I think his last name is Shepherd or Shephard from the quick look I got of his MATA bus pass. I met Wille today in the rain as he was walking down Park Ave.
I had made a trip to Superlo for a few groceries to finish out my portion of Easter dinner for tomorrow. I had decided that once I left, I was going to Holy Rosary for confession. No delays. No excuses. No chickening out I told myself. I don't know why I get so freaked out about going to confession when I know I'm going to feel good when I leave. I was determined this time I was going to go.
After turning from Colonial to Park, I saw a blind man walking east in front of the school. He swept his white cane in front of him as he steadily and carefully made his way down the sidewalk. I turned into the driveway and parked close to church. I fiddled around, scrolled through and deleted some emails on my phone and double checked to make sure it was on silent. I got out of the van at the same time the blind man was crossing the driveway. As I closed the door he paused and called out. I'm not sure what he said, but after a second or two he started walking again. Watching him in the rain I knew I had a decision to make. It would not change the course of history, but I knew that here was a chance to show God the person I want to be. I said a quick prayer along the line of, "surely, You wouldn't put me here if you didn't have something in mind for me to do. Just keep me safe, Lord." I caught up to him (he was moving surprisingly fast) and I told him I heard him call out and asked if I could help him. He took off his dark glasses I could see the milky coudiness of his eyes. He told me that he had gone to a house on Kings Park to rake leaves for a lady that he did work for, but she didn't show up and he just needed some bus fare and to get to the bus stop in front of Firestone. He wanted to show me his i.d. as if he felt he need to prove the legitimacy of what he was saying. I asked him if I could take him to the bus stop or somewhere to get something to eat. He agreed and I led him to the van and buckled him into the front seat. I took time to really look at him. He appeared to be an older man, maybe in his 60's; his gray fleece jacket, ball cap and khaki pants were not new, but were clean. This was a man who took care of his appearance, a man just wanted to work and earn a few dollars to take care of himself. We drove to the Firestone a block away, me telling him where we were as if he didn't already know. He was not easy to understand, but he spoke about the different houses, churches and apartments where he'd done work in this neighborhood. It made me sad when he said he lived in Raleigh but would have to take the bus all the way downtown before transferring to a bus that would take him home. Basically, he would spend most of his day riding buses or waiting for buses to get to a job that wasn't even there for him today. He was appreciative and thanked me for the help and the 20 dollars I gave him. And I thanked him. I thanked him for letting me help him and I wished him a happy Easter.
I returned to church and made my confession. When I drove Park Ave. toward home, I saw Willie standing at the bus shelter waiting for that bus. I hope he didn't have to wait too long.
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