Beggar Man
Elkton, MD
Fall 2015
We had just had three days of heavy rain. I had been in a
discussion with someone about the people in our tent cities that lived near the
river. I go down there to see what the rains had done to their meager
belongings.
A man, my age. is sitting on the curb by himself. He is
rocking ever so slightly and murmuring to himself.
“How are you today,
it’s a beautiful day, isn’t it.”, I comment, interrupting him.
“Yes mama, yes mam, the Lord gave us a beautiful day today.
“ he responses.
“How did you survive the rains these last few days?”
“Oh, it was tough but I got one of them tarps so I just put
that over my tent so it wasn’t too bad.
But it’s good to have the sun today.’
"Do you live down here", I ask, pointing to the dozen
or so tents in front of us.
“No, no. Me and my buddy live on the other side of the
road. We stay away from here. There are them young kids who live here and
they wreck everything for everyone. Jesus, you would think they would leave our
stuff alone but them don’t. They just
bust it up for the fun of it and then we have nothin’. Like, I was picked up by
the police. I was sorta driving without
a license so I got 60 days in the clinker. I just got out. I left my tent here. Well, I didn’t have a
chance to take it down or nothin. They
just put me in jail that day. And when I
come back, them kids, well I call them kids cause I’m 60 and they’re about 25.
They ripped the shit outta all of my stuff.
Now I got nothing. So I moved in
with my buddy.”
“How do you earn money?
Do you have a job?” I ask.
“No, no, no. No mam. I’m on disability. But you want to hear something. When you are in the clinker, you don’t get no
check. Can you believe it? So I went in right before my check was
supposed to come and they stopped it.
Then I was away for two months and now I’m out and I don’t have no money
and I got out right after my check shoulda been sent to me. Now I have to weight another month before I
get my money. And I need my money.”
He doesn’t ask me for money but he asks, “Do you happen to
have any spare socks in your car. My
feet are wet,” he confesses with shame.
“I’ll go get you some sock, I tell him, don’t go away, I’ll
come right back.” And I do. I bring him a package that has six pairs of
socks and he is filled with glee.
“Holy shit, are these all for me?” He asked, just a little
giddy.
“Do with them what you want.
Keep them all, give them away or sell them to the others. They’re yours.”
“I’m going to give half to my buddy. He needs socks too. Hey, thanks. Thanks a lot. My feet are really cold.”
