The Woman, Behind The Character In The Streets, Pushing That Decrepit Grocery Cart!
Posted: Sunday, January 15, 2012
by elle kynzer
The wheel of the grocery cart was stuck in a crack in the sidewalk, and as the old woman struggled to pull it out she slipped slowly to the cold concrete. Her strength was gone and she wondered if getting up was worth it. Her hair was dark and stringy, and she hadn't bathed in weeks. The cold of the concrete left her wondering, if it was worth the struggle to go on living.
The city was infused with homeless men and several women, but no woman was truly safe in the night without shelter or cover. Some of the abandoned buildings allowed a reprieve from the wind and cold. Leona remembered back to a time, when she had a house and a warm fire but that was a long time ago.
She flinched as she thought about her former family, then stubbornly straightened the scarf on her head. Leona pushed the cart into the alley, and placed it in an abandoned entry way, so she could take her blanket into the empty building; to sleep in a closet she had found once the tenants left.
Leona's last thoughts were of her husband's casket being lowered into the grave, and the death of her only son that had put him there.
“Part One of Three Part Story: Homeless Leona, as seen by the narrator and John, her homeless friend.”
Old John was the first to arrive at the abandoned building, and he knew where Leona slept. By the time he reached the third landing his breathing was labored, but he pressed on until she could hear his footsteps echoing in the hall. John was the first to tell her the building was sold, and being claimed this week by the new owner.
The sad news was absorbed as the two old friends looked around one last time, this had been a safe refuge for months, and now a new one must be found. None of the other homeless knew about the broken lock, and the owner being out of state, but John and Leona had found it on a warm summer day. She looked around and said goodbye, it was too dangerous to stay once a new owner took possession.
The downtown district was further away from this place, and many homeless never came out this far. The druggies and drinkers needed to be close to their needs, and walking this far out of city central was too big a question for some, even Leona felt the trip was becoming too hard. She knew life in the city was about to get more difficult, with so many men in competition for the best places to sleep.
Shelters were dangerous to women after the lights went out, so Leona preferred the streets, it was a shower and a meal only for her...then she left to find suitable sleeping quarters.
Leona hadn't had a job in years, and she was ill prepared for her husbands death, and her son's funeral had taken most of the money saved. Her husbands insurance paid for his own funeral, but not enough left over to keep the house with mortgage and taxes. Leona could type but typewriters were of no use anymore, and she couldn't use a computer...life had passed her by and she didn't even know it until it was too late. She was unprepared.
In fact, she didn't drive because she had had a husband; She had public transit and hadn't needed to... until now. Buses still ran but cost money, and trains had stopped in the area she lived during the cutbacks twenty years ago. The world had changed while she was making a home, and she didn't know how to catch up... now that she was old. Leona grabbed John's arm and asked him to let her sit and rest now. John helped her slip down on the curb, and waited.
John stared at Leona sitting on the curb, and wondered how long she would last in the cold this winter. She was alright the first winter, as she had found a garage with a potting shed where she could sleep without being seen; and it was next to the heated garage wall. That neighborhood was too far for her to walk now...it was at least twelve blocks away from the abandoned building, where they had spent the night. John tried to protect Leona, but his love of wine sometimes kept him from being consistent.
John knew Leona's health was not good like the year before, and she only got a small social security check, it was barely enough for some food. Inflation had made eating a luxury for them. She had never worked long enough for her own check, and with both husband and son gone the woman had lost both providers. Only a widows benefit now kept her alive.
John smiled as she struggled to get up, and couldn't. John wasn't in any better shape, and the younger stronger homeless were always going to be able to get the best places to sleep, for "survival went to the fittest". John wondered how long the two would be healthy enough for the streets. He could go to the Veterans Retirement facility in a couple of years, but what would Leona do? She had no family anymore, no siblings, and her parents had died.
Leona groaned as the two friends climbed the hill to the free meal at the Shelter, and their only hope for a meal today. They passed the blind man who sat with a cup seeking change, and John put his nickel in the cup. Whenever John gave, it always caused him to be blessed, so he couldn't pass up the opportunity.
Leona grasped the hot coffee handed to her, and eagerly sipped it's warm contents. John got in line for the hot meal, and Leona sat at the table savoring the warm liquid before challenging the long line. Her mind wandered to warmer climates and nice beds, but was called back to reality by John's chair being pulled out. She got up and got in line, so the two could be replinished for a day.
Full and content the couple of friends strolled the streets of the city discussing their futures. A man in an expensive car pulled up alongside to ask directions, and as John turned his attention to the man, a gun came out of nowhere and shots were fired. A car following the man had stopped and let a man out of the passengers side. It was almost instantaneous death, as the driver slumpled over the wheel, and the horn blew constantly.
As the ambulance drove away, and the two friends realized how long this event had taken, there was a sad silence. John wondered what the answer to getting off this ride would be? A loud whistle in the distance gave John an idea, so he turned to Leona, she knew, soon the two friends had found commmon ground. The plan became a way to find hope and a better destiny.
The darkness coming at dusk gave the two a cover, as each climbed the ladder to a boxcar that would give them shelter for the night. This old car hadn't been used for a long time, and it wasn't in danger of being moved, or so they thought. The old wooden boxes thrown in the car were great for keeping hid from others who might find their way into the boxcar too. The door was rusted open, and the two could not move it. John and Leona had a place for the night, and within a place of the train yard less secure.
A loud banging noise awakened Leona and John, who sat upright and looked around just as they realized the two were alone. A new jolt came and more noise. Soon the boxcar was moving, and both sat paralyzed wondering what they should do? John pulled two packs of crackers out of his pocket and handed one to Leona. The few mouthfuls would have to be their breakfast.
John reached into his inside coat pocket and withdrew a flask of alcohol, and offered some to Leona...she drank a little, but handed it back. The train engine telling them both, as the wheels turned, that this boxcar was unused no more.
to be cont'd
Fiction assignment for the week.
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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)Hi Elle.
This is great! And I'm excited to read more. Wonderful work!
Hugs,
DiannePlease log in to respond to this comment.
Love it. Started with Leona Part III and worked my way back. Works for me. You've even included the requisite flask to warm the insides. Enjoyable read. Way cool!Please log in to respond to this comment.
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