Christmas Eve…( look I left ‘Christ’ in!)
I was sent home early from work that day…co-worker feeling generous; she let me go at 2pm! I had a lunch date 2pm so this worked out. Lunch date, Bojo and his friend from Mau, Anna, if my feeble mind serves me went to Mosaic in GreekTown.
I had them pick me up so we didn’t have multiple cars on the road! It was raining so he dropped us off. We went and got seated. Nice restaurant, better at lunch as the prices are way more affordable and well I Am a girl on a tight budget!
So we eat and as we did I kept looking outside to the all the homeless men walking around totally buggin that I don’t have my jeep full of supplies!
After a wonderful lunch chatting and catching up then took me back to my jeep but not before I spotted a guy walking about outside my place of work. I got in my jeep and back tracked to find him. Trust me this is not always easy especially downtown with the one way streets..sometimes I loop around a few times before I am able to locate my targets!
I found this gentleman in front of the new Fort Shelby hotel run by Double Tree. He is on the opposite side of the street so I roll down my window and catch his attention. I ask him if he is hungry? He indicates he is and I wave him over as I hop out of the jeep and make my way to the back.
As he is crossing the street he starts yelling at me asking if I need a husband. Oh boy the thoughts that went through my head! I told him “no thank you” too bad he said and he went on about a story that was already in progress before I showed up. He asked me to say to him “tell me ‘say it isn’t so’” so I did. Then he went on and on… much of which I could not understand but I was intrigued.
I got him some gloves and a bag of food as I continued to try to listen to him. He was talking about how he tried, had really tried to put forth the effort but they never liked what he had to offer and he asked me again to him “tell me ‘say it isn’t so’” so I did.
Then I asked him his name, he seemed surprised and actually seemed to become more aware of me and his surroundings and told me his name; it was Michael, I told him mine. He told me he was not harmful and just wanted me to undesrstand. I told was not afraid of him and told him I did.
He wanted to make sure again that I didn’t need a husband and I told him ‘no thank you sir I do not’ again and that is when I got what he was talking about. He was talking about women and how he was unable to understand them. And how they did not understand him. Oh boy the thoughts that went through my head!
This was the first time this year I have run into someone who appears to suffer from mental illness to the point of bantering and almost not aware that I am there. He was harmless though a tad aggressive, and first time I actually felt uncomfortable to tell the truth but it was broad day light and I was on very busy street.
I have not dealt with the mentally ill since I really lived in the Corridor, so this was a flashback. I wasn’t always nice in the corridor but I was also hardened to so many homeless in my hood, sad to say. And I feared for my safety a tad bit more then so I had to be gruff.
I asked him if the gloves fit, they were tight but he was fine with them and took an extra shirt that he figured he could give away to someone else! I watched him walk away with this nylon red and blue plaid bag continuing to mumble to himself about not getting women and I couldn’t stop myself from saying; ‘say it isn’t so’
Next stop Greek Town
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