I was walking down the street once, a backpack on my shoulder to go to school, and I had work after school that day, so naturally, I had some extra clothes in my backpack, plus the two sticks of deodorant that I keep on me at all times. I had a good $300.00 in my wallet and was only $150.00 away from getting that new flat screen TV. That’s when I see him.
A homeless guy, looking down on his luck, sitting next to a really sick looking dog. No sign, no money cup, just a man and his dog. Now I’ve seen this before, as I live in the city, and it may sound stupid, but this one was different. I kinda walk up to him, and ask him “what’s wrong?” “I don’t have enough money to get help for my dog,” he says. “I tried to sell a necklace that I had, but they only gave me $50.00 for it.” So after about a minute of talking to the guy and thinking about it, I tell him, “I believe you, man, what’s your name?” he tells me his name, I tell him mine.
“Well, Rob, I like you. I’m going to give you $250.00, a stick of deodorant, and some help. My friend works at the gas station just down the street, you know, the Marathon? He’s got a guest room, and can probably get you a job, You down?”. So I call my aforementioned buddy, Derek, and ask him if he’s got a room in his place for someone to get back on their feet and if there are any job openings at the station. Sure enough, the answers are yes, and possibly. So I explain to Derek the situation, and he approves, even tells me that he can talk his boss into getting him a job interview.
So I give the money to Rob, so he can get help for his dog, I give him my phone number, and I tell him that my friend is taking off work to come pick him up soon. I tell him, “Use the money to fix your dog, and whatever else is left is yours to do with what you please, but, I’m trusting you to use this money wisely. My friend is going to get you a job, and give you a room in his house, but only until you can afford an apartment or something.” Next thing I know, this man is hugging me, crying, saying things like “thank you, thank you, I promise, I’ll do good by you” and other things along that line. A few days after that, Derek and I took Rob shopping for some new clothes for his job interview.
He’s all settled into his space in Derek’s house, and everything is going well. His dog’s in the vet for a digestive/gastrointestinal problem from eating some odd trash. I checked in on them periodically, but then I hear back a few months later from a phone number that I’ve never seen before, so I let it ring for a little bit. Then, It hits me: Rob! So I answer it as fast as I can, And I almost drop my phone, and I hear his unmistakable voice. “Hey, Rob! how’s it going?” After a little bit of a phone conversation, I find out that he got the job, bought a phone, and most importantly, is renting an apartment. I head on over, and it’s not a bad place at all! He said the next step is to quit smoking. To this day, (only a few months after all this) I still talk to him on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.
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