Tales of the Hood - Episode IV

I was in the middle of baking some pumpkin dessert yesterday and decided to sit down in the lazy boy and relax for a minute. I can see the front walk from the lazy boy. I wasn't paying a whole lot of attention to what was out there, but there was someone on the front walk. 15 minutes went by and someone was still out by the tree. The next time I looked the guy across the street (Pipsqueak's owner) had come over to talk to the person. I watched for a bit and realized it was someone working on a baby stroller. The thing that was odd about the stroller was that it was not carrying a baby but a suitcase. I asked God if he wanted me to go talk to the person and I did not hear an answer..... The neighbor had given the person a roll of duct tape. I still could not tell if it was a guy or a gal.
So I sat there some more and watched. They were putting duct tape on the stroller wheel and then tried to push it up the sidewalk. Well, of course the duct tape is not going to hold a wheel. Does this person not realize this? I was thinking maybe the person was kind of retarded or slow. We do have a "slow" gal up the street. By this time, the person had come out from behind the stroller and our tree. It was a young blonde gal. She had a double baby stroller and about 3 bags, a pillow and a teddy bear. Still didn't know if I should go talk to this person. It's the hood man.
Finally I decided to see if I could help. She was not making much progress getting anywhere and she had to have been there at least a 1/2 hour.

me: "Hi. Is there anything I can help you with?"

girl: "I'm trying to fix this wheel."

me: "It's pretty well broke and I don't think duct tape is going to hold it on when the wheel turns... it's going to break."

girl: "Yeah, I guess."

me: "Where do you live?"

girl: "Nowhere now. I just got kicked out. My girlfriend I was staying with kicked me out of the house. She knows I don't have anywhere to go. I'm pregnant too, but she doesn't believe me. But that's ok. I know and my boyfriend knows."

me: "So where are you going to stay?"

girl: "I'm trying to get over to my mother-in-law's house to see if she will let me stay there. She lives over by the Quicktrip on SE 14th and E 6th."

me: "That's quite a ways to walk with a broken stroller."

girl: "Yeah, I know. I don't know what I'm going to do now."

me: "I've got an old stroller but I'm not sure if all of your stuff will fit on it."

girl: "We won't know unless we try it."

I go in the house to get the stroller. She started to follow me in the house and when I realized it, I turned around and shut the door and told her I would be back in a minute. The thing about the girl is - you can tell she had been doing meth. Her face was all marked up and her teeth were chipped. Her eyes were bright but she had that bugged out look. She had to have been maybe 21 or so, but she looked so old. She wasn't thinking straight at all - just obsessed with getting the stroller figured out.
Edgey and I were just talking about this with the Ayers on Sunday. Edgey was telling a story about hauling a guy in his car somewhere that was doing meth and he obsessed about picking the fuzz off of this blanket in the car. He had the whole blanket picked clean in about an hour and 1/2 and when Edgey threw the fuzz ball out the window, the guy totally freaked on him. This little chick was obsessed with the stroller.
The stroller I had was one I used with all my kids. It's one of those giant wheel Navigators. I figured the wheels would hold up under the weight and I am definitely not using it any more. I don't know why I hadn't gotten rid of it yet. I guess cause it was down in the dungeon and that is not my domain.
I took the stroller out there and showed her how to set it up and brushed off the dead spiders, etc... She started loading her stuff on. The suitcase wouldn't stay balanced though. By that time Ethan had come outside poking his nose around. I yelled at him to get in the house and get some shoes on.... Duh. Then when he came out again I had him go hunting for some bungee cord in the dungeon. He knows better than I do what's in the dungeon since he helps his dad out a lot.
This girl was totally trying to make the suitcase balance on there the entire time. Obsessed.
My brain is thinking.... Ok she has to walk all the way across town to get to this place with this little stroller carrying all this weight when all I have to do is load it up in the van and drive her there in 10 minutes. This girl is totally wasted and doesn't even really know what she is doing.
Is there really a place across town?
Ethan came back with the bungee cord. I strapped everything down and man, she was off like a flash of lightning.... off on her mission. Left the dead stroller sitting on my sidewalk. I pushed it to the curb hoping someone is going to take it. The neighbor kids are looking at me like I am nuts. I am standing there on the sidewalk thinking.....
Ok I did not even talk to this girl about Jesus. I had an opportunity here and I didn't even say anything. I ministered to her need, but how is she going to know it had ANYthing to do with Jesus. So I beat myself on the head a few times.

This morning, the stroller is still out on the curb. I don't know what I am going to do with it. It is nice and sturdy except the one wheel. I may have Edgey take it to his work dumpster... otherwise, I am going to have to pay money to have it removed.
I made the kids pancakes this a.m. We were supposed to go to IHOP for the shrove tuesday special (free pancakes) but the person we made plans with was sick. She thinks her husband poisoned her or something.... just kidding. I had already gotten all the kids out of bed early and got them all excited for pancakes.... so I just made them at home. Elizabeth said mine are the best anyway and she was glad we stayed home. LOL She just doesn't know any better... but that's ok.
School got done real early today.... they are all playing with starwars stuff. I am going to the video store to get that Ice Age movie. It is so funny.... we were talking about the Ice Age in history today. That will get us into some more discussion later without them realizing its actually school. Psyche.


A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking.