It has been some time now since my last post. But I want to follow up on the friendship that began with the nomadic character I was determined to connect with.
When winter break began, I went back to Cincinnati...
I remember passing Pup daily before & after work... always sharing a smile and a hello as I quickly walked by. I continusouly struggled with having the courage to ask him if he wanted to join me for coffee. Sometimes I would pass him and then stop and remind myself of what I felt in my heart, and then go back to him... only to awkwardly pass by again. One afternoon, while it was pouring rain and the wind was so strong it pushed you with each step, I felt that I should finally ask him. However, he wasn't in his normal spot. But I had saw him there only a couple hours before. So I took the skywalk around downtown looking for him. He wasn't anywhere to be found. So after an hour searching, I gave up and went home.
The following day, I passed Pup like usual... I stopped at a park bench and called my mom for advice. With her encouragement and a cry out to the big man above, I turned around and went back to him. Pup and I ended up having hot chocolate and coffee. Words cannot even describe my feelings about our simple coffeeshop discussions. Pup shared with me about his life. How he has 2 sons; one 12 and one 9. They live on the other side of the city with Pup's mother. He shared with me about how he has a lot of brothers and sisters and how they all have been diagnosed with being bipolar.
Pup lives in a tent with a couple other guys on 9th street somewhere... I guess the other night, one of his friends who lived there passed away because he had been sick due to the weather. A news station interviewed Pup at the scene.
He told me about a local artist named Samantha Brown... Apparently she painted a portrait of him and it can be viewed at the Pendleton Art Center on 12th street. One the last Friday of every month admission is free and Pup claims that he sits by his portrait to talk about it. -I need to go see this :D
Pup asked me if I was a model... He said that I had the "eyes of a model." I couldn't help but laugh at him. Such a small compliment from someone so simple... It's kind of funny how that is... It means a lot to me that Pup compliments me more than some attractive, superficial guy.
That night, I called a close friend to tell them about the conversation. He started laughing harshly and pointed out how "I am crazy" and that I am the only person he knows who turns down dates with professional athletes/attractive guys so that I can chill with the homeless. That most people would probably refer to me as "stuck up" because I am invited to a variety of pretentious events and I don't go. I'd rather "secretly help people."
-Now although, he over exaggerated a bit with his point, and he was meaning to be negatively sarcastic... I turned it around. I think this may have actually been the nicest thing he has ever said to me. Calling me crazy... only inspires me to have that "crazy love."
As the weeks went on I continued to take him hot chocolate. School is back in now and so I do not know what he is up to... I hope that he is okay... Part of me wants him to be there when I go back only because I don't want to lose contact.
I still have the flower he gave me and I think about him quite a bit... Pup was a reminder to me of how I want to live my life. I didn't only impact his life, he impacted mine. Before I went back to school, he told me that he may catch a train to florida where it's a bit warmer in the winter. Haha, wherever he is right now, I hope he's safe.
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