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 |   The plight of the homeless. |
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Documentaries: Life on the Heater (2000) http://sawvideo.com/programming/mediatheque/video/life-heater From Homelessness to Home http://www.endhomelessnessottawa.ca/homeless-to-home/homeless-to-home.cfm Homelessness in Ottawa http://www.endhomelessnessottawa.ca/compilation/compilation.cfm Throughout the past year I have come to know many people, now friends, who for various reasons, are or were homeless. Giovanni, sleeps on a park bench and was beaten, had his teeth kicked out, for no other reason than his choice to sleep outdoors. He is a small, gentle man who has a phobia about enclosed spaces. Greg, sleeps on the sidewalk in the freezing cold. I see him every morning and am never sure if, when I lift the corner of his sleeping bag, I will find him dead or alive. Sometimes, he confided, he would prefer never to awake. Mo, is a close personal friend who fell on hard times. She has slept behind a dumpster in back of Starbucks. I have seen her with blackened eyes, bruised legs, cracked ribs, cut and swollen lips. I usually see her sitting on the sidewalk 'panning' for change. http://invisiblepeople.tv/blog/2011/09/mo-homeless-ottawa-ontario-canada/ In the past six months I have witnessed an upturn in Mo's fortunes. She now has the proper credentials to obtain medical assistance for her epileptic seizures, bouts of schizophrenia, pneumonia, fibromyalgia, kidney failure and mental disorders. Through diligence she has saved enough money to share, with several other people, a warm, clean, safe house. I can't do much for these people except to show them love, compassion, an ear to listen, a hug to comfort, perhaps a breakfast sandwich and a coffee. I would like to do more. To know them is to love them. What has been seen cannot be unseen. I have started to write an account of their daily lives. I intend to turn this into a book and have it published. That is my goal. I am writing articles and biographies of Mo and other street people. They have been informed that they don't have to use their real names, that any profits would go back to the homeless and that it could be a vehicle to say whatever they want to the population at large. 22 December 2012 An Update: Giovanni is apparently staying with a friend in an apartment in the west end of the city. He is almost never seen downtown. By all accounts he is happy, has his own room and seldom ventures far from his building. I've seen Greg only once or twice in the last year. He has parents in the suburbs, who will only invite him home if he is taking his medication. Mo is presently in the General Hospital. She has been hospitalized for the past three weeks, suffering from fibromyalgia, epilepsy, kidney problems and high blood pressure. She has lost strength in her right side causing her to require a walker and wheel chair. Even with the walker she drags her right foot. In physiotherapy she is able to walk up four steps, but has difficulty walking down. I have visited her three times in hospital as have many of her friends. She was very disappointed that she would not be allowed home for Christmas. She now has her own apartment, but has no furniture; hopefully that will be corrected in the new year. Frank, Darrell, Sparky, Scottish Dave,and Rhino all have their own apartments. Emile is scheduled to have his own apartment January 1. Erwin and Dave are both in alcohol recovery programs. Nobody, that I know, is currently sleeping on the street. 2013 looks positive. I continue to write biographies of these friends who I see on an almost daily basis. I have gained their trust and friendship. Dave invited me to his place for Christmas dinner. My family obligations have prevented this, however I look forward to visiting his place in the future. {/quote} |
8 August 2012 Today at the park, the congregation included Claude, Sparky, Rhino, Chris 'Sausage Fingers', Frank, Jimmy, Lonely Heart, Albert, Mo, Glen and his dog Capone.The first person to approach me was Mo. I hardly recognized her. Gone was her do rag, her hair color had changed from black to blond and was professionally cut and styled. She was wearing a loose cotton, black on white print blouse with gray stretch pants. "Mo," I said, "you look beautiful!" "Thanks, I thought I needed to pamper myself for a change. Were you on vacation?" "Yes, I was at the lake for a week. It was great, except for Saturday. I was working on the roof of my cabin and got a case of heat stroke. I had to be wrapped in cold, wet towels. I'd been drinking lots of water." Lonely Heart said, "It was brutal here, one hundred and four degrees Fahrenheit. The rain we had just increased the humidity, but didn't lower the temperature. I used up one of my inhalers. I have to go to the pharmacy today to get a new one." Mo said, "I still don't have my health card, so I borrowed Albert's inhaler. That probably isn't a good idea, but it's all I could do. I was hardly here at all last week. It was just too hot." I said to Mo, "I was so sorry to hear that Maryam's baby died." "I didn't know that. What happened?" "I don't know any details. I spoke to her yesterday morning. I asked, 'How is your baby?' She said, 'He died two days ago.' I asked how Ambrose was taking it. She said, 'I don't know.' Perhaps they aren't together any more. "I mentioned it to Nancy. She