...untitled
Pat watched us from across the table with her hands folded under her chin and her elbows on the table over her plate. I tried to start a conversation with Jessica and Gimpy between bacon slices but it wasnt working. Out of the corner of my eye she was still making that face, barly a polite smile could budge it. She reminded me of a cranky old ghost, waiting for us to notice we were in her space.
But I had asked if it were ok that we sat there. In fact, I made eye contact and pointed at the empty seats before I even walked over. As I passed all the other tables, either completely full or completely empty, I, and jessica too, got a feeling she wouldn't be as conginial as the women last year, who asked us about school and how we were doing and all the courses they took.
Sometimes i forget, Homeless people went to school too.
Thankfully, Thats where Amy came in. She took off her headphones and sat down next to Gimpy to eat. She looked almost like a jogger who was making a pit stop. and... She looked like my Aunt Virgina...
Its really an eye opener, these thanksgiving breakfasts. I strongly recommend everyone do it once.
She already new Jessica and asked for our names too. Gimpy seriously weirds me out whenever she introduces herself as Laura. Its like... idk. So, Amy introduces her self and starts off with a nice conversation topic. "So what do you guys want to be when you grow up? Like for a career"
Gimpy looks at Jessica who looks at me who looks at Gimpy, looking at me... So I start... "Um... well... I kinda want to be a musician, or a cartoonist or something" She kinda cuts me off, [politly] "Youre my kind of person already" But that kinda changed when i mentioned the Im kinda into psycology part. She was a little... ehh are you shrinking me now?
And i hate that. How therapists have such a bad name. Deservedly so, i mean, most charge a lot for just listening and doing nothing, but if i were one, i wouldnt charge a lot. I hope i wouldnt. I mean, My major income would be cartooning, cuz i guess i just one 2nd place for best high school news paper cartoonist in New York state and i have 3 or 4 other awards besides that so i guess I kinda have the HOV lane open through a very hard to get into career... but i dont want to do that... you know? eh.
I want to do what i just did today. See, Amy came in and out of the building a lot, ussually with new mouth to feed. Me n gimpy made a plate for some stoned kid who was too embaressed to come in but by the time we got out, he was gone. Amy caught up with me and said she felt like talking, or having someone to listen to her. I knew where this was headed, after almost every other other sentence was followed by a "I dont want to get into that" "I shouldnt talk about that" "Your still young" or whatever. I could have sworn Gimpy was still with me when I sat down next the stoner kids plates, getting cold, but she must have ditched. So I stole her hot choclate, and me and Amy talked.
Shes like, 50. 51 i think. But young at heart. Young enough for me to not even notice the generation gap. She grew up with the same generation as my dad. Scary right? and, Yeah, shes a hippie. She listens to the beatles, just like my aunt v. We talked about everything from her son her parents raised to her abusive boyfriend to her poor house to the kids on the street she sees that she tries to counsel a little to jobs to painting to Nirvana and Regina Spektor to the time Gimpy fell off a cliff.
Progressivly more upbeat.
Genius, no?
mmm Nah.
I guess I wasnt completely useless. See, Marina, this is gonna sound off topic but, my friend Marina randomly became obsessed with college and apartments. We're kinda really close in a I-never-see-you-outside-of-school-unless-its-an-accident-and-we-dont-have-a-clue-why-we-dont-hang-out-on-purpose kind of way. So, some how, this made me roomie worthy.
Every day at computer art she'd call me over to another site of another apartment in the city thats cheaper and nicer then the page before. The one we liked fit 5 kids and was only $1500. Or, $300 each. Now, Although we looked, i dont know if it was both of us, but i felt an unsaid agreement that it would never actually happen. But it was good to look anyway.
It was good because i suggested this to Amy, who pays 1,000 bucks for cockroaches. Maybe if she moved and saved money, she wouldnt be so dependant on whats his face, who she must leave, and he wouldnt be so dependant on her, so he wouldnt be screwed with no where to go.
Other then that, whatever i said i pulled out of my ass in a heart beat.
But I dont think i said much else... hmm...
Did i mention that i said she'd make a good secretary?
Or esspecially some kind of hotline person, since shes been there done that in pretty much... everything i can currently think of that you would have a hotline for... :/
She told me to take care of myself, and i said you too. She left and came back with a hungry friend 7 times. Each time i felt bad, wishing i had said something i didnt. Me and Jessica talked to her a few times, and every time she'd start a story but wouldnt finish, ussually because a priest or someone she didnt greet yet came by.
Meanwhile, I tried to learn how to whisk [failed] and resqued a couple eggs shells from the bottom of bowls [now that was megs fault]
Amy eventually left for good and as always i wished i had planned a way to meet her again, because my dad has a keyboard he doesnt use much, and she has 10 years of piano lessons not in use either so...
After everyone left I scrubbed a few tables and put chairs away and said good bye to all the others i had met, either just then or years ago. Like, the regulars like Joey from Brooklyn and the lady with the hat and cane, or newbies [at least to me] like Amy or Harold. In fact, as Harold was talking to Fr. Greg [?] I kept hearing my name. I walked by and Fr Greg laughed at the 4 chairs i was manipulating to the other side of the room with my head and arms and said something about how hard working I was [cuz i full nights rest after hell week will do that to you] and harold added "and respectful too"
But thats cuz i dont talk to them like theyre a Them. The people at that breakfast werent some kinds of circus freaks.
