Extreme Change

by Gary Beck

  Ms. Weller was annoyed and yelled at Beth, "Things were functional until you got here. You’re a real agitator."

  Kiesha stepped forward to her defense. "She didn’t do anything wrong."

  "We’re not criminals," Hector added. "Why do you treat us this way?"

  Ms. Weller glared at them angrily, "We’ll see about this," and stormed off.

  When they were outside, Kiesha mimicked Ms. Weller, "This isn’t a hotel," and they all laughed.

  Peter drew Beth aside, "Can we squander some of our money for candy for the kids and coffee for the adults?"

  Beth smiled and called the children. "How would you like a piece of candy?" The chorus of yeses was almost deafening. Beth gave Peter some money and they went down Gerard avenue to the deli. The children gathered by the door, eagerly awaiting his return with treats.

  While he was inside, Beth handed Kiesha and Hector five dollars each. "This is for emergencies."

  Kiesha took the money with a murmured "Thanks," but Hector was embarrassed.

  "I can’t take money from you."

  "Why not?"

  "It’s not right."

  "We’ve agreed to help each other, haven’t we?"

  "Yes."

  "Well right now I have some money. Maybe next week I’ll be broke and you’ll have money. Should I say no if you offer it to me?"

  "It’s cool, Hector," Kiesha said. "Take it. We’ll all contribute in different ways."

  Hector reluctantly took the money. "All right. But I’ll pay you back."

  Peter came out of the deli and the clamor of the children ended the discussion about money.

  Peter called Pablo, "I got a large bag of M&Ms. Would you give them out and be sure everyone gets a fair share?"

  Pablo grinned, "Even the girls?"

  Peter smiled back, "Especially the girls." He distributed the coffee containers to the adults and confided to them, "You wouldn’t believe how expensive candy is. They wanted 75 cents each for these tiny little snickers bars. What a rip-off." They slowly strolled to the park, sipping their coffee that they had dosed with milk and extra sugar. Lunch hour was just about over. Employees were hurrying back to work, where they would be swallowed up by the ravenous government building that held the resentful serfs captive, until it was time for their release from bondage, when it would disgorge them for their sullen return home.

  As they walked, the children were happy gobbling candy and the adults felt almost human for a few brief moments. Once they got to the park, the children started a game and the adults relaxed on a bench.

  "We have to decide on a course of action," Beth said. "Who wants to talk first?" She looked around encouragingly.

  Kiesha started, "I’ve heard some women talk about these motels in the Bronx. I agree with Hector, that’s no place for us, but I don’t know what to do about it."

  Hector nodded, "That’s how I feel."

  "I have several ideas," Beth said, "if you want to hear them."

  Kiesha spoke for the others, "Tell us."

  "All right. We’ve all refused to go to those shelters, so that’s no longer an issue. We’ve agreed that the hotel seems to be our best option, so we’ve got to figure out how to get there. I suggest we ask Ms. Weller to send us there." There was a lengthy silence and the others looked at her as if she had just zoomed in from Proxima Centauri.

  Kiesha was the first to react, "That witch wouldn’t send us there. She claims that she assesses our needs and links them to designated locations for appropriate program services."

  Hector chimed in, "They want us out of the way so they can keep us from getting services."

  "What about those agencies that advocate for the homeless?" Peter asked. "Can’t they help us?"

  "Those organizations are big on taking the city to court," Hector said, "where they can make speeches to the media, but they're not going to help us."

  "If she doesn't send us to the hotel," Beth said, "we'll organize a client strike, call the media and embarrass the city."

  Kiesha laughed, "You be wild, missy. She'll have security toss us out into the street."

  Beth grinned wickedly, "Then we'll go to the Office of Homeless Services and sit-in at the commissioners office."

  "You've got a lot of nerve," Hector said.

  Beth was flip, "Why not? It's Martin Luther King Day next week. We can follow his example."

