The Homeless Mother

Putting myself into the mind of a person living on the edge.

 “That’s all you got! ‘snort’ There’s just $9.35 here!  You’re gonna be hungry.”

 

“Sorry mom.”

“And where’s Faith?  Jack I told you to take her with you and you’d get more.”

“She had to stay after school” he lied. “And there wasn’t much traffic on that corner.  Did you get the job at Wendy’s?”  

“No they’re not hiring right now.” she lied.  “Well I’m going to go see what I can get.  You stay in the van and watch Molly and Emma.  I got some colors from Denny’s for them.”

“OK, mom.”

He opened the door and slid into his seat.  Molly and Emma were singing nonsense words loudly in the back seat and went quiet when Jack got in.  “Where’s Mommie going?” asked 4 year old Emma.

“To the store to get some food.” He lied.

“We want to go to the playground.” said Molly.

“Sure” said Jack “but wait a few minutes till mom is gone.” He gathered his homework backpack and his headphones for his cassette player.  He slid it into an inner pocket so no one could see it wasn’t an MP3 player and let the girls out to run on ahead.

He pulled the $5 out of his pocket he’d copped from begging on the corner.  He didn’t want his mom to have enough to score.  He knew she’d be out trying.  

He stopped at the Walgreens Drug and bought peanuts and candy bars for the girls and a bag of Cheetos for himself.  He stuck it all in his backpack.  He saw Faith coming down the street with a boy and wondered what scam she was pulling.  They climbed into the van and he walked on. He’d share with the girls when they were ready. 

The girls were climbing into the little playhouse on stilts.  Molly was in charge as usual.  He sat on the bench and pulled out his reading assignment. 

_________________________

She’d been putting on makeup when Jack came back and hoped she looked better than she felt.  Maybe she could find a John.  $9!  The little b*****d.  Didn’t he know what things cost?  I wonder if he’s cheating me.  She spotted Mike.

“Hey big boy.  What’s going on?”

“Nothing much” he lied. His wife wasn’t that sick.  he could get her medicine later.  Sarah looked real good tonight.  “Let’s catch the Moonlight Inn, I’m buying”.

“Sure Mike.  I hoped I run into you”  she lied.

They sat in a booth with beers and popcorn.  She loved this place because they always popped popcorn early in the afternoon and that was her supper many nights.  Even if she had to listen to boring stories about Mike’s day driving the city bus.

Mike began to feel used after the 3rd beer.  “I’ve got to get on home Sarah. We’ll have to do this again soon.” It was partly the truth.

They kissed at the door and she swayed on down the street.  She knew she wasn’t walking toward the store, but she deserved more from life.  Those damn kids took all her energy.  They can take care of themselves.

One block from John’s apartment and she didn’t have enough money.  S**t.  A man parked and got out of his car at the Quick Trip across the street.  She’d think of something.

When he came back out she approached.  “Please help me, my car is broken down and I got no money for gas.  My kids are waiting and I just need to get them home.  Can you spare ten bucks?”  It was partly true.  

He looked disgusted and put upon.  She didn’t care.  She almost mustered a tear.  “Here’s five bucks.” and he slammed his car door. 

Selfish b*****d!  She had to try again.  A young man with a pony tail got out of a pickup truck and went in.  She stayed by a pole so the cashier might not see her.  He came out and she hurried over with the same line.  He looked conflicted. Hope shot through her. Now she really pulled a tear. 

He didn’t say a word, just pulled out a fat wallet, thumbed through some bills and handed her ten bucks.  He looked like he believed her.  She still had the touch!

Warmth ran through her as he pulled away.  She had enough for a hit and some left.  She hurried across the street knowing the next three hours were going to be good, the kids forgotten.

Reviews

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I like the way several lines of dialogue in the first half of the story are lies and then in the second half, they shift to half-truths� a rather interesting progression. It illustrates a move towards honesty that is never complete, showing that these characters aren't actually capable of being honest. But they can get close.
This line: "They can take care of themselves." I read it incorrectly the first time� I read it as the mother complaining that they CAN'T take care of themselves� in a sarcastic voice, as if they should be able to. Either way, this line carries a lot of weight. It shows that the mother expects them to take care of themselves, when in reality, they need a mother to help them� shows how even some kids that have a parent around are still totally abandoned by him/her. Or, as you say in the last sentence, forgotten.

Good stuff.

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Oh my Lord!!! You have captured the plight of the homeless mother, but even more so the misery of her poor kids! There are a lot of liars in this piece, which would be accurate. You have a very good feel for the human emotion and trauma Ed, it is obvious in this exellent piece. Your use of dialogue is exceptional, many find this difficult to do, but yours flowed like a river...nicely done my friend, chalk it up for full marks from me.
Helen :-)

[Constance]

Ok, first I'm going to say something you aren't going to like.
There is a stereotypical image that people give to the homeless, and often it is not fairly deserved. That image makes it more difficult for honest, hardworking families and single people down on their luck to rise back up out of the rubble. With writing like this, that stereotype is perpetuated. Be homeless through no fault of your own for a short time, meet some of the other homeless folks and hear their stories... maybe then you can write a better article about a homeless mother. It should have been titled Crack Hoe Momma. That would have been more accurate.
Now, I'll say something nice, because you did a good job trying to see through the eyes of a class of people you know little about. Yes, I have met many women like this- though few were homeless. There are a few in any trailer park in America, unless it's one of those neat seniors-only trailer parks. Your portrayal is lucid, and just has to be true for someone, somewhere- many someones somewheres. Your dialogue was to the point, and the way that the children interacted in the first scene created a good mood, to have one let down sorely by the mother, right away. Overall, your writing is good.
Perhaps more study is needed on your subject first, next time though. If you type Homeless Stories into your browser, there is a site where you can actually hear their accounts of how they became homeless, and what it is like, in their own voices and words.The stereotyping of transient persons needs to be remedied. I'm a mother who used to be homeless, though before I became a mother. We all live paycheck to paycheck, and you are deceiving yourself, unless you are extremely wealthy, if you think it cannot happen to you, too.
Respectfully,
C

[Barbara Walker]

This is sad to read ,because it's true. Although SOME of the mother's I've known like this, care a little more for their children, they still let the addiction get in the way of taking care of them properly. Barbara

[TL Boehm]

wow. Definitely on the edge - painfully real - it makes me want to go hug my kids. You are a master story teller....

[E. M. Murren]

It is a difficult story to tell. I think you did rather well. It is hard to get into the head of an addict... I have known a few. I think you described the behaviors quite well. Everything in context. Fine work.

[justjenn_2u]

This poem hit me hard. I have seen the face of drug addiction, a painful journey that I didn't have to take. Words like these, may help the next person think twice. This story is easy to understand and has a clear concise message. Well written!

[Stephanie McCants]

I think you did very well with this. Trying to see life from a perspective you yourself may never think of taking is a difficult thing to do.