The Killer in Front of Me
St Petersburg, FL 33701
United States of America
I was volunteering on behalf of a mental health recovery organization. (The name of the particular group is not important. Suffice to say, everyone who came to our table at the event had been diagnosed with a mental illness.)
I'll admit, I went to the event for the most mercenary of reasons. ("A morning's worth of work for something to add to the ol' resume. Nothing to it ... Right?")
What I saw at the event truly affected me.
Little things mean a lot to someone who's homeless (things most people take for granted - shoes, clean clothes, haircuts, a hot shower). Just outside our tent, I saw several neatly-arranged rows of donated tennis shoes (in adult and child sizes) on display. Nearby, there were people giving the homeless what had to have been (for them, at least) their first haircut in months (if not YEARS).
--
The highlight of the event (for me, at least) had to have been the homeless lady who came over to our table and admitted that she had killed someone!
What struck me was that she was so blase about it:
Her: "Hi, I was diagnosed (with a mental illness) in '88. I've been in and out of prison. I killed someone ..."
Me: "You killed someone?"
Her: "I killed someone!"
Me (filling out paperwork): "Okaaaaaaay ..."
What does a person SAY to that? How does a person respond to that? It's something akin to waking up one morning to find that a meteorite has crashed through your bathroom ceiling.
Given the crowd that was there that Saturday, she may well have ACTUALLY killed someone.
Murder Two? Manslaughter? I didn't pry.
--
I had fun. (The food was unbelievable! I had a multi-grain bagel with cream cheese and three bananas while I was there.)
The event was truly a moving experience. I am grateful for all the little things - a roof over my head, food in my stomach, clothes on my back, money in my bank account. Events like this really make a person think.
Published by Eileen Bachman
I'm a freelance journalist working here in sunny Florida. I offer news and views with an attitude! View profile
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1 Comments
Post a CommentYou hooked me and reeled me to this content with your title and overview...I knew it would be an interesting story. I expected a joke somehow, but it was actually a sobering story. I hope she was making it up for attention and never hurt anyone for real!