The speaker answered, “We are fully aware of the fact that some of you will not be able to kick the habit instantaneously. We have a solution for that. We will also have two vans ready and waiting to take anyone in that condition to the clinic, where we can help you. This is a chance of a lifetime and you are all so lucky to be in Portland and be given this chance! Are there any other questions?” She went on answering questions for another half hour. At the end of this time, she announced free backpacks stuffed with food goodies for everyone and wrapped it up.
The maintenance personnel started stacking chairs on the rolling platforms and sweeping the area. Wall street Jim stood up between his two friends, Harold and Tim and started yelling nonsense, “Hesson was right! Watch out! Soy green! Na good. Brneee!”
Tim said, “Come on Jim. It’s ok, let’s go back to camp. Where is L’il Bob?” Tim knew L’il Bob would distract Jim long enough to get him walking back to camp. L’il Bob was a beanie squirrel toy that went everywhere with Jim.
Jim said, “L’il Bob, they won’t listen. I tole them. You got nuts in your backpack? Sokay, I’ll make sure you get them!” and he started laughing like a madman, while he held the toy against his face, comfortingly.
Harold took Jim’s arm and guided him shakily back to their camp. Laurence, the wrestler walked off with his backpack, thinking how great it was that something that made sense was finally happening and how happy he was that it was happening here. Gloria and Ted, neighbors of Sue, talked as they walked back to their broken down motorhome. Gloria said, “See, it was fortuitous that we moved here to get out of the cold! We are the first in the nation to get this opportunity! I’m so glad we went here instead of Los Angeles!” Ted just listened. He was thinking about going to the laundromat after walking home.
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Laurence went home by a different route than he had come. It took him past a multitude of tents, stripped bicycles and cars, shopping buggies laden with people’s personal belongings and something caught his eye. There was a lady sitting on the ground, which was not out of the usual, but her eyes! Laurence thought she had the eyes of a tiger! It instantly caught his attention and caused the song to run through his mind! He went up to her and introduced himself. She said her name was Brenda. He realized her eyes looked like a tiger’s because of her jaundiced condition and because of the way the sun shone on them., making her eyes squint. He continued on to his tent and arrived shortly.
Danny had gone to the meeting, as well to see what the flyers he put up were all about. A couple of large trucks carrying bulldozers passed him. His curiosity was aroused and he followed them. There was a homeless camp area cordoned off by police tape and people frantically gathering what they could of their personal belongings with the police shooing them out of the area as best they could. Two large roll off dumpsters had been placed, one at either end of the block. There was also an excavator with a large claw headed toward the area .The homeless people were being forced to leave and some were protesting that they had not had enough warning.
One man spit on a policeman before running off. Another man, named Bruce stood just on the other side of the tape, watching the large claw take a huge bite out of his lean- to house made of pallets. “It weren’t much but it was all I had,” he lamented as the claw deposited his house into the dumpster. Hanging on one of the prongs of the claw was a cord with a generator dangling precariously from it until it found its place in the dumpster. too. Tears were rolling down Bruce’s cheeks. ”Forgive them Lord, They don’t know what they are doing. They are just following orders,” he sobbed out.