  They discussed how to talk to Ms. Weller and agreed to start with a polite request to be sent to the King Charles hotel for the good of their families. At Beth's suggestion, they prepared several alternative approaches if the first one failed.

  "We don't want to threaten or demand. We want to request services that are best for our family."

  Kiesha scoffed, "She couldn't care less about us. All she wants is to collect her paycheck and feel superior to her clients."

  Beth agreed, "You’re right. That’s how we’ll get her cooperation. When we become too difficult for her to handle, she’ll be glad to get rid of us."

  Hector was doubtful. "What if she doesn’t give in, and she insists on sending us to different locations?"

  "We’ll refuse to go," Peter blurted.

  "What if we get separated?" Kiesha asked.

  Beth thought for a moment, "Let’s arrange a meeting place. We all have emergency money for carfare. If they separate us we can meet somewhere the next day. I don’t know the city very well. Do you have any suggestions?"

  Hector grinned smugly, "Outside the Office of Homeless Services. We can get the address from a phone book before we go back to the E.A.U." Everyone applauded Hector’s clever choice and the children joined in, even though they didn’t know why they were clapping.

  Now that a course of action was decided, they were all feeling much better about things. Peter impulsively jumped up and called the children, "How would you like to make a snowman?" The choruses of yeses were almost as loud as the response to candy.

  "Why can’t we build a snowwoman?" Jennifer asked.

  "Because we don’t have any women’s clothes," Peter said. This seemed to satisfy the feminist faction and Peter led the children to a pile of dirt-encrusted snow. "Let’s knock this dirty stuff off." They kicked the top layer off the pile and Peter showed them how to make the base of the body.

  Pablo and Andy went to a nearby pile and Pablo asked, "How come this snow is yellow?"

  "Don’t touch it," Peter said. "Someone let his dog pee there."

  Jennifer and Latoya both cried, "Ooky," in that disgusted voice that only girls master and chanted, "The boys are playing in dog pee. The boys are playing in dog pee."

  Kiesha wisely summoned the taunters before the boys could retaliate, "Come here, girls. Play near us for a while."

  The battle of the sexes was averted, at least temporarily, and construction continued. They finished the base and Peter praised the young engineers. He told them that the upper body was like the lower, only smaller, and the head was the smallest part. The youngsters eagerly shaped the mounds of snow until their hands turned red from the cold. They finished and stood back to inspect their handiwork.

  "It’s nice," Pablo said, "but he looks so plain."

  "That’s because he needs a face," Peter explained. "Let’s see what we can find." He led them to a trashcan where he carefully rummaged through the garbage. He found a MacDonald’s french fry box and set it at a jaunty angle for a hat, two bottle tops became eyes, a plastic spoon served as a nose, a cigar stub jutted out of the mouth and a discarded piece of tinfoil became a bow tie. When the snowman was finished, they stepped back to admire the results. The men were very positive, praising the boys for their effort. The women were more critical.

  "He’s not very big," Keisha said. "Shouldn’t he have been taller?"

  Peter defended their creation, "He’s big enough. He doesn’t have to be a giant."

  "His face looks funny," Jennifer said.

  "His tie is wack," Latoya added.

  Beth was the peacemaker, "I think the bo
ys did a great job."

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  They stayed in the park as long as they could, enjoying the escape from confinement in the stifling E.A.U. By unspoken consent they stopped discussing their plan to get sent to the King Charles hotel and enjoyed the warmth of the sun on their strained bodies that were aching from the unyielding floor of the E.A.U. Once the sun set behind the west side of Manhattan the day quickly turned cold. They collected the children and headed for their unkind lodgings.

  A park attendant who had observed them making the snowman came up to them. "If you folks are interested, there’s a real nice little park near the water, not too far from here."

  Kiesha was suspicious of his motive, "Aren’t we welcome here?"

  The man said placatingly, "Sure. I just thought you might like it there."

  The answer mollified Kiesha. "Where is it?"

