Now before I get nasty comments on this I would just like to say that at age 17 I was homeless for 10 months, 1.5 months after my 17th birthday all the way until about 1.5 months before my 18th birthday so I know what it's like being homeless. That being said here you go...
So I'm riding on the bike path last week and I stop at the Manor St. rest stop which has about 4 cement benches, 1 of them has like a bus stop roof so if it's raining you can sit in there out of the rain. 2 of them have no cover and those 3 are all in like a half circle (see my
bikecam video at the end). Then the 4th bench is separate from that little half circle, more like across the "street" hehe.
Anyway, so I'm riding the bike path last week (as I said lol) and I go to the stop and it's dark because the sun hasn't come up and I see this darkness over by one of the benches. So I don't go around the half circle and sit in the middle like I normally would, instead I just pull in on the other side and sit on the bench at the end. I look over and see a face staring at me. It's a homeless guy in a sleeping bag next to the bench but on the ground. I sat there for my 10-15 minute break and then leave.
Next day he's not there and then the next time I go there he isn't there but the sun has already come up and it was the day after Michael Jackson had passed away. So I go sit down on the bench and as I'm taking off my helmet I can see in my helmet mirror this guy all of a sudden standing like 15 feet away from me, staring at me. This kinda freaks me out because he wasn't there when I stopped and when I sat down, almost as if he teleported there lol.
He slowly creeps towards me and is now in front of me and I know that he's the guy sleeping in the sleeping bag over by the bench and I'm not quite sure I trust him. He has this scar on his neck from having his throat slashed. I'm not sure what that was all about but I'm going to give him the benefit of a doubt. He comes up to me and starts talking about Michael Jackson and I sat there talking to him about all the recent deaths and about how MJ is getting all the attention while Caradine, McMahon and Fawcett get no attention.
So anyway, after about 10-15 minutes I'm ready to go so I said well breaks over and start getting my gear back on, camelbak, gloves, skull cap, helmet, earbud's and I look in my helmet mirror and he's back where he was when I first spotted him. Standing 15 feet away from me, arms folded, staring at me.
The last 2 days (yesterday and today) I could see him in his sleeping bag, I'm leaving really early and so I get there before the sun even has a chance to come up. But I've decided I'm not going to take any chances. Instead of stopping there and sitting down I'm just gonna go through that tunnel and go about maybe 1/4 of a mile away and rest there. I'm having to rest standing up now which kinda bites but that's fine, I'd rather have to stand then worry about having my throat slashed.
Now, as I said above about being homeless, I know what it's like and not everyone should be judged based on their scars and I don't want to judge "the content of his character" as Martin Luther King Jr. would say but at the same time I really don't know this guy and I'm not taking any chances.
I can remember when I was about 4 or 5 years old and my mother used to make me Malt-O-Meal for breakfast. That was the best hot cereal ever. Yes I like Oatmeal but this is better. I don't care too much for cream of wheat though.
