HOME | DD

Description

As a kid.. I was introverted and had social anxiety. I was also poor asfk. Several families were living with the lady who took me in. Food and sleeping space was not always abundant. I used to raid the lost and found for clothes and got really good jackets and lunch boxes from there. Befriended a lot of kids and used to rotate between a steady group of friends on sleepovers. I hated sports but learned to play because some dads liked to take groups of us to the parks to play with their kids.
My life was spent couch-surfing from place to place. Sometimes, I help the old people in my neighborhood to catch a bowl of leftovers, soup, or those extra senior meals they couldn't eat because they had too many.
As I got older, seniors were a life-saving gold mine. As kids grew older they didn't want to go outside or be near other kids. They stayed online and played. Sleepovers weren't a thing beyond junior high. In high school, I began visiting a few of the old people around the neighborhood. I'd help them with their garbage, hang out with them to make them feel safe, or just help them with their yard work. I got everything from hand-me-downs to toys their grandkids didn't appreciate, and little knickknack gifts I wasn't even sure of what to do with them.
Even though I was doing my best to stay out of trouble... trouble would still find me.

On one such occasion..

I will never forget meeting Mr. Claude King while out walking my mom's little dog. This old man drove up in a white Nissan next to me. He rolled down a window and said I looked kind and began chatting about the dog. He got out of the car and told me his family lived far away. His white hair was scraggly, it was obvious he hadn't shaved in a few days and wore some badly faded grey sweats and black croc. He needed a little help around the house. He lived nearby, so I came over cautiously and helped dump the trash, and put laundry away, and in return, he offered me a bottle of water and some dinner. I had scoped his place out and he didn't give me any weird vibes...so I accepted the food and water for some chores. Afterward, I left and didn't think anything more about it.

The next day the old man was on foot and came looking for me. He asked the neighbors where I lived. One of the neighbors knocked on our door and said my grandpa was looking for me. I was weirded out and a bit concerned when I saw him on the corner standing with other neighbors. His face lit up when I walked down the street to meet him.
The other neighbors said he seemed kind of off. He'd gotten easily confused while they talked to him, so I told them I would take him back home.
Mr. King told me how he fell last night as I walked him back home. I asked about his family and he redirected the conversation to how he was okay and no cause for alarm. We chatted for a while and then I told him I had to go home, that my folks would be worried about him. He told me to come by anytime and if I was willing to do a few chores, he'd pay me. I told him I would check with my folks.
The guy didn't seem like a perve, just desperate for a friend and acutely aware that maybe he shouldn't be alone.
So for the next few weeks, I popped in and made sure he was okay and he always had an excuse about not paying me. It was okay. He would fix dinner and I would take plastic butter tubs home full of food his folks dropped off for him.

One day, I checked in on him and he began asking me to help pay his bills. I didn't like that, because that meant handling his bank card. I was just a kid and didn't want to mess up his finances. He guided me through the process and it was okay. I learned how to budget by helping him read his bills, look at what money he had to spend on bills, and then call or mail checks to the payees. he was proud of me for being so grown up. I thought I was being paranoid and let go of that feeling. After helping with the bills, Mr. King told me that his stove had gone out. I tried to look at it. Lord knows I have replaced plenty of parts on my mom's stove for her. Unfortunately, the stove was beyond basic repair. He looked at his account and asked me to purchase a new stove, which had to be similar to the one he had. I was afraid he wouldn't be able to operate a different one. The store made sure the new stove would be delivered and installed.
A few days later when I checked on Mr. King, I was disappointed to learn the stove had not arrived. Nothing hurts worse than seeing an old man on the verge of tears and admitting he was hungry. His current stove couldn't warm up his meals and he was out of stuff to make sandwiches. I called the store back and explained the issue. They said someone had called the store and declined the order. I asked Mr. King if he forgot to confirm the order. He shrugged and admitted his memory could have been better. I had him confirm the order, got him some food, and assured him I'd check back on the delivery day.
When the day came for the store to drop off the stove, I came right afterward, and he was so happy. I started to understand, as a kid, just some of the problems the elderly face trying to age independently at home.
Unfortunately, as Mr. King was showing off his oven, somebody angrily pounded loudly on the front door.
Mr. King got instantly mad and walked fast across the floor. He yelled obscenities for them not to destroy his door and he was coming. When he opened the door, 3 middle-aged men barged into the house. They yelled at him that something happened with his account. They were yelling at him that $1800 had come up missing from his account. He tried to make them calm down. He explained that he bought a new stove. Mr. King tried to introduce them to me, but they were so busy yelling that they ignored me.
As I listened to their back and forth, it was apparent, the 3 men were his adult sons. They all looked like they stepped out of a Banana Republic commercial or at least looked like they all worked in offices. Those men didn't want to hear why he had to buy the stove, only that he spent $1800.00. He told them he had tried to call them the night he fell. No one answered. His stove went out and they ignored him, they kept right on sending those cold meals. They just got louder and yelled over him. Mr. King's face went beet red.
I was surprised by what I was hearing and accidentally inhaled too loudly in shock. The guys stopped yelling to look at me. The youngest two looked shocked and the oldest frowned harder. The oldest approached me and yelled at me. Who are you and what are you doing here?! Mr. King quickly got between me and him. He repeated himself and told them again, you guys ignored me and the kid helped me out! The younger guys looked around the house, it was clean, and nothing seemed to be amiss. The oldest began asking me all the questions. Mr. King wouldn't let me answer. He said he's been helping me with everything. The bills were paid, the house had been straightened up and he's been making sure I get fed. The oldest one fired back... that he spent too much money. I knew this was a lie. We went back and forwards over his budget and his amount in the bank was confirmed by bank reps. The oldest told him that he had been taking care of the bills and that he probably wrecked his auto payment system. Mr. King and I looked at each other. There were no auto pays in his account history. Mr. King knew his son was not being honest and asked if I would leave. His oldest son said,"... see this little man tricking you, probably stealing money! Stay put!"
"Oh no", Mr. King said,"... whatever you are about to blame on him, I won't let you do it!"