If anyone was the circus freak, It was gimpy.
Gimpy who juggled corn muffins as i told them about the time she opened her birthday presents while on a unicycle.
:shakes head:
That gimpy...
But I had asked if it were ok that we sat there. In fact, I made eye contact and pointed at the empty seats before I even walked over. As I passed all the other tables, either completely full or completely empty, I, and jessica too, got a feeling she wouldn't be as conginial as the women last year, who asked us about school and how we were doing and all the courses they took.
Sometimes i forget, Homeless people went to school too.
Thankfully, Thats where Amy came in. She took off her headphones and sat down next to Gimpy to eat. She looked almost like a jogger who was making a pit stop. and... She looked like my Aunt Virgina...
Its really an eye opener, these thanksgiving breakfasts. I strongly recommend everyone do it once.
She already new Jessica and asked for our names too. Gimpy seriously weirds me out whenever she introduces herself as Laura. Its like... idk. So, Amy introduces her self and starts off with a nice conversation topic. "So what do you guys want to be when you grow up? Like for a career"
Gimpy looks at Jessica who looks at me who looks at Gimpy, looking at me... So I start... "Um... well... I kinda want to be a musician, or a cartoonist or something" She kinda cuts me off, [politly] "Youre my kind of person already" But that kinda changed when i mentioned the Im kinda into psycology part. She was a little... ehh are you shrinking me now?
And i hate that. How therapists have such a bad name. Deservedly so, i mean, most charge a lot for just listening and doing nothing, but if i were one, i wouldnt charge a lot. I hope i wouldnt. I mean, My major income would be cartooning, cuz i guess i just one 2nd place for best high school news paper cartoonist in New York state and i have 3 or 4 other awards besides that so i guess I kinda have the HOV lane open through a very hard to get into career... but i dont want to do that... you know? eh.
I want to do what i just did today. See, Amy came in and out of the building a lot, ussually with new mouth to feed. Me n gimpy made a plate for some stoned kid who was too embaressed to come in but by the time we got out, he was gone. Amy caught up with me and said she felt like talking, or having someone to listen to her. I knew where this was headed, after almost every other other sentence was followed by a "I dont want to get into that" "I shouldnt talk about that" "Your still young" or whatever. I could have sworn Gimpy was still with me when I sat down next the stoner kids plates, getting cold, but she must have ditched. So I stole her hot choclate, and me and Amy talked.
Shes like, 50. 51 i think. But young at heart. Young enough for me to not even notice the generation gap. She grew up with the same generation as my dad. Scary right? and, Yeah, shes a hippie. She listens to the beatles, just like my aunt v. We talked about everything from her son her parents raised to her abusive boyfriend to her poor house to the kids on the street she sees that she tries to counsel a little to jobs to painting to Nirvana and Regina Spektor to the time Gimpy fell off a cliff.
Progressivly more upbeat.
Genius, no?
mmm Nah.
I guess I wasnt completely useless. See, Marina, this is gonna sound off topic but, my friend Marina randomly became obsessed with college and apartments. We're kinda really close in a I-never-see-you-outside-of-school-unless-its-an-accident-and-we-dont-have-a-clue-why-we-dont-hang-out-on-purpose kind of way. So, some how, this made me roomie worthy.
Every day at computer art she'd call me over to another site of another apartment in the city thats cheaper and nicer then the page before. The one we liked fit 5 kids and was only $1500. Or, $300 each. Now, Although we looked, i dont know if it was both of us, but i felt an unsaid agreement that it would never actually happen. But it was good to look anyway.
It was good because i suggested this to Amy, who pays 1,000 bucks for cockroaches. Maybe if she moved and saved money, she wouldnt be so dependant on whats his face, who she must leave, and he wouldnt be so dependant on her, so he wouldnt be screwed with no where to go.
Other then that, whatever i said i pulled out of my ass in a heart beat.
But I dont think i said much else... hmm...
Did i mention that i said she'd make a good secretary?
Or esspecially some kind of hotline person, since shes been there done that in pretty much... everything i can currently think of that you would have a hotline for... :/
She told me to take care of myself, and i said you too. She left and came back with a hungry friend 7 times. Each time i felt bad, wishing i had said something i didnt. Me and Jessica talked to her a few times, and every time she'd start a story but wouldnt finish, ussually because a priest or someone she didnt greet yet came by.
Meanwhile, I tried to learn how to whisk [failed] and resqued a couple eggs shells from the bottom of bowls [now that was megs fault]
Amy eventually left for good and as always i wished i had planned a way to meet her again, because my dad has a keyboard he doesnt use much, and she has 10 years of piano lessons not in use either so...
After everyone left I scrubbed a few tables and put chairs away and said good bye to all the others i had met, either just then or years ago. Like, the regulars like Joey from Brooklyn and the lady with the hat and cane, or newbies [at least to me] like Amy or Harold. In fact, as Harold was talking to Fr. Greg [?] I kept hearing my name. I walked by and Fr Greg laughed at the 4 chairs i was manipulating to the other side of the room with my head and arms and said something about how hard working I was [cuz i full nights rest after hell week will do that to you] and harold added "and respectful too"
But thats cuz i dont talk to them like theyre a Them. The people at that breakfast werent some kinds of circus freaks.
If anyone was the circus freak, It was gimpy.
Gimpy who juggled corn muffins as i told them about the time she opened her birthday presents while on a unicycle.
:shakes head:
That gimpy...