Around where I am staying there is a BP garage. Couple of guys normally hang around behind the garage: playing games (dices) and just chat and chat, looking and admiring at passerbys. Some of the guys don’t have places to stay and are unemployed, whereva the night catches them that’s where they lay their heads. Some are bit scary, they are untidy and look more like gangsters.
There is one guy among this group whom I met and most of the time we end up having a friendly chat and we greet each other always. Before I bought a car, he would voluntarily pick up my grocer, assist me when I have loads of things to carry, accompany me half way to my place when it’s late, defend me when the guys wana mugg me, make some funny moves and so forth. After all the efforts and help he sometimes refuses my money. I then asked myself: what can I do to help him?
Sometimes when I pass by Spar (which is also around where they hang up), I would unexpectedly buy him a loaf of bread and juice or anything. Or sometimes just surprise him some money. The way he appreciates my giving and the way he thanks me afterwards always and constantly stuck in my mind. Sometimes he thanks me up until he can’t see me anymore.
When I started doing my inservice training I bought myself a second hand ¾ bed. Thank God I managed to buy a nice comfortable queen bed. I decided to sell (auction) my bed. I typed the notice and made 3 copies to plug them in some public places. The time I drove to some of those places I realised that I don’t have a bostick, I returned back to my place. On the way back, I saw my homeless friend and something hit me -- I decided to give it away my bed to the homeless guy instead of selling it. Guess what? He was very much delighted and happy when I broke the news to him. Coincidentally that month he got a little room to stay and it was as empty as nothing. He said, "Well, atleast my room will have something after all."
A bit later, my boyfriend wanted couple of people to do some labour work (for a week) where he is working. My homeless friend was the first person who came into my mind. I couldn’t wait to break the news to him. Unfortunately he wasn’t around where he used to hang and I asked around for him. So then we offered it to three of the guys in the their group. I was so disappointed not to find him, but part of me said: even these guys deserve better than what they have.