had see Ambrose earlier that day, but he wasn't talking to anyone." Mo said, "Nancy was by earlier, but she didn't stay. She was acting funny. She probably knows something that she doesn't want to talk about." Lonely Heart said, "It sounds like Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. A baby can turn over in bed and suffocate. It happens a lot." I said, "If anyone hears about funeral arrangements, please let me know. I'd like to attend. "I was talking to Sparky yesterday. He was at his daughter Lottie's, for her birthday party on Sunday. She had been beaten by her boyfriend." Mo said, "That Pitt, what a scumbag, beating a woman six months pregnant with his twins, their son looking on. Someone is going to take care of this. I see him every day crossing in front of our apartment." Sparky came over. I asked, "What kind of injuries does Lottie have?" "Her face and ribs are badly bruised; beyond that, I don't know." I asked, "Has her boyfriend been charged?" Mo said, "We don't do that. We wait until someone is nearly beaten to death, and left in a pool of blood to die, as I was; or like Pam, with her back permanently fucked. That's the reason that Frank and Dean are in jail." Lonely Heart waved at a woman passing by on the sidewalk. "Did you see that woman I waved to? She's my boss. Two days a week I volunteer at the Salvation Army. She's the Executive Director. She posted bail for me one time. I'll always be thankfull fo her for the help she gave me. She's not surprised to see me here. She knows that I'm an alcoholic and a drug addict... and always will be. I was sentenced to ten years, of course, I didn't have to serve the full term." I sat down on the grass with Frank. "How have you been this past week?" "I'm not allowed to pan, because I'm on probation. That sucks!" "Have you had your court appearance yet?" "That's on August 30th. I'll know what's going to happen then. I fell off my bike a few days ago." "Where were you injured?" "My knees and my elbows were scraped. I have bruises on my right leg. I was wasted. I don't know what happened. They found my bike in the hedge. It was in pieces, so I threw it away." "You probably hit the curb. I've done that before, and have the scars to prove it." "Yeah, that's probably what happened." "Riding drunk probably seemed like a good idea at the time." Mo said, "Everything seems like a good idea at the time." Chris said, "There is such a thing as common sense, and everybody has it to some degree. Even people with down syndrome, or any of the syndromes, have it. I've had some experience with that, mind you, I have a mental disability and I'm getting a pension for it, but my mind has two settings; either I'm polite, or I'm all out crazy. There's no in between." He took off his shoe and said, "See how the middle three toes come up and down as one? I got three pins in them attached to another piece in my instep. They're from jumping out of a three story window. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but I wish I had just put my hands up and gone with the cops. "What happened was, me and another guy were in a hotel room making a drug deal. He left to get some more, and the cops followed him back. We were both standing there, at the table, the scales at one end, the drugs at the other, when the cops broke the door down. I backed towards the balcony, said, 'I'm out of here!' and over I went. I landed in the alley, which was concrete. It would have been nice if I had landed in soft earth or even some bushes. I was lucky to have gotten off so easy, but I still went to prison. I could have saved myself a lot of pain. "Now when I go through a metal detector, at the airport, all the alarms go off. They ask me to take my shoes off. 'No problem,' I say. It happens all the time." I said, "I have the same problem with metal detectors. I have an artificial hip and a rod in my right femur from a motorcycle accident. Do you think it would help, for you and I, to bring an x-ray to the airport?" "No, they want to see for themselves. "On another occasion, I was at home listening to music. It was 10:30, I had the volume up. Then I heard this pounding and kicking at my door. When I heard that I figured somebody had come for a fight. I opened the door and this guy was screaming at me to turn the music down. I said, 'No!' I saw his fist coming up. I just reached over it and connected with his jaw. He took off, like a scared rabbit, down the street. I thought he lived next door. If he lived down the street why would he be complaining about the music. It wasn't that loud. I yelled after him, 'You can stop running now. I'm not going to hit you again.' I did turn the music down. Some people -- go figure!" 