Interview with Walter

Walter won a sofa from the daily FreeMArket raffle, we have to go get it from my home. Go home Walter, drop off your neighbor and come back, I'll ride with you to get your sofa. OK. He comes back with his minivan, probably 80's version, the chairs don't come out. Do you have enough gas to get to Glen Allen? Uhhh..I can get some. Oh no Walter, let's just drive my car, you leave your van here at the church. I'll bring you back after we drop off your sofa.
Walter, can you tell me about you? My name is Walter, I'm 48, I graduated in 1980 from John Marshall, I live in Northside in a rented home with my children's mother and four children....I have two older girls too, with my first woman.
I'm grateful you are bringing me home, and thank you for helping me get the sofa home, it sure is a blessing.How is it a blessing Walter? Well I couldn't afford a new sofa, and the bag of food really does help. What do you do with that bag of food? We eat whatever is given to us.Have you ever gotten food from other pantries? Yes. Are they the same? Yes. NM gives perishables though, that's really nice to get meat. Where do you you work? I work for a temp agency, Randstad, they gave me a job working at a Warehouse for 7-Eleven. I make $9.00, 6 hours a night,6 days on 4 off. I haven't slept yet. I used to work for ffv, the cookie factory. You remember it? I worked there for 19 years, I loved it there, it felt like family. They closed their doors and moved to West Virginia.I hope I see my retirement pension when I'm supposed too. Me too. How long have you been with your children's mother? 20 years. Why don't you marry her? I should, I really should.
Where are your two oldest children? The oldest lives in an apartment in Southside, the 19 year old still lives with her mother. They are both girls. How long have you lived on Patrick Ave? Not long. I used to live with my mother on Montrose, but she passed and my sisters wanted to sell her house. So we did. We split the money, now I drive by there and wish I had bought my sisters out. One of my sisters has already passed away too. Do you miss your mother? Oh yes, she was my best friend, she died of lung cancer. We didn't know until it was too late. We had taken her to the doctor but the doctor thought it was an infection, it was cancer we later found out...too late. What did you do with your share of the money? I tried to save it, but then i just started using it for bills and then it was gone. The people who moved in keep it nice, I drive by a lot.
Where would you like to work? In a nursing home or hospital, cleaning. I'm good at that, but I can't seem to get anyone to hire me. Are you a felon? Oh no....I try to stay out of trouble. Are their drugs in your neighborhood? Oh yes. How do you keep your kids away from them? I try to keep them close by. My oldest son is ADHD, he's tryin' real hard to get good grades. You know he made scholar role? I was so proud of him. School doesn't come easy to him. I'm a little bit afraid for him this school year, he goes to high school. There are so many drugs in school. I told him to just stay away and to yourself and get your good grades.He's a good boy.
I take him to my home to get his sofa he's won, give him a bottle of water and he meets Paul and JT who are getting another sofa for winner #3, we have a surplus of unwanted sofas, 'cause we get new when our colors change. We have four in our garage, but I realize we are not being good stewards so we did a raffle to day, folks were thrilled, you would have thought we did a lottery.
Walter asks about Mountain road..is there a Crump Manor on this road? Yes, I wanted to apply there but I thought it was too far away. Oh No Walter, it's not any further than the airport where you are already going, just the opposite direction. I'd just hate to break down. I wonder if anyone would help me.I see your point. But I encourage you to try, I'll write down directions for you, let's go over them and show you it's not far. Would you like a recommendation from me? Sure. Would you like my information if they ask for a reference? You don't have to take it, just offering. Oh No, anything may help me. I'm off Monday, I'm going to go see then.
Walter was a kind man. We were put in the car together because of a free sofa. Our time was well spent, he felt like a friend. When we drop off the sofa, his children are hesitant to come out and greet me and his dad. His wife comes out, Karen, I've met her before, at the market. She's beautiful, I recognize her. Hey Karen...good to see you, we embrace.. I'm so happy for you. A normal family just trying to make it.
I think I have a lot to learn from Walter and his family, or little to learn, he's a lot like me. Only his color is black.