羅傑·迪安·凱澤/Roger Dean Kiser
When the school bell rang, I headed out the back door and down Spring Park Road.It was not easy for a ten-year-old, runaway boy to walk the streets of Jacksonville, Florida.I traveled for what seemed to be miles before I crossed over the Main Street Bridge.I walked, as fast as I could, through the downtown area hunting for something to eat.
I made my way down to Bay Street and stopped and stood in the doorway of the bus station.I watched as the dirty looking bums drank from their brown paper bags and argued with one another.
“Sonny! Can you go into that store across the street and cash in these here glass bottles for me? I’ll buy you a candy,”said the old woman.
“Sure.I can do that for you for nothing,”I told her.
I loaded the bottles into the store a few at a time.Her large wooden type wagon cart was filled to the top with all varieties of soda bottles.
I cashed in the bottles and I walked back out of the store to give her the money.
“Can you count the money out for me, Sonny?”she asked me.
“Can’t you count?”I questioned.
“It’s not that, Sonny.I just can’t see very well,”she told me.
As I stood there counting out the money in her hand, two large boys walked up and began pulling on her coattail.One of the boys was trying to grab the money from our hands while the other boy pulled her backwards.I immediately closed my hands and I fell to the ground trying to catch the coins which had fallen.
“OUCH!”I yelled out as one of the boys stomped on my hand, pinning it to the ground.
“Boy, you sure stink lady,”said one of the boys.
“You boys go on now.Leave us alone!”she yelled out at the two.
“Shut up you retarded old bag!”yelled the young man as he started across the street with his friend.
I got back down on my knees and I picked up what money had been left on the ground.Again, I recounted the money and I placed it in her hands.