Young In America | Barns Courtney

Hobo Rocket

"Get a job you disgusting fuck!" A man yelled at me. That was something I had kinda gotten use to over the past few years. His outburst was mild compared to other encounters that I've had. I've been beaten up, spit on, gotten things dumped or thrown on me, etc. I just sort of brushed off the man's comment without a second though. Today was a warm fall day, so I decided to try begging for change in one of the many parks. Hoping that people would be out and about enjoying the nice weather. I planned on hitting all of the nearby parks today. Then later I would hang around bars and clubs.

Especially since it's Friday night. That's usually how I often make a good bit of money. It's not much, but it's enough to buy something to eat. 'At least tonight I might not go to sleep hungry.' I thought hopefully. I sat down underneath a large oak tree and enjoyed the weather myself. The sky was bright blue and not a single cloud was in sight. The orange, red, and yellow leaves rustled in the light breeze that blew every now and then. I watched as people strolled by with friends, thier dogs, or just by themselves. A couple of people looked at me, but didn't stop. I was fortune enough that three people had given me some spare change they had.

After a few hours, the foot traffic started to die down a little. I was tempted to move on to the next park. "Excuse me, but I saw you a few minutes ago on my morning walk. I stopped by my favorite coffee shop and figured that you needed some breakfast." A woman said after she had walked up to me. She had vibrant green hair and amber eyes. She seemed to me that she might have been a few years older than me. "Oh, thank you so much. That's very kind of you." I said, taken by surprise. "There's no need to thank me, Miss. I ordered a sausage egg and cheese sandwich as well as a black coffee for you." She said as she handed me the food.

I thanked her once again before she left. Her kindness made me feel warm inside. It gave me a little hope, like maybe there are still good people in the world. I unwrapped the breakfast sandwich she had given me. The smell of it made my stomach growl and my mouth water. I took a bite and savored it. I couldn't remember the last time I had a breakfast sandwich. Then I took a sip of the hot coffee. It tasted delicious and it woke me up a bit more. I looked at the coffee shop's name on the cup. I memorized it so when I get out of my situation I can become a regular customer.

When I was finished I threw my trash in a nearby trashcan. Then I decided to walk to another park. My shoes were so old and beat up that I could feel the pavement underneath them. But it wasn't like I could buy a new pair. I just keep them so I don't have to walk in my socks or barefoot around the city. As the day was winding down I decided to head downtown. I wanted to take up my usual Friday night post outside of Lefty's Lounge. One of the more popular bars downtown. I sat down on the sidewalk with my back against the brick wall of the bar. My feet were hurting from all of the extra walking today, so I took my shoes off.

I sat them in my lap so no one passing by could steal them. I placed the bottoms of my feet directly on the sidewalk. The evening sun that had been shinning on it had warmed the concrete. It was almost like free hot stone therapy for your feet, but it wasn't too hot. Just warm enough to relax the muscles and tendons. I noticed that my big toe on my right foot was poking out of my sock. 'I must have worn a hole in my sock' I thought. I only hoped that they would hold up through the fall and winter. People were starting to flood into the bar as four o'clock rolled around.

The bright sunshine was getting lower in the sky. A few people have me spare change as they walked into the bar. Others did so as they were leaving. Most of the people who were at the bar now we're families. Later those who wanted alcohol would be showing up. That always made me nervous. You never knew what someone was capable of doing once they were drunk. But I have to take the risk to be able to collect money. No matter how little that amount may be. The sound of a motorcycle caught my attention. To me it sounded more like an electric motorcycle because it wasn't very loud.

I watched as a yellow colored motorcycle pulled up to the curb. It looked as if it was a samurai styled motorcycle. I remember one of my high school friends beging obsessed with those kinds of bikes. 'I bet he's in engineering school somewhere.' I though, wondering what he is up to. There were several stickers and logos on the side of the bike. But the only ones I could really make out was the number seven and a yellow smiley face. I watched as the driver stood up; I was captivated by the clothes they were wearing. I've never seen anyone dressed like like that before.

