It was dark, and I woke up late, and left my house at 4:22am. For breakfast, I had a piece of zucchini pound cake. I arrived at the dark base and it was already swarmed with homeless people entering the base, leaving, smoking cigarettes, and just sitting around. A JFK transportation bus arrived and some people loaded in. I parked my truck and walked in. I was greeted by two security guards, one was busy talking to a lady in a wheel chair.
"Ella puedes..." the security guard started.
"Como se fue?" Asked the lady.
The other security guard asked, "volunteer?"
"yes" i answered, "who do i talk to ?"
The security guy just looked at me, "look for the guy in the grey cap."
How helpful. The base consisted of an empty grey cement floor, and about 200 people sleeping, getting dressed, or packing their belongings for their departure.
I walked over to the first guy in a grey cap, at this point I was totally lost, "hi, i'm a volunteer, what'd i do?"
He was drinking coffee in a cup, and looked at me blankly.
"Do you work here?"
He shook his head.
Eventually I met Gino, and Albert, both are paid employees that supervise the Armory.
Gino and I folded 140 blankets, put them in duffle bags. Ten to a bag. The bags would be counted and picked up by a laundry mat. We had 14 duffle bags, and one trash bag full of towels.
Gino was wearing synthetic gloves to fold the blankets. I used my bare hands.
Some of the blankets were still warm. At first, I thought to myself, what if i poke my hand from a needle, or touch blood, or get sick from handling these blankets? I didn't really have an answer to myself, but I kept going.
There was a dog with a sweater walking around.
After I finished folding the blankets, I took a broom and swept the cigarette butts, and trash outside.
Some homeless people were sick, and were hawking loogies outside. I found a regular "tone" that a few people there had when they spoke. The speaking voice was nasaly, whiny, haggish, and balanced by years of smoking cigarettes blended with a nasal cold. Some of the laughter i heard was similiar as well. The laughter cackled, coming from deep in the chest, and when one's laugh reached its climax, it was overcome by a cough from a thick bronchial cough.
"Are you American?"
I turned, there was a small lady, with a huge birth mark on her face.
"Yes, what are you?" (these days American isn't a good thing anymore...)
"chinese. Do you know when the bus is coming? Does the armory give out bus passes?"
"I don't know, let me find out." I found the security guard and he told me that two buses come, one at 5:15, and the other at 5:30. The current time was 5:41am.
I returned to the short chinese lady, "the second bus already left, i'm sorry."
"do you know where i could buy a bus pass?"
"yes, 7-11 sells them, Ralphs sells them, and i think you could buy them from the bus driver if you have 2 bucks." I felt like I was speaking into an empty cave, as if i was shouting into an empty cave, but not hearing an echo. Was she understanding me? I wasn't sure...
She nodded, and explained her story to me. Her parents were immigrants who died, and left her without a place to go. She's had a few jobs here and there, rented a place, but as of recent times, she is left without a job, and no home. She talked alot about money. One thing she distinctly said, "See when i was paying rent, time would go so fast, but now, time goes too slow. Tonight," she shook her head, "tonight felt like eight days."
I just stood and listened to the lady, Albert sent me home at 6:36am, and I drove home in the sunrise. When i returned home, i fell asleep before i could wash my hands.
Where is your money going to? I'm 24, my future appears bright, but i'm going to end up in the same place as everyone else. As i grow older this 'brightness' will escape me.
"Homeless people don't need your charity, they need JOBS." - Rick warren
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