7 August 2012 Monday mornings have always been considered unproductive days for panning. The reasons given are that office workers returning after the weekend tend to be tired, grumpy and not particularly generous to those in need. Therefore, I wasn't surprised to see the spots usually occupied by Mo and John were vacant. I looked farther up the street and saw Maryam. "Hi, Maryam, do you mind if I sit down?" "Hi, sure, sit." "He died two days ago." Baby Ambrose Jr. would have been eight weeks old. I had talked with Maryam last week. Social Services had found a nice place for her and her husband Ambrose to live, near the hospital. The last time I saw them as a couple was before the birth. They were both excited about their expected son. I was shocked. I'm never good about knowing what to say at times like this. "I'm terribly sorry to hear that. You must feel devastated." I put my hand gently on Maryams shoulder, knowing that she doesn't like to be hugged. "I'm okay." "How is your husband, Ambrose taking it?" "I don't know." she replied. "I'm asking too many questions. You have my deepest sympathy." "Do you have a cigarette? No, I remember, you don't smoke. I'll see if I can find one." She stood up and walked to an outdoor ashtray, near the door to Starbucks. She picked out a couple of butts and returned to her spot. "Perhaps, I'll see you at noon, Maryam. Once again, I'm so sorry. Remember, you are loved by many friends." ... At noon I walked to the park. Sitting on the curb, hiding under a baseball cap and behind a bushy gray beard, was Claude. “Hi Claude. I haven’t seen you for the past week. Have I missed anything while I was away?” “No, every day the same thing.” I noticed that Claude had a black eye. “Claude, did you fall again?” “Yes, I fell. I was walking between two cars to have a pee, and I fell.” This is Claude’s standard excuse for black eyes. A few weeks ago he had two, probably from beatings. He doesn’t want to cause any trouble for anybody. Also, he’s afraid of repercussions. “I’m sorry to hear that Claude. You take care. I’ll see you later.” Walking further up the sidewalk I met Nancy. “Hi Nancy, I was so sorry to hear that Maryam’s baby died.” “I didn’t know that. When did it happen?” “She told me two days ago.” “I saw Ambrose this morning, but he wasn’t talking to anyone.” “That’s the reason. I’m sure he’s very upset. He wanted so much to be a father.” “Dennis, do you have any more of those Tim Horton’s cards? I was just talking to Rick. He said he was hungry.” “Sure, I’d be pleased if you gave it to Rick. I really admire what he does to help people. ”If you see Harry, tell him that I’ve finished the first three volumes of ‘Confessions with God’. Harry recommended them to me. I really enjoyed them, so if he has any more recommendations I would be interested in hearing them. “I’ll see you later.” “Bye, Dennis, thanks.” I next went to Sparky’s ‘office’, a curb beside an underground parking garage on Laurier Street near Kent. “Hi, Sparky, I have a pair of track pants for you (50% off, at Goodwill). Do you want to try them on?" “Thanks, Dennis, I’ll try them on later, after I’ve had a shower. “You know, Dennis, I’ve been in this spot for seventeen years. At first it was just a dirt parking lot. The owner asked me if I’d pick up any trash. I said, ‘Sure!’ He gave me five bucks a day. Now it’s become a condo city.” The parking lot attendant came over and asked Sparky if he would mind moving over about a foot, because he was in the path of cars entering the garage. Sparky obliged. “Yesterday, I went to visit my daughter, Lottie and my grandson. It was Lottie’s birthday. She was in bad shape. Her boyfriend had beaten her up.” “I’m so sorry, Sparky. I also heard that your daughter Pam was beaten, and her boyfriend, Dean is now in prison. I heard that Pam has hairline fractures in her spine from when he jumped her.” “Yes, Pam was there too. They’re both in rough shape. I can’t understand these guys.” “Dennis, would you mind doing me a favor? Would you buy me a salad from the restaurant behind us? Maybe, cole slaw, or potato salad, whatever they have… and pepper… and don’t forget a fork.” “Sure, Sparky.” I came back with his salad and said, “Perhaps, I’ll see you tomorrow.” “Sure, I’ll be with the rest of the congregation.” 27 July 2012 This morning I visited with John. It's interesting, the looks I get, esepecially when he has to leave for a few minutes to use the washroom. Some people look away, but one lady did drop me a dollar. John offered to split it with me, but I told him to hang on to it. John said, "I remember one time, when I still had my big beard, I went into Starbucks for a coffee. Jody served me, I'd known her for years. The woman behind me said to Jody, 'You serve people like that?' Jody said, 'Sure, he's a paying customer. Why wouldn't I serve him?' I didnt say anything. What am I going to do, spoil my meal ticket?" I said, "Emile told me that he's on good terms with the owner of Starbucks. The owner told him that he's welcome to stay in back as long as he keeps it neat. Emile goes out of his way to make sure all the trash is picked up. It works out for everyone." John said, "I'm waiting for Albert. He gets his check today and he said that he'd lend me fifty bucks. I've borrowed from him before and I always pay him back on time -- not a week late or a day late, as soon as I get my check. "I miss a lot of people who used to be around here, like Trash and Craig." "I remember Craig," I said. "He used to sleep by the library in mid winter. I'd bring him a coffee in the morning and peek under a corner of his sleeping bag, just to make sure he was still alive. Sometimes he'd grumble, 'Just leave it there, bro. I'll have it later. I'm not awake yet.'" John said, "Craig lived in the Lafayett for a while. He got an inheritance of $8,000. He got people to do everything for him. He never left his room. Soon, it started getting bad. He'd shit all over his room. We'd say to him, 'Craig, the bathroom's just down the hall, use it.' He got moved into a program at Harvest House, for recovery. "Albert's usually here by now. He comes down early to do a butt