Sunday, October 11, 2015

Pumpkins and cider and wings - oh my! But the best part of the day ....

was visiting Robin's client in the hospital.

I've heard a lot about Leroy.  Robin's phone rings at all hours of the day and night, and she gets annoyed by that, but not when it's Leroy.  I felt like I knew him.  He's an old black man with 22 kids by eight different women.  He spent most of his life in prison.   He uses the N word like nobody I've ever heard before and swears even worse.  But he was homeless and Robin found him housing. 

I know she loves him a lot, so when she asked me to go to the hospital to see him before we began our day, I said I would.  When we went into his room, my first impression was a weak little old man lying in a hospital bed.  The nurse looked surprised that he had visitors.  He looked asleep, or maybe permanently asleep.  But his toothless little face lit up when he saw his boo, Robin.  She hugged him with more love and warmth than I think I've ever seen her demonstrate before.  He looked like a cute little smiling old black man baby. I half expected her to  blow a raspberry on his belly.  To which, I later learned, he'd say, "Lower, Boo!!!"

Robin introduced me to him as her wife.  The first words I heard this sickly little man say, "Oh, Miss Kim.  YOU IN HELL!" and he laughed and laughed and held Robin's hand and I was in love with him too. 

I learned quite a bit in the short hour we where there.  He can't keep all his kids' names straight, so he referred to a few of them as Double L (Little Leroy), Big Leroy, Little Leroy and Dumb Leroy.  Four of his kids were named after him.  One of his sons has an old lady the size of two elephants and he can't figure out how his kid can "find it".  ("No offence. Miss Kim")  And few of his daughters are apparently heffers.   Oh, and his mama was a devil whore, but she had her good points too.

He loves to cook but isn't eating well these days.  He can barely take a shower by himself.  He has a couple kids who stop by to supposedly check on him, but he knows they're just there to get a meal and take a shower.  He knows he's being used and he admits it hurts.  You'd think that with 22 kids, someone would step up.  The whole thing made me sad.

But you can't be sad for long around Leroy.  He has a joke for everything and even though they're not that great, the joy he gets from telling them is that great. 

He asked me to give him a sponge bath.  After giving it some serious thought, I declined.  Then he asked me to give Robin a sponge bath.  I played along and promised him a raincheck.

I've always thought that a good attitude is more than half the battle of anything.  Leroy is proof of this.  He's a sickly old man scared to die because of things he's done in his life and is afraid of going to hell.  He has a huge family, none of whom care about him.  If he gets out of the hosptial, he's afraid of winding up back on the streets, knowing he can't take care of himself as it is.  But he was able to find joy in seeing Robin.  She made him smile and he was happy.  

And that was the highlight of my day!      

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