  "It’s right behind the Major Deegan Expressway, under the Macombs Dam bridge. You walk up Walton Avenue to 161st Street, turn left, go past Yankee Stadium, cut under the highway, turn right and it’s right there. You can’t miss it."

  "Thanks, mister," Kiesha said.

  By the time they walked to 151st Street it was rush hour and the adults reined in the children who had been rambling freely while they were still in the park. It took a while to calm them down after their exuberance of playing in an open space. Pablo, as their spokesman, asked if they could go to the deli on Gerard Avenue, and all the children looked wistful at the thought of sugary delights. Peter looked at Beth, who regretfully shook her head no. The children accepted the disappointment without a fuss. Beth felt terrible that she couldn’t buy treats for them, but their little bit of money was rapidly dwindling, and it was uncertain when they would get more.

  Just before they reached the E.A.U., Beth stopped and gestured to the others, "I suggest we go to the new park in the morning, then we’ll finalize our plan and talk to Ms. Weller after lunch." They nodded in agreement.

  "The kids have been so good," Hector said. "I wish we could buy some candy for them."

  Beth was touched, "We’ll get them something on the way to the park tomorrow."

  They got back to the E.A.U. just in time for dinner, another minimal sustenance meal of government issue surplus food. Beth did appreciate that it was still more nourishing than the fare that most of the third world was dining on, but that didn’t make it more palatable. The guard glared at them but didn’t say anything as they lined up for the meal.

  After dinner, a heavy, older black woman came up to their little enclave. "I heard that you took your kids to the park today."

  "So?" Kiesha replied. "You got a complaint?"

  The woman smiled wearily, "Goodness sakes no, chile. I’m just wonderin’ if you’ll take my kids with you next time you go."

  "Why don’t you take them?" Kiesha asked.

  "I got diabetes and I ain't got the strength to look after them. They be gettin restless in this place."

  "Then why’d you have them, if you can’t take care of them?" Kiesha asked.

  The woman answered with dignity, "They my daughter’s kids, not mine. When she died, nobody else wanted them."

  Kiesha was abashed and Beth asked, "How do you know you can trust us with your kids?"

  The woman chuckled, "I’ve been watching you folks. You’re good people."

  "We’ll take them with us in the morning," Beth said.

  The woman stood there for a moment, then sighed audibly, "Thank you, folks. I been worried sick about those kids bein stuck here like prisoners. It’s not fair to them. They didn’t do anything wrong."

  Hector made room on the bench. "Why don’t you sit here and we can talk." The woman sat down heavily.

  Before they could say anything, the guard announced, "The office is closed." People creakily got up from the benches and made their way to their places on the floor.

  Beth asked the guard respectfully, "Could this lady use the bench for a while? She’s not well."

  The guard scowled, "Clients ain’t allowed to sit on the benches when the office is closed. That’s the rule."

  Beth started to make a special plea, but the woman slowly got up, "That’s all right, chile. No sense talking to him. He don’t know no better." She watched stoically as the guard waited until she left the bench.

  Beth was indignant, "He could have made an exception."

  "They don’t work that way, chile. His bosses treat us like charity cases and he does the same."

  Beth was impressed with the woman’s attitude. "Why don’t you move your family here, with us.”?

  "Thank you, chile. I’d like that. My name’s Lily. Folks call me Miss Lily."

  "My name is Beth."

  Miss Lily came back a few moments later with three children, whom she introduced, "This is Raheen, he’s six. This is Jamal, he’s five and Shasta is four. Say hello to everybody, children." The three youngsters shyly said hello and joined the other children. Shasta was immediately adopted by Jennifer and Latoya. The two boys were far more cautious and warily approached Pablo and his cohorts.

  Pablo said casually, "We made a snowman today."

  Raheen’s eyes got wider, "A snowman? That’s cool. Can we see it?"

  The ice was broken and Pablo was magnanimous, "We’ll show you, if we go to the park tomorrow. As long as nobody broke it."

  Andy was alarmed, "Do you think they’d break our snowman, Pablo?"

  Pablo was already wise beyond his years, "People out there break everything." The newcomers merged into the group and Pablo and Raheen started talking about their favorite sport, basketball. The younger boys listened raptly, as the Knicks were dissected by the experts.

  Another night in the E.A.U. went by and it was as strange and unnatural to Beth as the previous nights. The only difference was that she was now surrounded by her new friends. The harsh chill of a poorly maintained city run homeless intake center, in a decaying building used as a barracks, was offset by the inner warmth of the nearby people. Beth no longer felt alone in this time of trial that threatened her family. She wasn’t sure how much she could rely on Kiesha and Hector, but it was a comfort to know she wouldn’t be facing an adverse system by herself. Peter had become more responsive to what was going on, which was very reassuring. It would be easier for her to deal with whatever might happen, as long as he was involved and supportive. He seemed to have taken a liking to Hector, which would work out well for all of them, since she knew that men were still more able than women to physically protect their young. Kiesha had strength of character and Beth sensed that she wouldn’t crumble when pressure mounted. She dozed off and her last thought was that they were better off than the night of the fire.

  The weather Friday morning was below freezing. As soon as they finished breakfast they prepared to set out with the growing tribe on the search for the new park.

  Miss Lily didn’t say anything while they were getting ready, but her eyes grew moist when Beth said, "You better get your kids ready, Miss Lily."

  She smiled broadly enough to light up the dreary office, "Thank you, chile. You won’t be sorry. I’ll watch your things while you’re gone. Nobody’ll mess with them."

  Beth impulsively hugged her. "We’re glad to take the kids with us. You don’t have to pay us back."

  "You don’t understand, chile. Those kids is precious to me. I’m all they got. It breaks my heart to see them in a place like this. You’re taking them to a park where they can feel like children. That’s like a ray of sunshine for me."

  "We’ll make sure they have a good time and burn off some excess energy."

  It was another cold, sunny, winter New York City day. The chemical additives in the air were at a minimum, so people could actually breathe without fearing they were inhaling the usual dose of industrial toxins. The crystal-clear blue sky was a fragile band of beauty, sheltering all life forms from a crueler universe. After a night in the dank E.A.U. office, the adults and children were glad to be outdoors. When the door clo
sed behind them on the inhospitable place, the adults walked with a spring in their steps, while the children romped like rambunctious puppies. The children stopped as if on cue in front of a deli on 161st Street and pointed their eager muzzles at the source of sugary delight.

  The adults turned to Beth, who smiled, "Do you think they’re trying to tell us something?"

  Kiesha smiled back, "Maybe they want some canned asparagus."

  The children yelled, "Ohhh. Nooo!"

  "Lima beans?"

  "Nooo."

  "Cat food?"

  "Nooo."

  Kiesha gave in, "I guess they want candy."

  They chorused, "Yay." Beth gave Peter some money and he took the eager pack of youngsters into the store.

  Hector watched the children tumble into the store behind Peter. "It’s nice to have rich friends."

  They laughed and Kiesha said wistfully, "If I was rich, I’d take us all away from here to someplace where we could all live better."

  Beth was more realistic, "That’s sweet of you to say, but we’re going to have to work together for what we want. The first step is to get out of the E.A.U. Once we get to the hotel, we can start rebuilding our lives." Before they could discuss the idea further, the children poured out the door in various states of confusion and anger. Peter came out a moment later, cursing under his breath.

  "What happened?" Beth asked.

  "The storekeeper yelled at the kids for handling things, then told me not to bring them in with me again. I told him they didn’t do anything wrong and they were customers. He said, ‘You welfare people don’t spend enough money to be customers.’

  Hector was indignant. "We don’t have to take shit from some Arab immigrant."

  He started for the door, but Beth stopped him. "We’re going to have to learn to tolerate a lot of things we don’t like. This is a good lesson."