"Blame! You can't blame anything on me!" I yelled back.

The oldest had done something, His father felt he had caught him in a lie, and he figured he'd get me to take the fall if his father forced a legal issue. Mr. King finally admitted he refused to stay in the house alone. He was moving to an assisted living and his money would be in a trust that would pay his expenses. His oldest son gave up trying to blame me and immediately began trying to back peddle.

"You'll be miserable, pop! We have been over this..."
"I won't be ignored, my bills will be prepaid, and if I fall at least a cute nurse will check on me.. "
Mr. King escorted me to the door. He thanked me for helping him out. I ran from that house back home. I had no idea that helping someone could bite me in the rear.

After school, I stayed home eating the last of my butter tub meals and figured I was burned out on helping people as away to get food.

Description

As a kid.. I was introverted and had social anxiety. I was also poor asfk. Several families were living with the lady who took me in. Food and sleeping space was not always abundant. I used to raid the lost and found for clothes and got really good jackets and lunch boxes from there. Befriended a lot of kids and used to rotate between a steady group of friends on sleepovers. I hated sports but learned to play because some dads liked to take groups of us to the parks to play with their kids.
My life was spent couch-surfing from place to place. Sometimes, I help the old people in my neighborhood to catch a bowl of leftovers, soup, or those extra senior meals they couldn't eat because they had too many.
As I got older, seniors were a life-saving gold mine. As kids grew older they didn't want to go outside or be near other kids. They stayed online and played. Sleepovers weren't a thing beyond junior high. In high school, I began visiting a few of the old people around the neighborhood. I'd help them with their garbage, hang out with them to make them feel safe, or just help them with their yard work. I got everything from hand-me-downs to toys their grandkids didn't appreciate, and little knickknack gifts I wasn't even sure of what to do with them.
Even though I was doing my best to stay out of trouble... trouble would still find me.

On one such occasion..

I will never forget meeting Mr. Claude King while out walking my mom's little dog. This old man drove up in a white Nissan next to me. He rolled down a window and said I looked kind and began chatting about the dog. He got out of the car and told me his family lived far away. His white hair was scraggly, it was obvious he hadn't shaved in a few days and wore some badly faded grey sweats and black croc. He needed a little help around the house. He lived nearby, so I came over cautiously and helped dump the trash, and put laundry away, and in return, he offered me a bottle of water and some dinner. I had scoped his place out and he didn't give me any weird vibes...so I accepted the food and water for some chores. Afterward, I left and didn't think anything more about it.

The next day the old man was on foot and came looking for me. He asked the neighbors where I lived. One of the neighbors knocked on our door and said my grandpa was looking for me. I was weirded out and a bit concerned when I saw him on the corner standing with other neighbors. His face lit up when I walked down the street to meet him.
The other neighbors said he seemed kind of off. He'd gotten easily confused while they talked to him, so I told them I would take him back home.
Mr. King told me how he fell last night as I walked him back home. I asked about his family and he redirected the conversation to how he was okay and no cause for alarm. We chatted for a while and then I told him I had to go home, that my folks would be worried about him. He told me to come by anytime and if I was willing to do a few chores, he'd pay me. I told him I would check with my folks.
The guy didn't seem like a perve, just desperate for a friend and acutely aware that maybe he shouldn't be alone.
So for the next few weeks, I popped in and made sure he was okay and he always had an excuse about not paying me. It was okay. He would fix dinner and I would take plastic butter tubs home full of food his folks dropped off for him.

