I was having such a great day yesterday. I had earned enough money Wednesday to renew my cell service (Verizon), got haircut and was told that Monday I'd be working again.
Yeah I was sore, but happy to be because I had done honest work. It was a good Friday, until I saw my friend Bob (real name has been changed).
We meet at the CROS Ministries soup kitchen here in Delray Beach (Caring Kitchen) about 2 months ago. Since then I've done ever I could to help him because he's 75 years old, needs a cane to walk and has medical issues. His legs keep getting infected because he doesn't have a place to live. His old truck is his only shelter and sleeping in a car at his age did not help his physical condition.
I've done my best to help him. I got him clothes, food, pay for gas when he had no money (sometimes giving him all my cash) and protected him in every way I could. We even went to his Quaker (Society of Friends) meeting many times together; I brought food every time to those meetings. He gained my trust and I shared some painful memories with him about the loss of my wife.
He tells people he currently has a business practice (Accountant) with important clients, which of course isn't true. Giving people false hope by promising he'd be able to help them was wrong, but I assumed he had some sort of Alzheimer's.
Bob would end up in the hospital every few weeks, and I'd visit him when I could, cheer him up and make him smile. He was stubborn and many times was disrespectful, but I'd let it go because the man is 75 years old and maybe mentally ill.
Over time I did figure out that at the first week of the month he'd get his Social Security check and instead of managing his money (he used to be an Accountant after all) to make it last the month, within a week or so he'd be out of money. He just can't go without drinking beer or going out spending money as if he was still practicing. Whenever I advised him to slow down on spending he'd get extremely verbally abusive.
Every few weeks he would claim he had a plan to open an office, or start an international company, that he'd be making millions soon traveling abroad.
I should have cut ties with him, but I couldn't. I thought he was my friend.
Last night, I found Bob at Starbucks. I'd been looking for him for the past few days, because I was worried about him. I'd always get him food and usually he'd be at the library where I could hand the food to him. He had not been there in days.
I asked him where he had been, and then he turned to me with a look as if I had insulted him. Bob then said we were no longer friends. I was shocked. Apparently two people badmouthed me. Within a few days he seemed to have forgotten all the things we've gone through together as friends.
The time when his car stalled (because we ran out of money to get gas) and me moving his big truck with another 3 homeless guys to park it in front of a bar he frequented. Hugging each other at the Delray Beach hurricane shelter when Hurricane Matthew was almost upon us. Finding him a safe place to sleep when he had no access to his truck. The many times I would walk to the soup kitchen to get him food. So many good times we had as friends.
All forgotten within a few days. Well, there is only so much I can do. I've reached my limit with him. I've accepted his decision, and hopefully later today he will return the clothes I had stored in his truck. If he doesn't, I can live with that. I do feel betrayed, but I won't let the end of our friendship prevent me from making new friends.
I truly wish Bob he best of luck. I'll be loooking for work again today through Craigslist, maybe I'll find something.
May you walk in the light of God.
Sincerely.
Luis
No comments:
Post a Comment