PART TWO: HOMELESS ENCOUNTER

JIMMY THE GREEK, RETRIEVING HIS BIKE FROM THE BUS RACK

Homeless people rely on the local bus service to get around. Often, long absences from each other’s company are interrupted by chance meetings. Many are clients of the same social services offered by local government and often cross paths with each other. Many are also frequent customers of public libraries, of which Orange County has several. On the stretch of Pacific Highway, it seems every city has a library conveniently accessible by riding the 1 Bus.

Early Monday morning on my way to the DMV in San Clemente my bus ride was roused by the familiar voice of Jimmy. He was sitting at the back of the bus having an animated conversation on the phone. Bits and pieces of what could be heard betrayed an exasperating morning for him. The sounds the bus made muffled much of what he was saying but the tenor of his voice was one of despair. We often have chance meetings at Del Taco or Walmart giving us an opportunity to get caught up on recent happening. He was the one who told me about the new laundry equipment that went into the Laguna Hill Laundromat, which instantly became my choice destination for clothes washing.

JIMMY THE GREEK  (DEL TACO IN MARCH ’16)

The last time we saw each other he could hardly hide his excitement. He had just purchased a boat and had successfully passed the seaworthiness trials granting him the privilege to travel the seas. This effectively took him off the streets. Prior to that he was living by the creek in Aliso Viejo, in a rigged shack hidden in the thick hedge row. He described it as a bamboo forest where rodents and animals had become his friends and companions.

He got off a couple of stops before the transportation terminal where my next bus connects. He only had enough time to tell me that that his 20-something son had just died last Friday. That was three days ago, and he was on his way to Santa Ana to get related documents. He was trying to arrange for his funeral but first needed to see if there was any will recorded that specified the decedent’s wishes for funeral arrangements. He said that a manager found his son slumped on the floor somewhere in San Diego County. He was in such a hurry there wasn’t the opportunity to offer him my condolences.

CODY ON HIS WAY TO THE DANA POINT LIBRARY

The DMV trip had turned into a runaround. An additional $69 was added to my registration fees after a ticket was found in the system. The issuing department was Laguna Beach, which became my next destination. On the way there, another homeless acquaintance boarded the bus. Cody lives in and around the San Clemente area, but now and again in his travels he finds himself in Aliso Viejo. The last time we saw each he was nursing a broken collar bone that he sustained in an accident. He was on his way to the Dana Point library.

For a homeless guy, he keeps himself very healthy. He apparently lives a vegan lifestyle, an interesting challenge considering most of the meals affordable to indigents rarely offer the kinds of food he needs. Somehow he’s been able to sustain his lifestyle without refrigeration by purchasing fruits and vegetables in bulk, carried in his cart. Some years ago he pulled out his portable burner at the Aliso Viejo Library and proceeded to cook a vegetable stew. He was in the outdoor atrium when the librarian approached him and asked him to cease the food preparation. She cited the potential for fire hazard.

We had a few minutes to chat and get caught up. It was the first time he saw me without a hat and hair full grown. “Your hair looks great, man.” Thank you, was my reply. He was still in some sort of medical regimen after contracting “Reiters Disesase.” He was doing research on alternative means to treat his illness, and vaguely said he was considering being a participant in a clinical study. This is one of the ways that he may be able to defray the cost of treatment.

He got off at the bus stop in front of the Dana Point Library, but not before loosely committing to an interview in the future. His treatment may take him out of state, but if we ever see each other in the future and time allowed, he would make for a great interview. He is an example of how possible it is to stay healthy while living out in the streets, his infection notwithstanding.

Laguna Beach is one of those great cities in my life. After that runaround that brought me to the Laguna Beach Police Department Station, there were hours before the Aliso Viejo bus. It was a picture perfect day which was very easy to partake for some fresh air.

HOMELESS MAN: “$5.00 FOR A BOTTLE.”

The benches overlooking the Pacific Ocean is a wonderful place to look out west into the expansive blue, to smell the ocean sprayed with salty mist. On occasion the scent of suntan lotion commingles with the breeze, giving that distinct beach summer feel. That coastal vibe was interrupted by a boisterous man trying to capture people’s attention. He was waving money in the air ,“five bucks for a bottle,” he kept repeating. He was trying to enlist the help of strangers to make a quick shopping trip.

In the early years of medicine, strong whiskey was all that was available to anaesthetize a patient. During the Civil War soldiers who were on the table for an amputation were given a swig of moonshine. Then, they were asked to bite into a round wooden stick as the surgical team, many of whom were there to hold him down, made away with the injured appendage using a saw.

This was the closest to a man self-numbing himself. He had recently injured himself in an auto accident. The result was that he broke both legs. Buying him alcohol was not anything that my courtesy will extend. However, my concern was piqued because of the swollen foot that he was exhibiting to passersby and tourists. My inquiry on whether he was homeless or not was shot down with a stern, “I don’t want to talk about it,” said in a dismissive way. This gave me my leave but not without saying, “I’m trying to tell the story of the homeless people around here.”

BOTH LEGS WERE BROKEN IN AN ACCIDENT.

A VIEW OF HIS INFECTED FOOT

The rest of what little time was left was spent taking pictures. On the way back to the bus station, he called out, finally allowing me to take a picture of him. He posed for a couple of snap shots. Then, he thanked me for telling the story of the homeless people.

HOMELESS MAN POWER NAPPING AT THE BUS STATION

At the Laguna Hills Transportation Center there was another homeless man occupying a bench. He had apparently spent the evening there using a blanket to cover himself from the weather and sounds of the terminal, the hustle and bustle of people on their way to their continuing negotiations with life. It’s the same with most homeless people only at a different pace and with much constraints. Sometimes it is imposed by society in the form of counterproductive laws and an indifferent government. Most of the time it is self-imposed by lifestyle choices that have consequences.