"Oh please tell me its you. No? Then Victor? Then its gotta be.... Gotta be..."
"A girl with amnesia?!" falls upon his ears many times
A girl with Amnesia, can speak duck, aerodynamics, bear, understand the weight of shoes compared to only the weight of shoelaces.
Its much complex than love.
"Does the weight of your shoelaces have anything to do with the girl hiding by the trash barrels?"
"Oh no. That's not trash, that's metal and very valuable. So is the girl"
When I went to approach her, friendly as usual, she ran.
"Uh is she okay?"
"She's sort of homeless"
"What size does she wear in clothes?"
'Uhh 2 I already kinda sorta asked her in case I could get some money. This morning it was in the shade. But not now. /at the metal buckets\ she said at night it gets cold so she probably sorta didn't mind getting warm. I didnt want to bother her. And hey please don't bother her. Its alright. Sometimes at night I stay with her. Sometimes not. If she asks I do. Please! Its alright? Shes been there awhile, a month or two. She doesn't have much clothes that's why she's dirty. And for the bathroom I got a pot. I clean it in the kitchen before school but I dump it in the toilet first. You do not look mad. Are You alright? You look sort of sad. I thought you would be mad"
"You can wake her up before school starts?"
"Uh what?"
"Lets go shop"
"No I don't want to. You two go on ahead. You and Erica"
"You dont know what I mean do you?" I touched his arm "there are two mats in the school. They are to stay in the school. And you don't need no pot. Just make sure the two of you are up and out before school starts. Where do you usually sleep?"
"In the alley with the boys. We ain't got no house"
"I'll talk to Snoop. We will get you one. Until then,in the school. The whole lot of you. Her too."
"No I don't wanna. But the others they may might"
Later that night after Shawntae took me to the store we snuck to the back of the building and I walked to the end of the barrels and quietly laid down a set of brand new clothes. Short jean shorts and a crop tank, a better style, more upgraded. Chains and embroidery on them.
I woke her just by her feeling my presence. "Hers just one suit. Ill bring you some more tomorrow, okay? Its okay you should go to sleep"
"Huh? I dont want none!" She flung the clothes away down the sidewalk away from us.
"You will. I will bring more. You will wear."
"Huh? Why did your accent change? All of a sudden you sound Spanish. Don't take me to Mexico okay?!?! I just want to sleep with my boyfriend and he ain't here!"
I went to Shawntae and got the sweat pants and sweat shirt in heather gray we got her and laid it on the barrels. She stood up, looked at them. Put on the pants and threw everything else. "Pants that's what I want!!"
"Okay good. Ill bring you some more"
Every night I took a next day outfit and a pajama pants set.
Never did she change her day time clothes. So after a a week I went to ger boyfriend and i told him "tell her to change her daytime clothes or I'll beat her"
"She said she don't wanna. Wait. Those are for daytime?"
"Or I'll beat her"
I saw him round the corner.
About an hour later he came around holding her, carrying her and laughing. She was beating him. Shawntae gasped and grabbed my arm as we watched. He put her down and walked away.
And there she stood in a new shirt.
"She didn't change her pants tho. That girl is a mess" Shawntae said and walked away.
Later that night about 830 I went to the barrels she hid behind and lived behind. "Honey I just want to tell you there's money in those jean shorts. The ones with pockets. So you'd have daytime money so you can go and eat. I put $20 in each pocket. So you got $100 strewn all over the sidewalk. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth alright? Okay see you later!"
"No wait!! I wanna see!!"
I waited as she dug through the pockets.
"Oh my god! Thank you so much!!" She jumped up and gave me a hug. I stopped her from running away from me by holding her waist and looked into her eyes. Then I kissed her cheek and let go of her.
A tear streamed down her face
"But you're not my mom" she refused to move from me.
"But that is okay. I am here to take care of you while I am. There is more to come" I turned to walk away.
"But wait! I can sleep in the school instead of here?!"
"Yes. But if you want to"
"But can I tonight?"
"Being its Saturday you'll not have to be out in the morning until Monday"
"Can y'all help me get my stuff?! There's almost too much!"
We walked to the school. Her boyfriend and her and I. Arms loaded with clothes and more. I helped her fold in the school and emptied shelves for her to put her things.
Later that night i felt something unexpected in the air. Uplifting. Like a party. Only slightly worried she'd gone out of control i walked up to the school, the long way in the dark shadows so i wouldn't be spotted. As if I was out for a nightly jog.
At the school door i stopped short, completely stunned. All of the boys from the alley were moving desks and putting down things they had carried in, blankets and pallets.
