Bum

Every time I drove home from my clinicals from Marlinda Care Center in Lynwood I drove on the busy Freeway of 110 north going to downtown Los Angeles.

I kind of stray myself away from the congested traffic by taking the Adam Avenue exit going south and make a left on Grand Avenue. Treading my way towards Olive Street making a sharp left passing under Freeway 10 going west on the right to yield into the freeway where there's a corner there right on Grand Avenue where I saw this bum standing so sad and depressed.

He looks so apathetic and murmuring something like he was praying. He looks to pitiful and haggard. He was holding this cardboard paper with a caption saying, "Hungry.... needs help. Food is much appreciated." That caption was very catchy to me.

I seldom saw a bum on the streets of Los Angeles asking for food. Most of them were asking for money in form of a change or bills. As what I've heard of, these bums like to ask monetary pledges to support their vices like drugs and alcohol. And some of them appears healthy and can able to find a job. Technically, most of them are just lazy to find one and just wants to beg on the streets to support their vices.

There were stories I've heard that some of them beg because they just wanted to not make Uncle Sam rich. Or indirectly just wanted to usurp money from Uncle Sam. They just wanted to enjoy the people's tax, just like I said earlier, to support their vices.

Some were just plainly homeless because of some various reasons like undocumented immigrants, plainly crazy and mentally deranged, people who have no luck in finding job, people who have no family, or some running away from them, or people affected by the foreclosures and had reached rock bottom, etc.

I also heard some stories that some of them were rich and were just pretending to be bums because they just don't want to pay taxes. And many more stories that had weaved the totality of their existence on the streets of Los Angeles, not just Los Angeles but the whole world as well.

There were a lot of bums living on the streets of Los Angeles and other parts of the county of Los Angeles. Some of them I can find on the east district of the downtown living in tents and were hitting drugs, drinking alcohol, and gambling on the streets.

Any cities and places around the world has bums and each of them has a testimony to show and impart to us. Their stories are very interesting to know and I am glad to know some of them.

But this guy I've seen at the corner of Grand Avenue with that cardboard on hand asking for food really surprised and intrigued me and even made me wonder why he's asking for food and not for money.

In my curiousness I unconsciously parked my car at the nearby corner and walked towards this guy. It was a courage to have come up to him and asked him of his plight not knowing the consequences of my actions. In my mind I was kind of nervous because I don't know what's the mentality of this guy.

At the back of mind something was playing like, he might hurt me or stab me with a knife and killed me there leaving me lifeless on the street or berate me with degrading words right there and then because of coming up to him or beat me up and leaving me all bruised up on the street and many more inevitable imaginations and situations flashing behind my mind.

My curiousity has tickled me to go down my car and come up to this guy begging for food and not for money. So I mustered myself and walked towards him slowly and politely. I smiled at him initially while I walked towards him and he smiled back at me telling me that he was quite receptive to my being friendly and polite.

I said hi to him and introduced my name and he did the same. In my assessment he was a very decent empathetic guy with good communication skills and very fluent on his speech. He dressed up so damp and dusty all in black because probably of being on the streets all the time.

We talked very cordially and I asked him why he is asking for food instead of money and he told me that he was very hungry and just wanted to eat at that time. He was homeless and had came all the way from the east coast and was just trying his luck to start a career in acting but luck has turned towards his back that's why he indeed up on the streets.

I asked him about his family's whereabouts and he told me that he was ashamed to go back at his hometown because of his bitter fate here in Los Angeles and just decided to live on the streets. I told him not to lose faith and just to continue praying and hope for the best to come.

He told me he is a religious man and been praying all the time, too. And there I know that God had given me the sign and reason to go down my car and come up to this guy. Here is this guy that had accepted the facts of his fate and is willing to face the realities of his bad decisions and now was trying to pick up some pieces of his self.

I gave him a twenty dollar bill (which he was so thankful and grateful) and told him to ask help from any agencies to help him find a decent job. At least he is in downtown area and there were a lot of offices nearby to help him. I gave him some calling cards to call to for help from my collection of friends who works in social services and wished him good luck.

Whatever will come up during and after that conversation I hope this guy will be treaded on the right path. I can see the sincerety from his heart that he is willing to change his fate. I know God will not leave this kind of people behind and He will help him at the right time.

It was just heartbreaking to see and know that sometimes they needed to endure this bitter experiences. I know God is not sleeping and cruel and I know that this guy can do better rather than begging on the streets.

I know that my coming up to him has a reason and I hope it had made or played a major impact on him because it really touched me from within.

From the looks of his teary blue eyes I can see remorse, guilt feelings, sincerety, honesty, and some resentments. I don't know what he had experienced from the past but I know that guy had been in a bad rap and had some heavy burdens on his back.

I just hope and pray that he will be treaded by God on the right path and I hope he will survive what he had experienced right now. God be with him and bless him. Thank you Lord.