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The Homeless man
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I was working out at Bally's today with mechanical weights then took a quick shower before taking a few laps on the pool then the hot tub and steam room. While soaking in the hot tub I took to talking with this guy.
He's basically telling me about how he's been divorced for the past 3 years and has 2 kids he pays child support and never misses a payment. I give this dude props because he seems well balanced like he's got his shit together. He tells me he's like a supervisor at a plastic injection factory. I used to work at such a place so I was relating to him. 15 minutes into our chit chat he reveals to me how he's been living in his minivan for the past 2 years. I'm thinking to myself "no way he's full of shit" but I continued to listen to how he lived. He uses his wife's address for any time he's asked where he lives. He goes to Bally's and pays the dues every month. Hot water showers bring your own toiletries and change of clothes in his duffle bag. Sink,bathroom and the pool/hot tub/sauna/steam room on top of stuff to keep your sanity in the weight room. Then he goes to the laundromat to wash his clothes. He pays for a PO box for his mail. Knows every fast food place with a dollar menu and uses their bathromms as well. He parks close to where he works to save gas and beats the traffic every day. Never late for work he tells me.
He'll usually park at the 24 hour Wal Mart. Sometimes at the 24 hour McDonalds. For entertainment he goes to wifi bars for free internet at the McDonalds. Sometimes he'll watch the TV while sipping his Starbucks when he wants to treat himself.
Bally's open at 5 in the morning. He gets his workout then shit shower shave then is energized before going to work. He tells me no one suspects a fucking thing.
I'm still not believing him until I walked out the door with him and he actually shows me his minivan. It was an ex Mail van so no windows or back seats. A cargo van. He had a twin bed in there and a 12 volt light and a heater. He even had a fridge and a hook up for his lap top and had a DVD movie from a Redbox Kiox at McDonalds. He shows me his deep cycle battery stowed behind the passenger seat with a metal battery box. Holes that go thru the floor for ventalation he really has this all figured out. There's a drape behind the front seats so no one can see in. The Deep cycle battery is a second battery that keeps charged with a high output alternator. When the van is running the alternator charges up both batteries. When the van is resting he switches his main battery away from the deep cycle so he can't drain his starter battery.
He did not look homeless at all. In fact he looked rather comfortable in his apperarance.
He pays a good half of his paycheck to his ex wife and kids thru alimony and child support,usually more he tells me. The rest and get this. He can actually keep money in his bank because he's not paying his own rent and utilities. I mean shit. With rent averaging a thousand a month for a studio I tell him you would think everyone is doing this.
He tells me "you don't even know,friend. You don't even know."
There's a new kind of homeless out there.
Maybe it's not so new.
Just more.
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