Far more boys than I realized hadn't had homes. Teary eyed I walked to the big window and stood there touching the ledge. Talking and smiling. With their few precious possessions.
I realized they probably hadn't eaten far enough or well in Between.
I ran in a flurry down to the candy shack and opened the till. Far plenty i assumed. Over $200.
I called and ordered Dominos pizza "how much can I get for $250 in total for everything, tax included?"
"Just pepperoni?"
"A mix"
"Well a one topping. Lets see here, I'm the manager, are you throwing a party?"
"Feeding the homeless"
"Oh! Okay! Its kinda late for that isn't it?"
"Well they are about to go to bed but they are hungry"
"Ill throw you in an extra. 40 pizzas for $200 flat fee, delivery included. One topping each"
"Oh I dont know if that will be too many... That... That will be perfect. Absolutely. Thank you!!"
I was so excited i hung up without giving the address. But called back almost immediately.
Then I sat and waited and paced in various points near the gate so i could pay and hide and watch their faces from the window.
I stood at the corner. And heard "but we don't have any money!!"
"Its already been paid!! Here to help feed the hungry and helpless homeless!!"
She had to make several trips, the manager delivered herself, and i hid in a crevice on the side of the building so they wouldn't see it was me. I definitely did not want pizza thrown at me or down the sidewalk.
I knew they had pride. But i also knew what it felt like to have a full belly after being out on the streets night after night. They didn't know me. They saw a fancy girl in heels teaching the little ones.
They didn't know me in Kosovo, killing a man over a burger that I didn't even eat the meat from because it was half raw because i was starved and hadn't been able to find food.
They didn't know me in Russia, frost bitten feet and hands, no shoes and no coat, willing to steal anything to keep me warm until I got pulled off the street by Matt who had all the things i needed and i cried plenty because I was so relieved.
Oddly I was less scared to murder and steal than go in a shop and steal from a person i left living whom could have me arrested.
I knew what it was like to be hungry.
Starving.
And I wouldn't put them to shame and let them think they were anything other than the brave men I always had believed they were.
I counted the pizzas and knew they were all in and i stood at the window again. A few went out to fetch more.
"Oh Sabrina! Why are you here? Did you do this??"
"Oh i just heard someone coming up the walk..." And shrugged.
That pizza delivery lady blew my cover and handed me $10 and said "i didn't deserve $20 they did all the work"
"Oh okay"
"Hey.. Do you want to come in and eat with us? I mean its just us hobos"
I nodded "I would like to very much" us hobos. What they didn't know, was i, the fancy super smart teacher, was one too.
Someone else asked what the $10 was for. I said "a prize for who carried in the most"
"Oh shit, we didn't keep count"
"That's okay ill put it here and may be you can draw for it? Play a game? Or another competition"
They left that $10 on my chalkboard for the week....
So two weeks passed. On Friday i left $200 on my desk with a note that said "$200 for 40 pizzas. Ask the lady manager at dominos for the hobo special" the week before. But it was still there on Monday
So i told the kids and Steven said "just throw it around the room and make them find it"
"and get rid of that $10 on the board! Its annoying!"
So we did us it that. Taped the original post it note on the board and then wrote "split the change evenly amongst you"
The kids wrote various other things. Messages to the mysterious hobos I wouldn't tell them the identity of. Although they knew who they were. They saw them every single day. And never knew. Just like me.
"I think I love you hobos" was my most favorite of all.
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This memory of Declan had me laughing in the car
He grew like 1 whole foot and his hair 4 inches over night and so i said so "you wanna try a bikini?!"
"Yeah!! That way so my dad can get off me about being a girl! Even tho i know I'm a boy and he doesn't! .. Know i know that is!"
So we got a yellow string bikini... And the poor dear was flat chested and there wasn't any thing to hold the bikini in place..
So everyone was all "your chee chee!!" Calling my name and saying chee chee and patting their tits. Took me a while before i realized they were not talking about me and I was all "oh! Declan!" And pulled his suit down to cover his nipple.
And he replied "that's what you mean?! I have been so frustrated all day!! Why haven't you told me "hey boy! Your tittie is hanging out!!"
He tried to put up with it.. But a random old lady said "hey dearie, your nipple is protruding"
And he said "what? This again?" And pointed to his chest.
"Its okay. Here let me fix it. I can help you"
And Declan yelled "IVE HAD IT!!!!" And ripped his string bikini up over his head and threw it on a boulder and stormed off in his yellow string bikini bottoms.
I was fixing another boys bikini, a 4 year old i was baby sitting all summer along with his brother (for free) and i just started laughing. The women's confusion was taken away by the adorable sight of him.
Those little old ladies? Queen Elizabeth II and her friend.
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