The Guests, Part I

Mark and I have not talked specifically about any of the guests on this blog. We want to preserve their privacy, but at the same time they are very much a part of our lives here, much like my students were. We give to them, but they give us a great deal as well. So we have decided we will share some of their stories, but will change their names to protect their privacy.
The first or second day that I served a meal at the Inn, I noticed a man in his mid-fifties, with nicely cut gray hair. With his pressed khakis, Italian leather shoes and clean shirt, he looked more like a businessman on casual Friday than a person who needed a meal. The next time I saw him I introduced myself and told him I was from North Carolina. "Sean" is a native Philadelphian, and a living guidebook for places to see in the Philly area. He told us about the museums, gardens, churches, you name it. He had been to Charlotte on business in the past, so knew a little about that city. It turns out that "Sean's" parents became very ill, and he took a leave of absence from Chase Manhattan bank about a year ago to take care of them. When they died and he returned, the bank was laying people off and he lost his job. He is too young for social security or a retirement package without penalty, so he is trying to get by with unemployment money as long as he can. In a few months he can tap into his pension plan He has made a few friends among the other guests. One of these is "Harry." "Harry" is 85, lives nearby and is a WWII veteran. He served in the Navy in North Africa, Italy and the Pacific. He walks to the Inn, and spends some days at the senior citizen center downt he street. He brags that the other guests refer to "Sean" and himself as the "intelligentsia" because almost every question they are asked about sports or history they are able to answer. "Harry" has had numerous surgeries for cancer, but his mind is very good and he always has a funny story to tell. I think the Inn gives him a good social outlet.
I got to know "Jenny" at the Thrift Store when I was working one day. She is about 18 and has a one year old baby girl. She had a voucher from the Inn for baby clothes and household items like dishes,sheets, curtains, etc. She was very forthright about her past, doing drugs and getting pregnant. Once she discovered she was pregnant, she stopped taking drugs and has been drug-free. Unfortunately, the damage was done for her baby, who was born with one lung, reversed blood vessels and a faulty heart. Because the baby's illness and "Jenny" having to be home with her, she does get some state and federal money to help support them. She has rented an apartment with a basement and 2 bedrooms, and is planning to rent out the extra room and basement. She needed furniture, but we don't carry any. As luck would have it, the next time I saw her she had gotten furniture from a woman she had met on a bus who was in the process of moving to Florida. Last Wednesday the baby had open heart surgery to repair the heart. I have not seen "Jenny" since the surgery to learn the outcome.