My home town....

My wife and I just spent a week in Las Vegas helping my mother readjust to being home after a health issue.  We spent all week meeting care providers and emailing and or talking to insurance people regarding my mothers now non-existent health insurance.  Very frustrating, to say the least.

I became aware that I have a particular skill that I wasn't aware of.  It's been labeled as being "insightful" but I don't know if that is an accurate label.  This particular skill allows you to know right off the bat if you are speaking to the right person regarding your issue.  This skill also allows you to skim off some of the bullshit and cut to the chase a lot quicker.  The "old me" would continue to engage these bullshitters, but the new me has developed a tolerance (involved with the skill that I am talking about) listen, learn and then lean in a direction.  The old me would want to argue.  (I kind of miss that guy sometimes.)

Anyhow, after a week of these activities I was literally worn out.  I had to get back to work so I left Las Vegas on a Friday morning at about 2:30 a.m.

Snap shot in time:
I arrived at the convenience store located on the southwest corner of Maryland Parkway and Charleston.  There aren't too many people wandering around.  The police department had a guy leaning against the hood of their car across the street at the Burger King.  I notice a homeless man pushing a shopping cart that looked to have 300 lbs of his personal belongings loaded in side and draped over the edges of the cart.  I made eye contact with this man as he approached.  I ran my credit card through the gas pump and began pumping fuel.

The homeless guy looked to be a bit older than I am, but it was hard to tell.  He is passing by on the other side of the pump and stops to ask for some change.  I dig around in my pocket and pull out about $.80 cents.  The man says, "I could really use a cup of coffee this morning."  He then made his way towards the store front.  I finish pumping gas and notice the man is outside the store standing next to the freezer where they keep bags of ice.  He doesn't have any coffee in his hands....

I open the door where I am promptly greeted by a female employee who was mopping the floor.  Immediately to my right was a man feverishly playing video poker and mumbling to himself.  I made my way towards the cold drinks and grabbed a Diet Mt. Dew.  I looked over my shoulder and the homeless guy was still standing out there.

As I approach the counter to pay for my soda pop and a cup of coffee I am greeted by this smarmy individual that had fake and phony dripping off of him.  His hair was slicked back, greasier than the homeless man's hair out front.  "How are you doing this fabulous morning, sir?" the clerk asks.  I answer, "I'm fine man.  How are you doing?"  He chuckles, "You don't really want to know" as if his problems are bigger than anyone else's.  And he's right.  I don't want to know.  The clerk tells me, "$3.48 please", so I hand him my card.  He completes the transaction by handing me back my card wrapped in the receipt.  "Have a great one" he says as I hit the door.  The lady mopping says, "thanks for stopping in." 

I notice the cops across the street stuffing the guy they were talking too into their car.  There is some woman there crying, insisting that whatever happened was her fault... not his.  I let the door shut behind me and turn to the homeless guy.  "You still up for a cup of coffee?" and extend my hand with a large coffee.  The guy says, "thank you sir and God bless".  I turn to towards the truck and hear this smarmy dude say, "get the fuck out of here, you fucking bum!"  I look over my shoulder to make sure it was the smarmy dude and to be sure he was talking to the homeless guy and not me. 

The greasy store clerk pushes the homeless guys cart over and screams, "how many fucking times do I have to tell you!  Get your bum ass out of here!"  I pull up next to the situation and said, "Have you considered talking to the guy like he was a man and not a piece of shit?"  Both guys are looking at me.  "That is the Vegas I remember leaving some 25-26 years ago" I thought to myself.  The clerk says, "People like him are not allowed in the store."  "He's not in the store.  He is outside, minding his own business and drinking a cup of coffee."  "He's not even allowed on the premises.  You don't know this guy, do you?' the creepy clerk asks.  "No, I don't know him and I don't know you either.  But if I had to pick an asshole out of the 3 of us, I'd choose you all day.  Leave that man alone.  He could be gone by now if you didn't spill his shit all over the place." 

The homeless guy picks up clothing or bedding and stuffs it where a child would normally sit in a shopping cart.  The clerk picks up some stuff and puts it where the groceries would normally go.  I start to back out as the cart was fully loaded and the homeless guy looks at me  and says, "Thanks".

Now, I don't know the whole story.  Perhaps, just maybe there is a history between these two people.  But for some reason I couldn't let this asshole treat this homeless guy like that, not right in front of me.  But anyhow, besides this asshole and the ignorant insurance people sending me on wild goose chases.... I kind of almost miss that place.  There are some good people down there.  Not everyone has an attitude like they did when I left the place.

It was 45 degrees that morning at 2:30 a.m. and I knew Jackson was in the middle of a snow storm.  By the time I got to Cedar City, a fog had settled in.  I'd nearly forgotten the episode at the convenience store.  I wondered "..... is there hope for humanity?". 

If there is hope, I hope I'm not that hope.  I don't need that kind of pressure.  By the way.  If I know you, don't screw with homeless people.  You haven't a clue as to what their life is like, and if I catch you screwing with a homeless person.... I bet the old me shows up and screws around with you.