Phosphorous 4
Member
- May 21, 2024
- 76
The first time I ever experienced true cold, I was around seventeen or eighteen. I had fallen asleep on a bench outside of a shutdown supermarket in my hometown. I woke up to about an inch or so of snow covering me perfectly, like a blanket. My first instinct was to just get up and sprint down the block. I left my bag, basically everything I owned, at the bench, so about halfway down the block, I doubled back to make sure I wasn't homeless AND without my little bit of property. That happened in New York.
There was another time, my friend Dave decided to try travelling around the country with me, so I told him to meet me in Boston, that I was heading up to Maine and that he could meet me there. Dave didn't last one night. We ended up underneath a massive bridge, huddling together for warmth while a storm passed over us, beating at us from both sides with freezing wet rain. I could see Dave was not doing well, so I lied our way into the hospital for the night. Medical professionals tend not to be stupid people. They knew what we were and what we were there for. They left us alone for a few hours. I was lucky to get a bed, poor Dave had to sleep in the waiting area.
If I could tell you about my shittiest experience dealing with homelessness though, it wouldn't be about the cold or having to look out for an ill-prepared friend. It would definitely be about the time my travelling partner and I had gone a few days without eating. I never stole, no matter how hungry I was. I'm proud of that. It took us a long time, but we had scrounged up change that we found along the ground. I had too much pride to ask for anything, even then and still now. We had enough for a burger from Burger King. We got the burger and I knew splitting it wasn't going to do anything for anyone, so I let my buddy eat it. While she was eating, I disappeared into the bathroom to cry, I was so fucking hungry. I did a good thing that day.
There was another time, my friend Dave decided to try travelling around the country with me, so I told him to meet me in Boston, that I was heading up to Maine and that he could meet me there. Dave didn't last one night. We ended up underneath a massive bridge, huddling together for warmth while a storm passed over us, beating at us from both sides with freezing wet rain. I could see Dave was not doing well, so I lied our way into the hospital for the night. Medical professionals tend not to be stupid people. They knew what we were and what we were there for. They left us alone for a few hours. I was lucky to get a bed, poor Dave had to sleep in the waiting area.
If I could tell you about my shittiest experience dealing with homelessness though, it wouldn't be about the cold or having to look out for an ill-prepared friend. It would definitely be about the time my travelling partner and I had gone a few days without eating. I never stole, no matter how hungry I was. I'm proud of that. It took us a long time, but we had scrounged up change that we found along the ground. I had too much pride to ask for anything, even then and still now. We had enough for a burger from Burger King. We got the burger and I knew splitting it wasn't going to do anything for anyone, so I let my buddy eat it. While she was eating, I disappeared into the bathroom to cry, I was so fucking hungry. I did a good thing that day.
