Lunch with a Stranger

So last week when walking down Market Street to get a tea latte at Coffee Bean (thanks to my brother for introducing me to them) in downtown San Francisco, my friend and I walked by a young girl sitting on the sidewalk with a cardboard sign that read something like, "Ran out money while traveling. Please help."

I noticed the sign briefly but what grabbed my attention was the way she looked. A pair of glasses, blond hair pulled back into a half pulled pony-tail, a large D like the Detroit Tigers was etched on her neck, long black jacket pulled around her small frame and a dark washed pair of jeans. My friend and I continued on to get coffee and tea. On our way back she was still sitting with her sign. We walked a few steps past before I stopped, turned back and approached the young girl.

"What are you doing today for lunch?" - me
"Nothing." - her
"Why don't you meet me in front of See's Candy, just down the street at noon? - me
"That would be great." - her
"I'm Shelly. - me
"Crystal"
We shake hands.

At five to noon I headed outside to meet up with her. Now I suppose if one was really hungry they would be early, right? Crystal was nowhere in sight. I waited for a few minutes and then rushing down the sidewalk just five after noon was Crystal. As it turns out she didn't remember the name of the candy store and ran into a police officer who pointed her in the right direction.

As we headed to Subway (her choice) she told me her story. Crystal had hitched hiked from Detroit to Auburn, CA with her friend Shelia. Both had lost their jobs and were hard pressed to find anything in the extreme down turn Detroit is facing. A friend in Auburn mentioned that they could come out for a job, but once they arrived the job had fizzled out. Crystal was working for her aunt's cleaning company that serviced both commercial and residential places. However, her aunt lost more that 50% of her business and instead of having several jobs a week she was lucky to have one in two weeks. Her aunt had to let her staff go.

Shelia on the other hand was working as a temp to hire employee of Walmart. Walmart offered her a full time job only to lay her off along with 49 others 30 days later. Times have to be really bad if Walmart is laying off employees.

With two footlong sandwiches in tow we headed down the street towards the Greyhound bus terminal. They had found an underpass that provided some protection from the elements and the other people sleeping there took the two girls in. Shelia and Crystal had spent the day before walking up and down the streets and Shelia's feet were sore. So we brought the food to her. The three of us sat on the cardboard mats and spent the next hour talking.

We talked about the other people that sleep there. There's a couple, a 70 year old man who gets up with his cane and across the way are the "crackheads". One of the "crackheads" caught one of the rats that come out at night and put it into a Jack in the Box container. The rat got out of the container only to have the other rats scurrying after it because it had ranch sauce on its back. Shelia mentioned that it was so disturbing it kept her up. She said she tries to get back to the spot before sundown, before the rats come out, so she can get to sleep and not think about them attacking her stuff.

The girls had taken the Greyhound bus for $20 to San Francisco, hoping to find work in a larger city. Shelia had met a person looking for donations for a non profit group the day before and asked if there was any job openings. After chatting with the worker for several minutes she was asked to come in on Thursday for a job interview.

As for Crystal she's in need of a state ID card as she lost her Michigan ID. She went to get one but learned that they cost $25 (in MI it costs $12), which when you have nothing is quite a bit of money.

The two are quite knowledgeable. They were going to register for food stamps, check out a Hot spot (a local help center for homeless and teens) between 7th and 8th, and enroll in a homeless teen program.

The face of homelessness is changing. You never know, the guy on the train beside you may have enough money to wash his clothes and eat lunch but may rest his tired body on ground at night because rent is too high and his debts are too consuming. It's make me realize that although the country is in a down turn and many people are facing extreme hardships, I'm fortunate. Very fortunate. I have a home to sleep in, food stock piled in the cabinets, and both my husband and I have jobs. We are truly blessed.