They had a large red scarf loosely wrapped around thier neck. The shoulders and arms of the shirt were a medium blue. The torso had vertical black and white stripes. Thier pants were black leather and had tied strings up and down the outside legs. Almost like chaps that a cowboy or farmer might have. The heeled boots they were wearing were white; The boots looked like they were leather as well. When they took thier helmet and goggles off I noticed they had platinum blonde hair. I couldn't stop myself from staring. The person looked at me and stopped. I felt awkward and embarrassed for staring at them, so I shyly looked away.

"Are you hungry?" A male sounding voice said. I looked up and realized it was the person on the motorcycle who had spoken. I guess he assumed that I was homeless from the way I looked. Plus I was holding an old coffee can full of coins. Without speaking my stomach let out a long and loud noise. A small smile tugged at the corners of his plump lips. "I assume that's a yes. Come on, I'll buy you something to eat." He said as he gestured for me to follow him. I quickly put my shoes on and followed him inside of the bar. Keeping my coffee can full of change in my hands. "Thank you." I said as he and I quietly walked inside.

The place was packed with people, so we were forced to sit at the bar. The bar tender gave me a look as he walked up to serve us. I was suddenly aware of how filthy and smelly I probably was. It made me self-conscious and nervous. "How can I help you, sir?" The balled bar tender asked my  companion. "I would like your fish and chips and a beer please. As well as anything my friend would like to have." He said to the man, who now turned to me. "I'll have the same, but instead of the beer could I have a root beer?" I said shyly. "Sure thing, I'll be back with your drinks." The balled man replied.

He came back and sat our drinks in front of us. I took a few sips and smiles softly. It reminded me of me of when I would make root beer floats when I was a kid. "What's your name?" The motorcycle man asked after a few minutes of comfortable silence. "Jade." I replied. "It's nice to meet you, Jade. My name is Barns." He replied with a small smile. Now that I was in close proximity to him, I noticed that he had blue eyes. "It's nice to meet you too. I really like your motorcycle and your outfit." I said, and his smile grew. "Thank you. I really like your necklace, it's very beautiful." He said happily.

My hand went straight to my rough cut citrine crystal necklace. It was something I had bought a while ago before I fell on hard times. "Thanks." I said with a smile as well. Not many people even notice my necklace because all they see is my homelessness. His compliment made me feel more seen than I thought it would. The bar tender came back with our food and we thanked him. Both of us ate quietly for a while. The fish and chips were delicious. I felt very gratefy to have been given breakfast as well as dinner today. I guess I was lucky to have met kind strangers.

"Do you have a place to stay? Like, do you go to a homeless shelter?" He asked curiously after a while of us just eating our food. "I usually just sleep in High Gate Park next to the school. All of the homeless shelters are always full." I replied before taking a drink of root beer. "I have to get myself a room for the night anyway. I can get you one as well." He said, and I was caught off guard. No one had ever offered to do something like that for me. "Are you serious?" I asked curiously. "Yeah. I hate to just buy you a meal and let you sleep on a cold park bench." He replied.

I took him up on his offer. Especially when he mentioned separate rooms. It made me feel a bit more safe and it made me feel like I could trust him. When we were finished eating he paid for the food. Then I walked over to the Inn with him. "Your shoes have holes in them." He pointed out. "Yeah." Is all I could say. I wasn't sure how to respond to what he had said. Once the rooms were booked we said goodnight. I thanked him once more before going into my room. I wondered if I would even sleep well tonight. Especially since I had gotten use to sleeping on park benches.

But I eventually closed my eyes feeling grateful for today's events. I felt lucky for surviving another day and hopes to see another sunset tomorrow. Even though my life isn't the best I know I can't stop fighting to try and make it better.

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Listen to "Young in America" by Barns Courtney if you haven't already. <3