Irainy

On this, what must be the rainiest day I can remember after thirteen years on the streets, I once again am confronted with the irony that seems to be the substance of life.

I honestly prayed to the God I am so often angry with last night that there would be a break in the rain in the morning between 7 and 8am. Some street people talk to imaginary people on broken telephones. I understand this. In contrast,  I talk to a God who never says anything and could therefore be classified as imginary. Yet, this morning, after a solid night of rain where I did not get wet though I was not indoors, I woke up just in time to make the walk up the North Avenue hill to my appointment at the Homeless Day Service Center to enroll in the housing program, again.

My appointment was at 10:30am.  The day center doesn't open until 10am.  So, with my finger in the air, and my eyes on the skies, I made the decision to go in that direction skipping breakfast at the 1st Baptist Church, home of Our Daily Bread now managed by Downtown Ministries, a local non-profit that thankfully took over after the sudden departure by Action Ministries who had managed the community kitchen for years.  It was ok because I still have a balance on my EBT card and was able to get some food at the convenience store.  It's not organic, and it is full of processed food, but the luxury of an organic diet is not afforded to those walking the streets.  I would gladly eat hummus and veggies for just about any meal, but it's not quite as simple as desire for a street person.  So, you take what you can get.  In my case, as far as a convenience store diet goes, I would hope for a simple bean and cheese burrito, but that is also not as simple as desire.  Call me weird, but I'd rather eat beans for breakfast than grits and eggs anyway.

That is really beside the point.  I got to the Department of Labor right at 8am.  I don't have a watch, or a phone, but I could tell from the sunrise it was about that time and sure enough as soon as I walked up to the door where two other people were waiting outside, the doors opened.  That's good timing.  I needed to check in to email and look for job leads appropriate for people without housing, and personal transportation units until 10am when the HDSC opens.  A quick check of the weather indicated that at 10am it was going to be raining like mad.  At 9:19am I heard the rain coming down on the roof of the DOL one level building.  Without even getting up to look outside, I knew it was very heavy.

Just before 10am, the security guard announced there was a tornado warning in effect, meaning a tornado had been sighted somewhere nearby and with the front moving at 55 miles per hour it could be here quickly if it were within a couple of miles.  A few seconds later one of the DOL staff members came out and declared we should evacuate the main area and head for shelter in the interior of the building, which we all did.  She said we could stay if we wanted to, but to follow security otherwise.  All I knew is I had an appointment and if I didn't keep it, it would mean rescheduling and with a black mark next to my name, IF indeed the appointment was even going to be maintained by the people at the HDSC since we were in the midst of a tornado warning.

The warning was in effect until 10:15am, which came and went, but they still had us in the secured area.  Someone made a phone call and was talking to whomever they were talking to when I heard him say it had stopped raining.  My sense of time is pretty good without a watch and I knew it was getting close to 10:30am.  The HDSC is just about 100 yards away.  The woman at the door had just announced we had three minutes until the warning was officially over with, which didn't make any sense to me because she had originally said 10:15am.  The guy with the phone turned on WSB.  The weather man announced Athens-Clarke county would be cleared in about 50 seconds.  I made my break telling the staffer I had an appointment I had to keep.  She didn't even try to keep me there.  It was my discretion to leave.  All I knew was that I can't stand crowds and groups, especially when we are enclosed in a room full of filing cabinets and it's hot.

I made my way out the door and indeed the rain had stopped.  As I marched across the soggy grass in my Steve Madden's that really don't leak, I closed in on my destination.  I walked in the door precisely at 10:30am asking the guy at the desk if they were keeping appointments.  He asked me my name and when I told him, he snapped his fingers as if he really was surprised to see me!  Within a minute my case worker appeared and we adjourned to her office and did the intake procedures.  Turns out I was best suited for the Rapid Re-housing program which I was also best suited for the last time I was enrolled.  

It basically means you can live in a place of your choosing to a degree, but you are required to work.  I am more than willing to work, but as any street person will tell you, a large portion of each day is spent "working" on eating and bathing.  If not for social programs like Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, I would have missed a meal while in search of housing on this, the rainiest day I can remember in my time doing this daily shuffle.
 

One of the questions they ask you is if you have ever prostituted yourself in order to get housing.  I answered certainly, not.  However, I continued explaining that just yesterday a woman at the soup kitchen I had never seen there before showed up and asked me if we were having catfish for lunch, just before she asked me if I had a job.  I thought both questions were strange, but there's plenty of strange at the soup kitchen.  Her next question was whether I could help her "move her bed" so she could clean out underneath it.  Trying to be courteous and take her literally, I said, "Sure", with a sprained ankle and all, but she walked on a cane and had false teeth.  

My imagination kicked in and without being rude, I did not try to continue the conversation.  I knew it was going to rain like cats and dogs last night and today, but was I willing to "prostitute" myself?  Perhaps, I was reading too much into her question and she really did just need help "moving her bed".  Regardless, I fell asleep as the rain began to fall last night around 9pm, and woke up this morning to  this "irainy", and what, in hindsight, seems to be a real Tornado Touchdown!

...

Previous Post:

TrumpMares