Anthony "Tony"

After settling into my new digs, I had to catch the subway to go to the shelter, but had to do it at a different station. I caught the C train at W 163rd Street. Spanish Harlem. That would bring me into lower Manhattan, just like the others. So I hopped on, and of course got craving my latte’ from D & D. I figured if I have to sit here for the 40 minute ride, I might as well have a hot latte’ to enjoy the ride. I knew that I could stop off at W 145th Street. There’s a D & D there. Of course I immediately thought of Cookie. I wondered how she was. I haven’t seen her since that day. I knew that the probability of me seeing her there was low, because it was 11:30 a.m. When I met her it was 9:30 in the morning. So anyway, I hopped off the train headed to D & D. I went to get the door, and a man was standing there. His hair was greasy and he was unkempt. He had bruises where it looked like someone had beaten him up. He had a cane in his other hand. He was dirty and probably smelly too (I don’t have good smelling sense.) I walked just inside the door and said, “Can I buy you a cup of coffee?” “The only condition is that you come in with me to get it. He did. I asked my questions. I think I’ve developed a list of them. What’s your name? Are you living on the street? How long have you been living on the street? “My name is Anthony, but you can call me Tony.” “My mother’s the only one that calls me Anthony.” “I lost my job, and everything.” “Now I’m on the street.” I gave him my name. We ordered, me my latte’, he his coffee. I looked out the corner of my eye, and he was eying the sandwiches. I said, “Do you want a sandwich?” “How long has it been since you ate?” He didn’t know. He couldn’t tell me. I told him about the shelter on Lafayette Street. I said you can get a hot meal every night. He looked at me, and then I looked at his cane, and it dawned on me that he could not get around that easily. He said “Lafayette is a whole other world.” I gave him all the change I had in my pocket, enough to pay the subway down and back. I explained how to get there. Anthony thanked me over and over again throughout our exchange. I told him that I would have my church praying for him. I said, I will be praying for you.” He shook my hand, and took and held it to his forehead, and then kissed it and looked me in the eye and repeated “Thank you so much. You have made my day.” I took my latte’ back to the subway station to get back on the train, and cried. I thanked God for the opportunity, and blubbered my way, all the way to the shelter.