On June 26, after spending all day at Crystal's graduation party, Haleigh and I stayed the night at Crystal's house and had a few sparklers and decided to go sit out in Crystal's front yard. We started burning the sparkler boxes and sort of created a small fire. As we sat there, a man in a St. Louis Cardinals hat, carrying a plastic grocery bag, approached us and started talking about how he used to light anthills on fire as a kid. As morbid as it was, we all found it kind of funny. The man decided to "sit for a minute by the fire" and continued talking to us.
He told us that his name was Robert, that his 81-year-old mother was dying of a brain tumor, and that he was homeless. You could tell that he had had a few drinks, but I found what he said to still be credible. He talked of his mother with great passion and you could tell he loved her, as the sound of his voice was delicate when he spoke of her. He told us stories and joked around with us. He told us of his experimenting with marijuana, but stopped when he saw that it made us uncomfortable. He told us about his faith in God, him going to Belleville (how he rode his bike all the way there and back), and his fortune that he got out of a fortune cookie, which talked of his opportunities expanding in the future. He decided he wanted to play his lucky numbers, on the rear of the fortune, in the lottery.
Not once did he ask for money. Not once did he ask for food. Not once did he ask for a place to stay. Not once did he ask for anything.
All he did was thank us for the time that we spent with him. He said that the laughing we all did, the jokes we told, the time we spent, was enough to let him escape his sad life and be happy. He said that that meant more to him than anything.
He restored my faith in humanity because he made me realize that not all people are mean, not all people want something from you, and not all people are looking for a reward. He made me realize that you don't need a bunch of things to be happy, and that laughing and spending time with people is enough to make you happy. He made me feel like we were such a big help to him, when, in reality, all we were, were 3 teenagers burning things on the side of the street.
Although we only talked for about 45 minutes, Robert changed my outlook on things, and has bettered me. It's something I will never forget.
Thank you Robert, I wish only the best for you.
