Excerpt: Solutions to Everyday Problems

Solutions to Everyday Problems

Chapter One: The Discovery

Calvin found himself staring at the homeless woman. She reminded him of his mother. In fact, he had to do a double take to make sure that it wasn't her, but then he remembered that she was living in another city and had pretty much no means to get here.

"Can you hurry it up sonny? I haven't eaten yet today.", said the woman, holding out her soup bowl for him to fill.

"Sure, yeah, sorry.", said Calvin meekly. Calvin suddenly realized how much he liked the counter between him and the line of bums, hobos and winos. Sure, he felt like he should be helping them. It was a long standing obligation since he'd worked his way out of homelessness himself, but he liked his distance. He'd been thinking of stopping the volunteering for a few weeks now. This place depressed him and the rest of his life was moving along so well.

Barney (that was Calvin's name for him) always liked to chat. "Got a hot date tonight Calvin? You're staring into space!", he said with a mimed elbow nudge that touched the woman next to him. She scowled back, but Barney just ignored her.

"Always Barney, always.", said Calvin back. He learned long ago that denial was just a recipe for more ribbing and embarrassment. These guys loved to bug the help if the opportunity arose.

The line seemed to go on forever today and Calvin just zoned out and scooped ladle after ladle of warm slop to the clean bowls held by dirty hands. Paula, another volunteer next to him was in a similar state and was filling up the wicker bowl on the counter with white buns. She looked up briefly and met Calvin's eye. They both sighed at the same time.

Calvin always sat and listened to the crowd on hand when the line died down and all the food was gone. All in all, they were a quiet bunch actually. There was only occationally arguments about someone stealing someone else's food and overall, they were quieter than a university dorm cafeteria. He tried as much as possible to stay away from the people who came in to eat, but sometimes it just wasn't possible and he had about a dozen conversations every time he volunteered, which was about once every week, usually on a Saturday for three hours at lunch.
Barney was the chattiest, which is why Calvin noticed him disappear first.
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This was the third week in a row that Calvin hadn't seen Barney. No chides about his love life, none about his clothing or his hair. So while he'd been thinking about leaving the soup kitchen (and Christian Compassion center - which annoyed him no end as an atheist), he was wondering what happened to Barney. There was still crazy army fatigues woman and scary limping man and juggling man, but none of them were nearly as articulate as Barney and he probably wouldn't have noticed them disappear.
At the end of another Saturday, Calvin went to see Susan, one of the organizers. She was sitting in an office on and talking on the phone. She noticed him there and held up one finger. He assumed it meant "one minute", but expected it to be a lot longer. He wasn't wrong.