run, but since he's getting his check today, I guess he doesn't need to." I said, "Mo told me that Frank is scheduled to get out in October, but since he refuses to do his programs, for alcohol recovery and anger management, he wont be out until spring." "I never liked that guy," said John. "It was his eyes. I could never trust the look in his eyes." "I find Rick the same way," I said, "but with the broken ankle, he'll always have a weakness. Mo broke both of her ankles and she said they've been fragile ever since. She could break one by stepping off a curb. Rick would go down with just a kick to the ankle." "Yes but which ankle, What if I kicked the wrong ankle? I think it's better if I just run -- 'whish' I'm out of here." ... At noon at the benches were Mo, Albert, Lonely Heart, Sparky, Emile and Inusiq. On the lawn were Hoover, Frank, Peter and Scruffy. Lonely heart said to me, "Dennis, you have to go take a look at Frank. You wont believe it. One night with Cathy and he's a new man." "Here comes Jungle Jim. He probably dropped some crack with Frank." A man with a long beard, wearing a tank top, and a tall slender woman, were walking towards us. Mo said, "The last time I saw her she passed her hand over the spikes in my hair. I jumped up and punched her in the back of the head." Lonely Heart said, "Honestly, Dennis, you have to go see Frank." I walked up to the lawn and hardly recognized Frank. He was shaved, this hair was washed and stylishly trimmed. Also, he was wearing clean clothes. I introduced myself to him and he laughed. "Hi Hoover," I said. "So, tomorrow is the day for your move." "It's Monday. Ellaine's at home making some phone calls. That's why she's not here. I just came down to meet Glen." I went back to the bench to talk to Sparky, Emile and Inusiq. Emile shook my hand then fell asleep against Sparky's shoulder. He awoke briefly to ask for a drink. Sparky handed him the bottle and Emile slowly nodded off. Just as he dropped the bottle, Sparky reached over and caught it. "You know, Dennis," said Sparky, "I may be a drunk and a stoner, but I have some scruples." "What scruples do you have, Sparky?" "I'm kind to children. I have a grandson and some granddaughters. Do you know what I don't understand?" "What's that Sparky?" "I don't understand parents who take children to restaurants and drink in front of them. That sets a bad example." "Did your parents ever drink in front of you?" I asked. "No... I drank in front of them, but I did it discreetly." Inusiq's arm was in a sling. "How did you hurt your arm, Inusiq?" "I fell off a ledge. I dislocated my shoulder. I had to go to the hospital. I didn't do it with these guys. I did it by myself. What's your name again?" "Dennis," I said. "Do you remember my name?" "Nuisance," I said. "See Sparky, he remembers my name. And your name is Dennis the menace, right?" "Sparky, " I said, "your pants look cleaner. Did you wash them?" "No,,, but we got some laundry detergent. Dennis, can you do me a favor? Sears is closing their store in the Rideau Center. Everything is on sale. Can you get me a pair of track pants?" What size do you wear?" My waist size is twenty-eight. The length would be thirty two or thirty four." "I can't get them today, Sparky, but perhaps on the weekend." "In that case, can we trade pants?" "Sparky, if we were to trade pants, I'd have to roll them up three times at the bottom. My pants would come to your knees. Can't you get pants at the Sheps?" "They're closed." "How about the Mission?" "I'm barred for life from the Mission." "How about the Sally Ann?" "I'm not barred from the Sally Ann, but they wouldn't let me in with alcohol on my breath. They'd throw me out." Inusiq said to me, "You and I could trade pants, then I could trade with Sparky." "That's a nice thought, Inusiq, but I don't think it would work." Hoover came by and said, "Has Glen been by? I've been waiting for him. Did, Mo, Lonely Heart and Albert leave? Do they know something I don't? I guess I'll hang around a while longer. Right now I'm going to McDonalds to buy an iced tea." "Hoover," asked Sparky, "could you by me one of those Sausage McMuffins?" "They close those off at 10:30." "Then, how about a cheese burger?" "I'll see what I can do, Sparky." To me Sparky said, "I have to eat something. I bought a cheese burger this morning, but we split it three ways." Inusiq said, "He has to eat something. I have to eat something. You have to eat something." It was time for me to go. I shook hands with Sparky and Inusiq. Emile was still asleep. As I was leaving, Inusiq said, "Txin yaxtakuq." I asked, "What does that mean? "I love you." I replied, "Txin yaxtakuq, Inusiq and Sparky." 