One day, I checked in on him and he began asking me to help pay his bills. I didn't like that, because that meant handling his bank card. I was just a kid and didn't want to mess up his finances. He guided me through the process and it was okay. I learned how to budget by helping him read his bills, look at what money he had to spend on bills, and then call or mail checks to the payees. he was proud of me for being so grown up. I thought I was being paranoid and let go of that feeling. After helping with the bills, Mr. King told me that his stove had gone out. I tried to look at it. Lord knows I have replaced plenty of parts on my mom's stove for her. Unfortunately, the stove was beyond basic repair. He looked at his account and asked me to purchase a new stove, which had to be similar to the one he had. I was afraid he wouldn't be able to operate a different one. The store made sure the new stove would be delivered and installed.
A few days later when I checked on Mr. King, I was disappointed to learn the stove had not arrived. Nothing hurts worse than seeing an old man on the verge of tears and admitting he was hungry. His current stove couldn't warm up his meals and he was out of stuff to make sandwiches. I called the store back and explained the issue. They said someone had called the store and declined the order. I asked Mr. King if he forgot to confirm the order. He shrugged and admitted his memory could have been better. I had him confirm the order, got him some food, and assured him I'd check back on the delivery day.
When the day came for the store to drop off the stove, I came right afterward, and he was so happy. I started to understand, as a kid, just some of the problems the elderly face trying to age independently at home.
Unfortunately, as Mr. King was showing off his oven, somebody angrily pounded loudly on the front door.
Mr. King got instantly mad and walked fast across the floor. He yelled obscenities for them not to destroy his door and he was coming. When he opened the door, 3 middle-aged men barged into the house. They yelled at him that something happened with his account. They were yelling at him that $1800 had come up missing from his account. He tried to make them calm down. He explained that he bought a new stove. Mr. King tried to introduce them to me, but they were so busy yelling that they ignored me.
As I listened to their back and forth, it was apparent, the 3 men were his adult sons. They all looked like they stepped out of a Banana Republic commercial or at least looked like they all worked in offices. Those men didn't want to hear why he had to buy the stove, only that he spent $1800.00. He told them he had tried to call them the night he fell. No one answered. His stove went out and they ignored him, they kept right on sending those cold meals. They just got louder and yelled over him. Mr. King's face went beet red.
I was surprised by what I was hearing and accidentally inhaled too loudly in shock. The guys stopped yelling to look at me. The youngest two looked shocked and the oldest frowned harder. The oldest approached me and yelled at me. Who are you and what are you doing here?! Mr. King quickly got between me and him. He repeated himself and told them again, you guys ignored me and the kid helped me out! The younger guys looked around the house, it was clean, and nothing seemed to be amiss. The oldest began asking me all the questions. Mr. King wouldn't let me answer. He said he's been helping me with everything. The bills were paid, the house had been straightened up and he's been making sure I get fed. The oldest one fired back... that he spent too much money. I knew this was a lie. We went back and forwards over his budget and his amount in the bank was confirmed by bank reps. The oldest told him that he had been taking care of the bills and that he probably wrecked his auto payment system. Mr. King and I looked at each other. There were no auto pays in his account history. Mr. King knew his son was not being honest and asked if I would leave. His oldest son said,"... see this little man tricking you, probably stealing money! Stay put!"
"Oh no", Mr. King said,"... whatever you are about to blame on him, I won't let you do it!"

"Blame! You can't blame anything on me!" I yelled back.

The oldest had done something, His father felt he had caught him in a lie, and he figured he'd get me to take the fall if his father forced a legal issue. Mr. King finally admitted he refused to stay in the house alone. He was moving to an assisted living and his money would be in a trust that would pay his expenses. His oldest son gave up trying to blame me and immediately began trying to back peddle.

"You'll be miserable, pop! We have been over this..."
"I won't be ignored, my bills will be prepaid, and if I fall at least a cute nurse will check on me.. "
Mr. King escorted me to the door. He thanked me for helping him out. I ran from that house back home. I had no idea that helping someone could bite me in the rear.

After school, I stayed home eating the last of my butter tub meals and figured I was burned out on helping people as away to get food.