2 or three jobs at a time so I would not be homeless. There were times I wanted to give up, but I never knew who or what to give up to, so I just kept putting one foot in front of the other and marched onward to the drum beat that was in my head.
Would I live my life different if I could live it in reverse? You bet your sweet ass I would! I would never have left my first husband and everyone of those 5 kids would have had a college education. There would not have been a choice given to them, but life can not be lived that way. My kids have all grown into respectable adults with kids and grand kids of their own. I have great grands which I guess makes me old. Ah, but with age comes wisdom. Or so I hear.
No, with age comes a mind that works overtime. And speaking of overtime, I wish it just worked like it is supposed to. I spend a few hours every week with a lady who is older than me and we spend most of our time trying to remember what it was we were talking about. We have a trove of memories that are in there some where, but not readily recalled. And then there is that damn overly sensitive side that goes with old age. I cry when I hear almost any song, but the one that leaves me a sobbing heap is "Seven Spanish Angels" with Willie Nelson and Ray Charles. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0OhbJPrzWc Course Happy Birthday to you does the same thing. Abused animal pictures send me into a 3 day depression. Hell, any animal picture sends me into a whole new realm.
It has been a couple months since I started to write this article and the picture of the mother and son is as fresh in my mind as it was that morning. So here is the deal, can someone out there tell me why I can remember my social security number, my first phone number, the address of the house I lived in 65 years ago, but I have no idea where in the hell the car keys are, or that I have a doctors appointment? I set here in my house all day and when someone says, "What did you do today?" I draw a complete blank. I saw a cook wanted sign the other day and actually talked to someone about the idea of me going to work there. My God! If I had to get up and actually go somewhere at the same time every day, it would drive me nuts! But then when someone asked me what I did I could say, "I worked all day," which would have actually only been 3 hours, but it sounds good. Back to the subject at hand.
I watch for the mother and baby every time I drive through the Junction, but no signs of them any where. So I am going to play out my own scenario. I think they went to Posada and there they got a bus ticket back home. I think they lived in the south and they are back with her mother and the mother loves her new grandson. The lady pushing the stroller went to school and got a really good job and they all lived happily ever after.
That is how things work in my head.
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