Chapter 27

‎When I arrived at the daycare I was pretty shakey, but I didn’t feel anything except exhausted. My fever had broken and the congestion had broken me, more or less. For the first hour I sat in the corner with a gauze surgical mask. Every time I coughed I used a hand sanitizer. I probably had less germs that days than at any other time during my life.

‎‎”So how you doing,” Sandra asked.

‎‎”I’m fine, just keep the kids away from me and you stay back at least ten feet,” I said with a laugh. “I don’t have a fever, so I don’t think I’m contagious and I don’t think I have been for a couple of days at least,” I explained.

‎‎”Well Lila is bringing lunches over from the shelter, so unless you don’t feel like eating, this might be a good day to let them bring you one,” she said. “If you insist, you can make a two dollar donation.”

‎‎”Sounds reasonable so whats on the menu?” I asked.

‎‎”Lila’s famous Mac and Cheese. It’s the one thing the shelter is famous for doing right,” Sandra said.

‎‎”I won’t tell a soul,” I admitted.

‎I finished the day without falling asleep, so I figure I had done good. I drove home with the window in the Soul wide open to keep me awake. When I got home I went directly to bed.

‎There was a knock on my door at 7PM. “Hold on I’m coming,” I said as I stopped to slip on my jeans.

‎‎”Gee, it took you long enough,” Lucinda said. She stepped into the house and then added. “Do you remember Gerome?”

‎‎”Sure Gerome how are you doing,” I asked.

‎‎”I’m doing better Lucinda has let me tag along to her meetings,” he said. “It’s hard but I’m staying clean.”

‎‎”Good for you, so what can I do for you two?” I asked.

‎‎”It’s more what we can do for each other,” Lucinda said.

‎‎”Don’t even try to explain that till I heat some coffee,” I said.

‎Lucinda and Gerome occupied the only two chairs in the house. I carried my thermos of coffee from the microwave to my bed where I sat down.

‎‎”Are you ready to talk yet?” Lucinda asked.

‎‎”Okay, so what’s so important?” I asked.

‎‎”We came to talk to you about your project, ‘See the homeless’,” Lucinda said.

‎‎”What the fuck are you talking about?” I asked.

‎‎”Tell him Gerome,” she said.

‎‎”Yeah Gerome tell me,” I demanded.

‎‎”Making a hobo jungle doesn’t go far enough. People have to relate to it. They have to do more than say, “Poor bastards,” Gerome said.

‎‎”Like what?” I asked.

‎‎”We need to not only build the hobo jungle, we need to force people to realize what it is like to live there,” Lucinda said.

‎‎”How do you propose to do that,” I asked. “Make the hobo jungle a theme park.”

‎‎”What a hell of an idea,” Lucinda almost shouted. “Show people what the every day reality is for the homeless.”

‎‎”You are nuts,” I suggested. Of course secretly I was fighting the urge to jump up and down.

‎‎”We can advertise it as a theme park as well as an authentic hobo jungle,” Gerome suggested. “We can set up a UTube channel and see how many hits we can get. I have some experience in those things. Not too many shows are successful, but this one might be.”