26 July 2012 Mo wasn't in her usual spot, so I went across the street to talk with John, who pans in front of Starbuck's. John said, "I haven't seen Mo, I don't know if she's coming down or not. Today might be check day for her, so she may be waiting around for that." I said, "I heard her mention that she'd have to check at Carl's for mail, so that might be what she's doing. "What did you think of that guy who rode up on his bicycle, looking or Suzie?" John said, "He also came back later. I said to him, 'I saw her earlier at the Mission.' I was there later and saw the guy riding around on his bicycle. I went in for dinner and Suzie was there. She was drunk, or loaded to the eyeballs on something. She kept falling out of her chair. I didn't offer to help her up. "I don't want to seem mean or anything, but I really hope something bad happens to Suzie and Rick for what they did to Hoover and Elaine; not once, but twice. They were after Hoover's medication." I was introduced to Joanne, a regular of John's. She said to John, "Would you like coffee and a muffin." "Sure," said John," thanks." While she went into Starbucks John said to me, "She's a jogger. I took a break from here for a couple of weeks and saw her running along the bicycle path. She's offered to bring me some of her husband's shirts, but she said they'd hang on me like a tent. He must be big." Joanne returned with coffee and a blueberry muffin. She chatted with John for a while then went on her way to work. "She's a nice lady," said John. I said, "Hoover and Elaine are all set to move on the weekend." "Are they moving in together?" "Yes, they've got a three bedroom apartment. One room is just for Hoover when he wants to get away to play his video games. I think he can lock himself in." "He'll need that. I went out with Elaine for eight years. She can be really nice sometimes, then she snaps. That's when you don't want to be around her. She's just a small woman, but if she hits you right, she could break your nose. I hope Hoover knows what he's getting himself into." I said, "He's told me of times when he'd brought over groceries to make supper. Before he had a chance to sit down, she told him to get out. "I'll let you get back to work, John. I have to do the same." On the sidewalk I met Albert. He said, "Mo's not coming down today. She's not feeling well." "Thanks, Albert, I'll probably see you later." ... At noon at the benches were Inusiq, Maryam, Emile, Sparky, Claude, Hoover and Elaine. I was espeially pleased to see Maryam. When I saw her last she was five months pregnant. Now, her baby named Ambrose, is seven weeks old. They are living near the hospital where Maryam had her baby. Social Services arranged accomodation for them. They pay ten dollars a day. Maryam said, "Ambrose is my second child. I have another named Sean-Luc. Hes six years old." She showed me a tattoo on her left shoulder. It was the head of a wolf and under it was written Sean-Luc. "The wolf mother will always protect her young. She can be vicious if anyone comes near her babies. I speak French, my English isn't too good. Can you understand me?" "There are a few words I might miss, but yes I understand you." Emile said, "When Maryam first came to town, I was the first person she met. I said, "I'll show you the town, and I did. We partied for three days and she doesn't remember any of it." I asked, "Do you remember any of it, Emile?" "No." Maryam said, "We didn't sleep together or anything, he's just my best friend, like a brother." I said, "He's like a brother to me too." "Sparky," I asked, "how did it go in court this morning?" "I was late, but my lawyer took care of everything. They set a court date of August 28." Inusiq said to me, "I forgot your name. What is it again?" "Dennis, and your name is Inusiq, right?" Sparky said, "His name is Nuisance, ha ha ha." A Salvation Army van stopped across the street. Two workers, Alicia and Richard came over. They offered bottles of water to everyone and asked if there was anyting they needed. Rhino said, "Do you have any tee shirts? I could use an extra large." Richard came back with two shirts, "I've got white and blue. Who wants what?" Maryam said, "I'll take one. This one I'm wearing says 'hug me I'm Irish'. I don't like to be hugged by people I dont know." She tried on the blue shirt. "It's too blue," she said and took it off. Emile said, "Alicia, you're new aren't you? I don't remember seeing you around." "I came from Alberta." Emile said, "I know Alberta, which part do you come from?" "Near Red Deer, I was in prison there." "Right on!" said Emile, "We all know what that's like." I asked Elaine, "How is everthing going for your move on Saturday?" "Everything is arranged, but I'm not ready. I'm glad we have some young people to help us carry things upstairs. Hoover is going to help me take apart my futon. I'll just put the mattress on the floor and sleep there tonight. "Did Mo come down at all today?" "No, Albert said she wasn't feeling well. John said that she may be waiting for her check." Hoover said, "No, her check wont come until tomorrow. "Elaine has a doctor's appointment at 1:00. We'll have to leave soon." I asked Elaine, "Do you have to go to get your white blood cell count? Is it affected by your medication?" Elaine said, "I've been feeling sick. My stomach has been bloated. Even the water pills aren't working." Hoover said, "We both have cihrosis. Our livers' wont produce enough red blood cells. That's why our white cell count has to be monitored." Elaine said, "We've both been sober for over a week. We're not going to be able to invite any of these people over to our new place. We can't even invite Hoover's brother. If we take one drink, we'll be right back on it." "Congratulations," I said, "what you're doing is really difficult. I'm proud of you both." 25 July 2012 This morning, Mo seemed a bit down. I asked her about it, "It's just one of those days." she said. "I didn't get much sleep last night." I noticed that she had a wrapped candy in her cap, 'Did someone drop you a candy?" "No, I picked it up at Lonely Heart's yesterday. Cathy still thinks there's something going on between me and him. She asked, 'Do you like me?' 