ANGST

       Bonnie beat me to the shelter today. She had two trays of sandwiches in progress when I got there, and  Joey was hustling up a huge pot of soup (yes, again), and mopping floors. For lunch there would be soup and fried chicken-patty sandwiches. Bonnie got christened with deep-fryer use. She's completely dipped in this wonderful world I call my soup kitchen. (I hope she'll share with me when I get home.)
       Joey cooked two enormous turkeys for the evening meal. He asked me to debone them. Well, he asked me to slice them, but they just fell off the bone, so I separated the white meat from the dark, and we siphoned off the juices for a gravy he was planning. He also plans to serve stuffing, potato salad, and green beans. I had the honor of putting four gallons of green beans on the stove. "You can season them anyway you want to, Miss Joy." That child can delegate with the best of them.
       School is going well, still. He reported a 92 for the latest test, and he proudly showed me a book he is reading (a book I gave him). He decided to read it while he's riding the bus. Inspiration.
       I left shortly after noon, but it felt like I'd put in a day's work! We worked on PBJ sacks for the street folks; we made extra sandwiches for our lunch folks (those chicken patties were limited), I boiled eggs for Joey's potato salad, and there was the actual serving. Bonnie is the consummate server! She is front and center, "Take two slices of cheese! You need them!" It's hard to remember why I was so reticent with "my people" for so long, when I see Bonnie fly in there and care for them like they were her spawn. I need to make a note: she's doing it better than I did.
       My favorite fellow was down today. I don't know why. He had many upbeat things to report, such as a day trip out of town with relatives and getting his driver's license. He's making wonderful progress, but it IS slow, and I understand that it's not always easy to be upbeat. He mentioned his children that have been left behind because of his circumstances. "Prison takes a lot from you," he said solemnly.
       I could only encourage him to keep reading and writing, LIKE himself, and be patient. Patience is going to be his most difficult shtick. Happily, his extended family has come to lift him up, and he has plans for future ventures. If my travel plans stay on course, I'll see him for at least another month before he has finished this part of his journey. I hope he goes far while I am away. I'll write.
       Bonnie promises to email me news of the kitchen. I will post her reports here, but I'm thinking they'll be short and sweet. Who knows? Maybe she's a writer who's just never had good fodder.
       I'm already homesick. "I love you, Joey," I said, when I hugged him good-bye.
       Again he reminded me that it won't be that long—this is where I become the young one, and he becomes the parent. He's a keeper. Excuse me; I've got something in my eye.