Simms and 6th

        So, the girls wanted to go to the Butterfly Pavilion today. Sometimes that's the day we have, they wish to revisit places they haunted when they were smaller. In addition to the Pavilion there is the Museum of Nature and Science, The Aquarium and Stinky Beach (whose Christian name is Bear Creek Lake Park). After the Pavilion it was off to Bonnie Brae for lunch. Genoa will ask by saying "What is the place you guys went to when you decided my name?" She knows it's Bonnie Brae, but it's more fun to invoke the connection to her arrival on the planet.
      On the way home, we were at the onramp at Simms and 6th Ave. There was a young man on the left hand side, a lane over from where we were. To me he looked 17, his eyes were wild and he was dressed like he was going to a job interview. His face was distraught, and as we passed I realized he was crying. There was desperation coming off of the poor boy in waves. The flow of traffic prohibited me from slowing, and I was too far over to have done anything, anyway. But all three of us fell silent, and Genoa popped up from the backseat and said "Oh, Honey. If I had my car I would stop and take him to Denny's and buy him food and ask him to talk to me."
     We continued home, in silence, Genoa's eyes wild. When we pulled into the driveway, I turned to her and said "Here's $20.00. I know you want to go back. Don't let him in the car, you don't know the situation is and you really can't trust anybody. But if he'll walk across the street you can meet him at Denny's. Call me when you get there."
     She jumped into her car and took off.
     She texted and called me, also called her sister, and when she got home I got the full story.
     She had to circle three times to talk to him, people kept honking and he wouldn't go to Denny's because someone was picking him up in a few minutes.
     He is 19 years old, just got out of culinary school. His parents threw him out when they found out he got a girl pregnant. He has a one and half year old son. His girlfriend left him recently, and he's out of money. He has a job that starts in 3 weeks. A friend of his girlfriend is watching the baby so he can stand on the corner, something he just started within the last day or two , and on the weekend he applies for jobs. The friend is also helping him keep the apartment as well as acting as nanny. He cried the whole time she talked to him, insisting that he's not a bad person. He was hanging on until about a week ago and he just has to make it three weeks until the job starts.
     Genoa is one of two people who stopped, and the other one gave him change from his cupholder. He had several people yell names at him, and one actually threw something at him and called him a loser. He thanked Genoa profusely for the $20 and she said she'd go get him some groceries and bring them back, but he said his friend was returning soon.
    He insisted on hugging her, causing the guy behind her to honk and flip her off because the light had turned green.
    How's that for a sad and profound snapshot of our society?

      ...and make no mistake, I'm crazy proud. She comes by this behavior honestly.