Volume 2
Published by Kayla M Sullivan Donaldson
2 a.m. Last post of the night- Peace, Love & Hygiene vol. 2: Tonight was full of wonder and hidden beauty. At our first stop we saw Steve again! He was so happy to see us. He was excited to report that he was out of a vacant, and living in the loft of a gentleman he met who was having difficulties with his yard work and other physical chores. He was so excited and proud to live there. He told us more stories of how he went to Israel with his family when he was 13. They went to Tel Aviv, and he said he got to float in the Dead Sea. He told us that you couldn’t sink. You would just float because it was so salty. We gave him a thick blue fleece blanket for a housewarming gift (even though he doesn’t have a mattress yet), along with another small thin blanket that he could use for a curtain, and a refill survival bag. We gave him our well wishes, and told him we would see him next week. One lady was so excited and grateful for the coat, boots, etc. I thought she might cry. She was so beautiful, her smile, the warm light behind her eyes. I had to ask if I could take her picture. She literally danced with joy down the alleyway, singing about how happy she was. Another gentleman suggested that we go the the different Detroit news stations (he described where each one was, and what the building would look like) so that we could get more people aware of what we’re doing, to help us out. He asked us if we had an extra purse he might take back to his wife. Of course, we did. We met another pair who were so sweet and the girl was over the moon about what a nice warm coat she had. The young man who was with her asked about pants. He’s a size 30×30 but he will wear a 32×30. When I asked his name he looked down shyly and said, “Alexis”. Another stop, we found the lady who was in the snow without a coat and shoes the week before, and we gave her a winter arsenal. I also met a beautiful young lady there too. I wish now I would have remembered to take her picture. She had the most beautiful long, flaxen hair. We talked for a bit and she told me and Traci about how amazing our purses were. Everything in there was something that was so helpful. Traci asked her what was most useful, she said it was the wipes. She uses them to clean everything, even her body when necessary. They were a great asset. And the hairbrush! Thank you for a blessed hair brush! I told her I tried to put in whatever I would have wanted to have on me when I was homeless. I liked to be clean. I wasn’t ashamed to frequent a local cafe’s restroom to clean up in if I didn’t leave a mess. She said, “Oh I know, girl! I’m a regular at the KFC’s! I can still have some self-respect.” I love her. I noticed that after I told someone I lived on the street once, too, their body seemed to relax. You could see their posture changed once they realized they was talking to someone who was a sister, not an outsider. Most the people there all seemed to come from one house that has lights on but its always cold. There were a lot of dudes out tonight. Not sure why. We passed out a bunch of the everything. We loved on everyone we could. At one point I was filled with wonder, because I had no idea where that Dr. Pepper was going to go now that my body was done with it. The beauty is, I am not afraid to go down a dark alley (with Traci) find a tree, and pee behind it while a very large dog barked ferociously six-inches from my relieving face. We drove down a lot of alleys. I love alleys. Sometimes we would stop and just help one or two people then roll on. Sometimes we would stay somewhere for at least an hour serving people. At our last stop, the caravan had just pulled up, and everyone was still inside their vehicles. I noticed that the house on the corner was cute, but the house next to it was burned down. Half of a house, with a large board in front of it. Urban decay in action. I took a picture. Posted it, and titled it “Detroit”. Then, I saw a couple walking across the street. The girl was wrapped in a blanket. I pointed them out to Traci, who popped out of the side of the truck like a damn daisy, and yelled, “Hey, we have warm stuff. Do you want a coat for her?” The young man walking beside her looked up and said, “Yes! We need you!” We redressed them up warm and snug. We gave them purses. They gave us the most beautiful, warm, genuine smiles, and heartfelt appreciation for such a useful gift. They were just so cute a couple. The love oozes between them. I had to take a picture. After I got back in my truck, I noticed that they went behind a board leaning against the house, and it looked as if they were walking down into a basement. It was the burned down house I JUST took a picture of. A few minutes later, Stan told us it was a wrap for the night. It was midnight. Traci saw one more young couple by the medic van. We gave them some necessaries to keep warm and survive. Absolutely adorable. Then to our surprise, they walked into the same burned down house as the other couple. Traci and I wondered if we could have knocked on their board and hung out with them, what their little bungalow would look like. We immediately decided we were probably better off not knowing. We went through nearly all the purses we had with us, and all of the blankets. I told our friends on the street I would be back next week with warm clothes, and it was like I told them I was planning their birthday party. There were many more people whose names I will remember for next week. Next Tuesday, Traci and I will be out there again. Next Wednesday morning I will have more stories. I wonder what new thing might happen for Steve?