'Yeah,' I said, 'you're okay.' 'No, I mean do you really like me? You like women, right?' Yeah,' I said, 'you're just not my type.' She said, 'I have a friend, Meg, I'd like to introduce you to.' 'No, thanks,' I said, 'I already have a girlfriend.' She's probably one of those bull dyke types. "I was supposed to stay for supper, but then Lonely Heart and Cathy started arguing. I didn't need to be in the middle of that, so I said, 'I've got to go. I've got things to do.' "Emile and Frank got into it again this morning. Frank sent Emile on a run to Timmy Ho's. He gave him a five dollar bill and a dollar. I guess the guy didn't charge Emile, anyway he brought back the food. Later, Emile pulled out a five and Frank got all pissy about it and asked for it back. Emile decked him. "Yesterday, Emile, Frank and Rhino were standing near me. They reeked. I said, "Guys, would you mind moving down wind. I know you've got no place to live but water is free, so use it." "Rhino was going on about, 'I only made $1.25 and I've been working since 6:30.' His worker had to come down to take him to an appointment with his probation officer. It's only a block and a half away, in the Court House. I can see Frank's worker coming to take him to court in Nepean. Otherwise, he just wouldn't go. Emile said he's going to grease Rhino off, let him see what it's like to be really on his own." I said, '"I noticed, yesterday, that neither Emile or Sparky were sharing their bottle with him. He said, 'It's okay, I decided not to drink today.'" "He's got to learn. I'm tired of supplying cigarettes to him and everyone else. We all do the same job, and I'm paying rent to Albert. There's no reason for me to be supporting them, just because they drink more than I do. When Emile came to see me yesterday he had his bottle right out in the open. My regulars were staring at him. It's no wonder these guys get charged." "Earlier, there was a guy across the street just staring at me. I gave him a friendly wave. He looked around as if to say, 'Are you waving at me?' I pointed at him, "Yes, you.' Humans, you just got to wonder about them sometimes. If you shoot them you go to jail. What are you supposed to do? "I haven't seen Bert for a couple of weeks, not that I miss him. I like to stay well away from people who have bed bugs. Maybe we get sand fleas from putting our bags on the ground. They can be nasty. "When I went into hospital I lost a lot of my winter gear. Frank didn't bother picking it up from our apartment, then the landlord threw it out. I had a pair of army pants and a really heavy army coat. With two pairs of long underwear, I was really toasty. I had a black backpack. With the khaki in front and the black on my back the guys said I looked like a Ninja Turtle. They'd say, 'Hey, Turtle, which one are you?' I'd say, "Michelangelo!' "Are you going up to the cabin on the weekend? Maybe you could sneak me in your trunk. I could hide in the woods and you could say to your wife. 'I found this wild creature in the woods. Can we keep it? Can we?'" I said to Mo, "I'll let you get back to work." She handed me a granola bar. "Do you want this? Otherwise, it'll be squirrel food. Nancy should be coming by today, she comes every Wednesday, so maybe I'll see you in the park. It should be a full house." At noon, sitting on the curb in the shade, was Claude. "Hi Claude," I said, How is everything going today?" "Every day is a good day." "That's a good attitude to have." He asked, "Are you taking a vacation?" "Yes," I replied, "I'll be away next week. I'll be sitting in the shade, by the lake drinking beer." "That sounds good." "You're looking a lot better today." "I feel fine." "I'll see you later, Claude." "See you." On the benches were Mo, Emile, Sparky, Albert, John, Elaine and Hoover. On a bicycle was a stranger who was saying to the group in general. "If you see Suzie, tell her that I want my watch and my cell phone back. The watch isn't so important, but I need the phone. If I don't get it back she's going to be in big trouble." Then he rode off. "Emile," said Mo, "if you let your hair grow any longer, what you have of it, you could have dreadlocks." "Suzie already pulled half of it out. She just grabbed me by the back of the neck then pulled. If she was a guy I would have belted her." "Why do you guys put up with shit like that, just kick her. I can't wait until she trys something like that on me. I'll show her." Emile said, "She says she's going to get her boyfriend, Rick after me. I can't wait for that." "Rick, with a broken ankle, doesn't dare come down here. After an ankle is broken once, it breaks really easy the second time. I know. I've had both of mine broken. After that, the bone sort of crystalizes. It gets brittle. You can break it just by stepping off a curb." I asked, "How did you break your ankles, Mo?" "I'd had enough of my husband, Robert. I had my bags packed, I'd phoned a cab and was carrying my son, Cassidy in my arms. Robert pushed me down the stairs. I made sure I didn't land on Cassidy. The cab arrived, I went to my mother's, she looked after Cassidy while I carried on to the hospital. They took x-rays and told me I was pregnant. I said, 'How can I be pregnant? My last baby is only five months old.' I was only two weeks along. I had Dylan, then got pregnant again. This time I had an abortion and had my tubes tied. No more baby nappies for me. "I just about made the price of a bottle today. I had to borrow thirty-five cents. I haven't opened it yet. I'm still working on the one I started yesterday." Emile said, "I think Sparky and I have gone through four, so far. Soon, it'll be time to go back to work." Sparky said, "As long as I make enough to have a bottle and a joint before I go to court tomorrow. I always try to do that. I don't like being left high and dry." I asked Hoover, "How is the move to your new apartment going?" "We're doing most of it on Saturday. Sammy is helping me take my stuff across the parking lot. Elaine has a truck from the Salvation Army coming to move her stuff." "It sounds like a nice place that you're moving to." "It really is." Mo asked Elaine, "How are you making out with your Risparidone?" "I'm taking 1 tablet, 100 miligrams, but it doesn't seem to be doing much." Mo said. "I usually chew about four of those tablets before I go to bed. I need that much so I don't dream. Poor Albert, once this week I woke up screaming. He came running in saying, 'Mo, what's wrong? I thought someone was trying to kill you.' ''So did I, Albert,' I said, 'but it's okay now.' After Hoover and Elaine had left Mo said, "They both have been sober for a week now. It doesn't sound like much, but for them it's a big deal. "Sparky, are you awake, or playing 'possum?" Sparky opened his eyes, smiled and went back to sleep. 24 July 2012 This morning Mo was sitting in her usual spot. Sausage Fingers Chris was leaning against the railing talking to her. Chris was looking very dappper in his Hawaian shirt and khaki shorts. I couldn't take my eyes off his tattoos that stretched from shoulder to wrist on both arms. The design was an intricate west coast Haida motif. "Mo said, "I was surprised to see Rhino at 6:30 this morning. I asked him where he was going. He said, 'To work!' I've never seen him start that early before." I said, "I think that Emile had a talk with him." "I think so," agreed Mo. "One morning he'd only made a quarter. He came across the street to bum a smoke. He saw a lady bending over his cap. He thought she'd made a drop, but she'd taken his quarter." "You'd think," said Chris, "that a person whose sole occupation was to collect money, would know enough to take care of it." Mo said,"I saw a guy this morning with two twenties hanging out of his back pocket. I shouted at him, but he didn't hear me." "When I was in Israel," said Chris I saw a number of people with wallets half out of their back pockets. I was walking with a friend and he saw a twenty on the ground. He bent down to pick ut up and a guy yelled at him, 'That's mine, it's there for a reason.' My friend said, 'Okay,' and backed off. I guess it was part of an operation to catch pick pockets. The guy you saw this morning was probably there to lure pick pockets. You don't see it too much here, but in Toronto and New York there are guys who are so smooth they can grab your wallet and watch without you knowing it. I know, it happened to me. That's why I don't wear a watch." I said, "Did you notice that we have our benches back in the park?" "Yeah," said Mo, "I watched them putting them in. I said to one of the workmen, 'You could have wiped them off before you reinstalled them. One of them has pigeon shit on it already.' He said, 'Sorry ma'am, we don't wipe benches.' Why would they? We're just skids. "There's one that you have to be careful of. It's not securely fastened to the base. If you lean back too far, you could end up in the bushes." I asked Mo, "Did you speak to the housing people from the Salvation Army yesterday?" 'No, I left early." Albert stopped by. Mo said, "Okay people, I'm too popular. I've only made $4.00 this morning. I don't know what happened to my money. When I got home last night all I had was a quarter." I decided to leave to let Mo get on with her pan handling. "I'll see you at noon, Mo. Bye Chris, Albert." ... At the benches today were Rhino, Sparky and Emile. How’s everyone doing?” I asked. Rhino said, “I made $1.25 and I started work at 6:30 this morning.” Emile said, “I made the price of a bottle and lent Mo three dollars and change so she could buy a bottle. It’s the first time I know of that Mo’s had to borrow money to buy a bottle. On top of that I got a $65.00 ticket for pan handling. I saw the cop coming, so I scooped the change out of my cap. He pulled up at the curb and asked me what I was doing. I said, ‘Officer, I’m just eating my breakfast and drinking my coffee. He said, ‘Why is your hat out?’ I said, ‘My mother brought me up in a Christian house and insisted that we always remove our hats before eating. He said, ‘I’m going to write you a ticket for pan handling. What’s your address?’ I said, ‘I’m not pan handling, officer. There’s no money in my cap. I’m homeless, I have no fixed address, but I’m staying at dumpster number two behind Starbucks.’ He said, ‘You’re not going to pay this ticket are you?’ I said, ‘No sir, I’ll probably use it as a fire starter for my barbecue.” Sparky had gone to the Lord Elgin to use the bathroom. When he returned he said, ‘Dennis, see these pants? Yesterday they were white, then some one gave me a plate of roast beef and gravy.” Emile said, “Yeah, Sparky ate all the roast beef and what gravy he didn’t spill all over himself he gave to me. I love that dark chicken gravy, but it doesn’t agree with me. I had the shits and the farts all night. I was wearing this same tee shirt. See, no gravy stains, it all went in my beard. “Darrell and Frank were both being assholes. Darrell kept calling me a goof and Frank backed him up. With the back of my hand I hit them both with one swat. Darrell said it again, so I got him in a headlock and let my elbow do the rest.” I said, “I remember the video of you on YouTube – St Patrick bar fights 2010. I saw that you used some karate moves.” “I know karate, tai kwon do, tai chi. I use them all. That video was taken at the Heart and Crown. There was a line up to get in, so I was panning the line. I think I must have made $400.00 that night. There was one asshole in line that was making trouble for everyone. He was loud and swearing. I went up to him and said, ‘There are ladies here, they shouldn’t have to put up with language like that.’ He took a swing at me and missed. I knocked him down four times before he stayed down. “The owner called me over. I thought I was in big trouble then. He said, ‘I saw what you did. That guy has been causing us trouble all evening. We’ve got a V.I.P. area inside and I’d like you to be my guest. Just stick your hand up when you want a drink. It’s all on the house.’” Sparky said, “We should have gone to that club we were invited to by the guy from Bluesfest.” “Yeah,” agreed Emile, “the vodka got in the way. A guy named Rob, a friend of mine who just got out of jail, swiped two bottles of vodka from the liquor store. That’s funny, Rob robbed the liquor store. Anyway, we started on the vodka, I had a couple of 7.1% beer, then Rob brought out a bottle of Captain Morgan. I don’t know how I rode my bike back that night.” Sparky said, “I don’t know how I walked to my daughter’s house that night.” Emile said, “It reminds me of a time a buddy and I were driving past a beer store in his pickup. There was a semi backed up to the loading dock, but the store was closed. I guess the driver arrived too late to unload. There was just enough room for me to squeeze between the truck and the dock. I jimmied the lock and couldn’t believe my eyes – wall to wall beer. We filled the pickup with all it could hold. I think we had twenty-seven two fours. We were tempted to unload and bo back again, but you never return to the scene of the crime. We sure had a party though. Sparky said, “If you get greedy, that’s when you get pinched." |
2010 I saw Joy for the first time since Christmas. I was so glad to see her. When I sat down beside her I noticed that she had a black eye and other bruises on her face. I put my arm around her and said, "I guess your boyfriend came back?" "He came back, but he's in jail now. I had a real shitty Christmas. Pardon the language." "Are you hungry? Do you want a coffee or anything else?" "No thanks, I've eaten breakfast and have had three cups of coffee. I could use some girl stuff." "I'd be glad to help you with that, but there aren't any stores close by." "That's okay, I'll make out." "Have a good day, Joy." "Thanks, Dennis. You're really special." That was the first fifteen minutes of my morning. I felt very good knowing I was making a difference, however small, to their lives. They know that not everyone is against them. |
10 August 2012 Today is garbage day. As I was waiting for my bus it started to rain. A cyclist with a makeshift wagon rode past me. He was carrying a clear plastic bag full of crushed cans. He stopped at a recycling bin on the curb beside a driveway not far from the bus stop. He rooted through and found more cans he could refund for cash (10 – 20 cents per can, depending on size). Rain was forecast for this morning, so I wasn’t expecting to wee any pan handlers. As I liked towards Mo’s usual spot, I recognized Sparky. He was standing, talking to a man seated on the sidewalk. “Hi, Sparky! How are you doing?” “Fine, Dennis, I was just checking to see who was sitting here.” “Is this Walter?” I asked. Walter had been panning across the street from Sparky last week. “No, This is Al.” “Hi, Al. My name is Dennis.” I reached into my pocket for a Tim Horton’s card and handed it to him. “There’s enough credit on here to by yourself breakfast.” “Thanks, Dennis.” “What about me, Dennis? Do you have one for me?” asked Sparky. “I didn’t think you ate at this time of day, Sparky. Of course, I have one for you.” Sparky said, “I slept at my daughter Pam’s last night. She woke me up at 7:00 and said, “Dad, I made some scrambled eggs and bacon for you. You have to eat something.’” “How is Pam doing?” Does she know if there is any permanent damage to her back?” “She doesn’t know. She’s waiting to hear from her doctor.” “How is Lottie?” “She doesn’t know. Again, she’s waiting to hear from her doctor.” “Her boyfriend should be charged,” I said. Sparky said, “I can’t wait to see him, myself.” “A lot of people can’t wait to see him. I’m sure that Mo will lay a beating on him if he crosses her path.” “Yes, I know.” “Yesterday, I saw Rick and Suzie for the first time since Rick’s ankle was broken. Emile and Rhino were going to Quebec to buy beer.” “Yeah, I saw rick and Suzie. I found Emile asleep, so he didn’t get to where he was going.” “Where are you going now, Sparky?” “To Bank Street, to my office.” I walked Sparky to the next corner, then we parted ways. It was raining at noon so I didn’t bother going out. My friends would have stayed inside at home, or at one of the homeless shelters. |
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