GOD AND THE DEVIL—TOUGH GIG

      I have never seen so much diversity of duties in that kitchen! …and it had nothing to do with food prep.
       Hadn't been there but 5 minutes when our beloved gatekeeper brought an hysterical woman (Pretty Woman) to the dining room where he could sit with her. Five minutes later he came into the kitchen and asked me to see if my womanliness might do her more good. Besides, he had the gate to keep. So I went to sit with her. She was desperate to cry all over me and didn't hesitate to begin the long saga of how she came to be there. "I never thought that getting this low could happen to me. I'm a professional and I've always had a lot of money..." I won't tell you her profession, but it's certainly comparable to school principal or head social worker. She's just lost her way profoundly! Her story took an hour to tell—leaving out many details just to give me an understanding of the main theme.
       She's been going to lots of churches while homeless, and many people (even pastors!) have told her that a certain person in her past "put a curse on her." You know, it's hard to play to a crowd that's already been had by many pastors, but I told her that curses are balderdash! I said that if a mean person said bad things about her and if she embraced those as true—shame on her. I told her to not let other people define her—and here and there she'd get a look of understanding. Sadly, we had to conclude our session so I could help Joey feed the masses… and that sweet woman is back in the hands of those who would have her believing that the Devil and curses are calling the shots with her life.
       Joey and I served pizza, fruit, and fries. Angry Child got a little pudding and a piece of string cheese from me. He said "thank you" without prompting. ALL of the other little boys are gone because their mother drank alcohol—four well-behaved, precious little boys and a mother who always showed me that she was a strong woman. I can't tell you how much I hate that she lost her family's opportunities for want of a drink—mostly because what does that say about me? I have wine every day…
       We have a new baby—just the cutest little baby you ever saw, and reaching out to me eagerly. I SO wanted to hold him, but I had to stay with my duties, and there were 48 sandwiches to make between serving lunches. Oh, and while I was mashing some peaches for the baby, Angry Child's "all about me" mother was calling to me over the counter, "Miss? Miss? Can I have some Half 'n Half and some sugar?" I had to tell her she'd need to wait. Who taught that woman that she is always the only person in the room?
       The pre-release group was modest, maybe 8 or 10 guys. They were reserved today, but polite. I think I'm beginning to see signs of another one that I might adopt—no rush.
       Our Angel is still there and still crisply dressed. The homeless crowd filled the dining room; winter is surely setting in. Pretty Woman came through the line and gave me a smile. "I'm feeling better," she said.
       "And you look better. There's no place to go but UP."
       Joey had been privy to the whole scene earlier, and we'd talked about the situation some. I asked him if he thought One might be a good counselor for Pretty Woman, and he said no! Then I said I guessed Mr. Huggy wouldn't be a good choice because of his work experience (not even close to social work). To my great surprise, Joey said Mr. Huggy would be perfect—because he used to LIVE there! I didn't KNOW that! But he did! He hit bottom, went to live there, and rose FAR above his troubles; today he's probably one of the BEST resources we could possibly find for Pretty…maybe.
       Somewhere during the mad dash of serving the crowd of homeless, Joey mentioned that he didn't know sign language, and somebody needed something… and I thought he was just joking about some person who was perhaps jesturing. No. There was a handsome fellow standing at the counter—deaf, deaf, deaf—who wanted lunch… and I could talk to him. It was like… well, like getting a surprise gift—for both of us. There he stood, in his silence, and there I stood with my clumsy but comprehensible hands. And he smiled. He said "thank you" so many times, and he didn't hesitate to tell me I was doing it wrong! But it was all about having an exchange—so I explained that in my sign language class, long ago, we were taught "signing exact English." He appreciated knowing that, but I'm still doing it wrong :)
       And there is a very young man there who knows the sign language alphabet. So our deaf one isn't totally alone.
       Three hours into my SHIFT (by God, today it was a shift!), I packed my things to leave. Mr. Huggy had just finished spending some private time with Pretty Woman in the dining room. (See? Providence knew they needed to meet.) He came to the kitchen to give me a hug. I told him how thankful I was that he was there for Pretty, and he said (Oh, God put your arm around my shoulder and your hand across my mouth!)… "It's just the Devil. God can fix all things. She'll make it."
       I'm okay until that Devil thing comes into play… and, of course, curses. And I have some doubts about Pretty. She has the background to rise above these troubles, but how she fell into them tells me that she may not have the "I'm worth it" that saves mosts folks.
       Tough gig.