The Memphis Street Sanctuary

                                    The Memphis Street Sanctuary




         Mr. John Reimer was a bald, portly fellow with a mean disposition toward life.  How he came to be so foul is not truly understood, and for purposes of this story is really inconsequential.  However, as cantankerous as he was known to be, he was also as well known for being lazy.  He was a landlord who was certain the tenants of his properties had their monthly payment to him on time, but if someone needed the slightest of repairs done, it would take Mr. Reimer at least a week, along with some badgering of his tenants, to get there.
         One day Mr. Reimer hauled out an old, brown Lazyboy recliner and uncerimoniously pitched it on the curb next to the trash.  The garbage men would not take it because removal of such an item carried a fee which the bullheaded Mr. Reimer refused to pay.  So, the chair sat there, stuck between two parties who refused to budge on the matter.  The chair stayed through the rains of autumn and the snows of winter. 
         The neighbors objected to the chair being left out on the curb and began to discuss what should be done about it.  Some suggested a representative confront Mr. Reimer, but no volunteer stepped forward.  Others suggested they call and have it removed without notifying Mr. Reimer.  Still, others argued it was Mr. Reimer's chair and therefore none of their business.
         One fine spring day the neighbors awoke to learn that Mr. Reimer's next door neighbor, Mr. Joshua Sandlepappy, had confronted Mr. Reimer about the chair and Mr. Reimer gave Mr. Sandlepappy permission to do whatever he wished with the chair.  The neighbors all watched as Mr. Sandlepappy proceeded to place a pot of flowering lilies on either side of the chair.  He ran back into his house and returned with a wooden sign and a stand.  The sign was positioned behind the chair so everyone could read the blue letters spelling out "Sanctuary".  Mr. Sandlepappy also retrieved a Styrofoam cooler from inside his house and set it next to the chair.  Then he became the first to sit in the Memphis Street Sanctuary and drink a beer.
         This surprised all of the neighbors as they knew Mr. Sandlepappy to be the antithesis of Mr. Reimer.  Mr. Sandlepappy was a modest man with a modest build and had a good rapport with the entire neighborhood.  Perhaps the fact that Mr. Sandlepappy was able to get permission from the obstinate Mr. Reimer is a shining example of exactly how good of a relationship he had with all his neighbors.
         The neighbors looked on as Mr. Sandlepappy relaxed in the chair beneath the sign marking Memphis Street's latest addition.  Some neighbors were even so curious to walk by Mr. Sandlepappy, but no one said a word to him.  After an hour or so, Mr. Sandlepappy got out of the chair and returned to his house, leaving the flowers, cooler and sign behind.
         The next morning the neighbors drank their coffee in their kitchens eagerly waiting to see if Mr. Sandlepappy returned to the Memphis Street Sanctuary.  He exited his home in his bathrobe and slippers and held a cup of coffee.  He scooped his paper out of the grass and opened it as he sat in the chair under morning sunlight.  When he finished his coffee he folded the paper and left it in the chair before returning to his house.
         A quiet tension grew through the neighborhood, as the neighbors watched from their kitchen windows.  Each of them was self-conscious of their guilty desire to sit in the chair.  Several long, tight minutes passed from when Mr. Sandlepappy shut the door to his house, leaving the street empty and quiet.
         With a quick and rather awkward gait, Mrs. Bloomer approached the Memphis Street Sanctuary.  Her arms and hands were full of items.  Her eyebrows rose above her sunglasses as she bobbed anxiously on her knees and looked side-to-side.  Then she set a TV tray next to the chair, opposite the cooler.  On top of the tray she set a plate of cookies.  She carefully reclined in the chair and took a sip of her coffee before opening her magazine.
         Once Mrs. Worth saw Mrs. Bloomer in the Sanctuary, Mrs. Worth had to try it.  She began collecting items she would take with her for her time in the Sanctuary.  Mrs. Worth waited patiently until Mrs. Bloomer left, then brought a battery powered radio to set next to the cookies.
         Neighbor after neighbor took his turn in the Sanctuary and each time someone visited it they brought with them something in donation to make the sanctuary more comfortable.  By the end of summer a pergola had been built over the chair and with privacy screens placed on either side of the chair.  A third privacy screen had been put in, thereby enclosing the chair on three sides.  Hops, clematis, and grapes were planed in to scale the screens of the pergola and cover over the top of the chair to provide further privacy.
         Oddly enough, the neighbors respected one another's time in the Memphis Street Sanctuary.  People would walk past an occupant, but no words were ever uttered.  It was a true sharing in the sense of their respect for one another.  Everyone seemed to understand they would be allotted whatever time they could and once in the Sanctuary, take one's time and enjoy.
         As time passed, word of mouth of the Sanctuary spread to surrounding blocks and neighborhoods.  Before long, the pedestrian traffic on Memphis Street grew significantly.  Everyone seemed to be in need of sanctuary.  At times, hundreds of people clogged the street waiting for their turns. 
         One day a huge crowd waited patiently in the rain as people took their time.  Mr. Reimer came home to find his street and driveway choked full of strangers.  After several minutes of slowly being able to approach his own property, he was to say the least, upset.
         The next morning a huge crowd gathered in front of the Memphis Street Sanctuary.  They protested as a town rubbish removal truck pulled up in front of the chair.  The crowd pleaded as Mr. Reimer glared at the chair's current occupant.
         Mr. Sandlepappy, who was enjoying his time in the sanctuary while again wearing his robe and enjoying a coffee and paper, smiled warmly at Mr. Reimer.
         "Sandlepappy," Reimer snorted.  "I'm taking my chair back."
         The smile never faded from Sandlepappy's face.  "Certainly," he piped cheerily and hopped out of the chair.  He started back to his house with a springing step as the trashmen began to throw items into the large bin of the truck.  It took them several minutes with hammers and crowbars to bring the Memphis Street Sanctuary down. 
         Those who protested also obeyed Mr. Sandlepappy's lead and did not attempt to disrupt or interfere with the removal of the Sanctuary.  And shortly after the truck drove off Mr. Reimer smiled and went inside.
         Today when the neighbors wake up and have coffee, they stare longingly at an empty space along a deserted street, where snubs of hops, clematis and grapes try to grow before getting mowed.