I entered the Greyhound bus station to get out of the bitter cold. I was shivering and very hungry. I had no money and nowhere to go. For a 19 year old lad, I was in a sorry state.
I took a seat at the end of a row in the passenger waiting area. I began rubbing my hands and arms in an attempt to get warm. As I sat there, someone took the seat next to me. I did not look up, but wondered, with all the available seats why someone would take a seat right next to me.
I kept rubbing gaining a little warmth in my freezing bones.
Then I heard a voice say, "Young man are you okay?"
I looked up and saw sitting next to me a very distinguished looking man, and responded, "Yes sir."
"I don't want to intrude, but you seem to be in some stress," he said.
Without thinking I poured out, "I'm cold and hungry, and came in here to try and get warm."
"It is nice and warm in here, but if your hungry there is a diner right down the street, and I can buy you something to eat there, if you like," he said.
Unable to believe my luck, as I had nothing to eat for two days, I replied, "Oh thank you sir, you cannot believe how hungry I am."
" Come with me then," he said.
He rose and started for the door and I followed like a long lost puppy dog.
It had been almost a year since I had left home to get away from a very abusive father whose ambition seemed to be to beat me when he was drunk. My mother had preceded me a year earlier and I had no idea where she had gone.
I had hitch hiked across our state to a major city, and found some odd jobs staying at the YMCA, when I had money for a room. Often it was a decision to eat or have a room. Lately the odd jobs were far and few between, and I found myself homeless and hungry.
I followed the older man to the diner and he held the door to allow me to enter.
"There is a empty booth down at the end," he said.
I proceeded to the empty booth and sat down, and he followed suit and sat across from me.
"My name is Roger, and what is yours," he asked?
I responded saying, "Tommy."
