My cell phone is worth $20 and two hamburgers.

In the urban economy, that is. After spending an hour roaming the same four blocks of Santa Monica where I was sure it'd fallen out of my pocket, I called my number to check my messages and Charles the homeless guy answered. We made a deal, he told me his location, and like that I was out the door.

I didn't even know there was a soup kitchen at the corner of Romaine and La Brea, but there is one -- kitty corner to the Target/Best Buy commercialism megaplex. Charles told me he was wearing a white baseball cap, and even in the two-block long line of people waiting for food, he proved to be easy to find. I shook his hand, warm, rough, and dry. We stepped away from the crowd to conduct our business.

I was trying to express how grateful I was that he'd found my phone and that I was able to find him, especially since I'm still trying to recuperate from this unemployed spell of the past few months and buying a new phone right now would really suck. "At least you have friends and family to call," Charles pointed out. "And a place where you can have a warm meal at night."

And so when I bought him some Carl's Jr, I threw in some fries. It wasn't part of the deal, but 'tis the season.

This isn't some Hallmark movie. Charles the homeless guy didn't teach me to appreciate my life. I'm already damn thankful for it. But now I know where there's a soup kitchen in my neighborhood. After the new year, I'll go see what they need.

Happy holidays, everyone.

Labels: in which our heroine

posted by Liz  # 7:59 PM

Comments:
If your life was a movie I would scream BULLSHIT on this story. Sense your life isn't a movie (yet) I scream AWESOME!
# posted by  Xine : December 25, 2007 9:03:00 PM PST 

Certainly this event did nothing to change my belief that I have D.B. Sweeney luck.
# posted by  Liz : December 26, 2007 2:42:00 PM PST 

well, what is going to make you appreciate your life, Liz? Jesus.
# posted by  Anonymous : December 28, 2007 10:01:00 PM PST 

The answer is yes, Anonymous. Jesus Christ will be the one to do it. :)
# posted by  Liz : December 29, 2007 7:33:00 PM PST 

Could've been dangerous, Liz.
# posted by  Anonymous : December 29, 2007 9:15:00 PM PST 

You didn't know that soup kitchen? I guess you've never been caught in the traffic they create exactly when I was my way home from work most days.
# posted by  catsociald : January 2, 2008 12:14:00 PM PST 

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