It was 7am when I saw bubba wiping his eyes clear while sitting at a downtown Austin, Texas Bus stop with his body wrapped in a partially torn
Military green sleeping bag that was unraveling at the bottom from being dragged along the sidewalk.
I nodded hello and he answered in a raspy voice. Good morning and happy Thanksgiving, he said while still wiping his eyes. He then stuck his hand under the sleeping bag through his layers of clothing. He pulled out a partially smoked cigarette butt and searched for a light. He looked at me and put his hands together in the motion of lighting the cigarette. I nodded no and said I do not have matches.
He then turned his attention to a skinny young woman who just arrived at the bus stop and asked her for a light. She smiled and pulled out a pack
Of matches and a couple of cigarettes and handed them to the man and said “Happy Thanksgiving” she then said what the hey, and actually gave him the entire open pack of smokes. His eyes lit up and he smiled and said it was the best gift that he had gotten in years from a beautiful young lady. He then looked at us and said, my name is “Bubba” but everyone out here calls me Elijah. He sticks the old butt in the open back of cigarettes as he takes out a brand new fresh cigarette, offers me one and I politely refuse and tell him “I don’t smoke”. He says, “good for you”, the young lady echoes his sentiment
She turns away from us and lights up a cigarette that she had taken out of the pack she gave to Bubba and holds her hand up to block the cigarette lighter from the wind. He is amused by her bout with the wind. She finally gets the cigarette lit or is it lighted? She immediately takes a deep long drag of the cigarette, blows the smoke away from us and lets out a big sigh. She says, “I really need that” the homeless man replies “Amen”
There is silence for about a minute or two when the woman asks Bubba where he is from. He replies “Paris” and then laughs. She looks at him kind of puzzled and sys “no really man” He looks at me and rolls his eyes with a big smile and then turns his attention to the young woman who is now taking another long drag of her cigarette. She the hugs her body and jogs in place as she tries to keep warm while waiting for the bus. Bubba says” No really man, I’m from Paris, Really.
The young woman interrupts and says “Paris, Texas? Right? He answers very loudly and says, “You got young lady. I am from Paris, Texas”
I said to him. Hey, there was a movie with that name. The young woman said that she had never heard of it. Bubba says that he had remembered the movie but had never seen it. I caint say that I wanted to see a movie about Paris, Texas says Bubba. I caint imagine anything exciting enough in Paris, Texas that a movie can be made about it, he then starts laughing.
I asked Bubba if his family is still in Paris, Texas. He seemed to have a tear in his eyes as he was talking and said that he still had a mother living in Paris, Texas. His dad had since died about five or six years ago. He said “I aint been home since my dads funeral. I hitch hiked back for his funeral. I was actually living outside of Waco, Texas and working as a janitor. I just got out of prison; I was only there for a year. My boss said I stole some stuff from him. Yeah, Man I stole some stuff. But not what he said I stole. I was selling weed on the side for my boss and I smoked up some of the profit. I guess I dipped into the profits a little too much. So he got my ass and left some money out and some drugs in my duffle bag. He took off early from the job and had his girlfriend/secretary call the cops. They arrived and found the money and drugs in my duffle bag. I was off to prison for 8 months.
The young woman had stopped shaking and sat down next to him at the bus stop to listen closer to his story. Without looking into her purse, she pulled out an unopened pack of Camel lights and pulled two cigarettes out of the pack. She handed one to Bubba and then lighted both cigarettes. Bubba nodded and smiled and said, “It is a good thing you are not smoking sir. Three cigarettes on one match aint lucky”. He then laughed and said “I guess I caint get much badder luck then I have right now. But my luck is getting better. The bus aint coming and I got to visit with you two nice people and got me some smokes thanks to this beautiful young lady. The young lady smiled and said “my pleasure sir and Happy Thanksgiving”.
He then said, “Where was I? Oh yeah I was talking about mah family. Yeah I aint seen my mom since I got out of prison and went to my dads funeral.
I had to hitchhike and I had been wearing the same clothes for about two days and when I arrived at the funeral. I guess I was kinda smelly. Sort of luck right now”
The young woman interrupted and said “Your not smelly. My work is really smelly. I work at a fast food restaurant and if you knew what went into some of the stuff you are eating and how bad it can smell after working around burgers and chicken for eight hours a day. Now that’s smelly”. She then said “Sorry, Go on” She took a quick look at her watch and perused the street for a bus. There were still no busses and very few people around.
Bubba looked down at the sidewalk and held his cigarette in his right hand,
Taking a drag every few seconds shook his head back and forth. Bubba went on with his story. “So I finally got a ride from a trucker after being stuck on the side of the road for I don’t know how long. I had a card for my mom. But by the time I got there. It was in no shape to be even given to anyone. I should have thrown it away. I gave it to my mom and that did not go over too well. He repeated, I should have thrown it away. The young woman remained silent and still nameless. She continued to take drags on her cigarette with her eyes affixed upon Bubba. Bubba then lifted his head up, gave a half smile and said” So I arrived in town and walked over to the Church. I flipped my cigarette while stepping into the Church. He laughed and said. Hell, I thought the Church was going to fall down when I walked into the Church. I saw my mom sitting in the front row. She was dressed in Black. My Sisters and their husbands surrounded her. Heads turned when I walked into the Church. I tried to make myself look presentable but my clothes were wrinkled and some actually said to me in Church. “Bubba You stink”. I got angry and started yelling and flailing my arms all over. I was acting like a drunk. But the Lord as my witness. I was stoned cold sober, really.
My mom turned around and looked kind of stunned to see me. She said “Son why do you come to your fathers funeral and cause trouble. When will you change and be nice to people”? I looked up at her and just got angry and threw the card at her. I heard my sister say “mom, don’t even talk to him. He is worthless”. I threw the card down in their direction and said to my sister
“Bitch you got whatever you wanted from dad. You did drugs on a sneak and daddy never knew what bitch you were”. My mom said, “Just go, just go, you don’t belong here. The young woman next to him looked stunned. She stopped him and said. “You know what Bubba? You do not even know my name. She held out here hand and said her name is Laurie. She took Bubbas hand, and shook his hand. There was a tremor in his hand and it looked like a little tear in his eyes. He said “man I am glad that bus aint coming. The pulled the sleeping bag tighter around him in an effort to comfort himself. It seemed that the bus was never going to come. I was really not in a hurry to go anywhere. I was actually on my way to an Thanksgiving Day Mass. I wanted to arrive early to drop off a bag of food
The food was being collected by one of the Catholic Churches.
Laurie pulled out her cell phone out of her purse and offered the telephone to Bubba. Laurie said “Bubba, call your mom, wish her a happy Thanksgiving. Here is my phone”. He shook his head no. She said to him, “What is her phone number. I will call her for you. He said in his raspy voice. “Man, she don’t want to here from me. I don’t want to ruin her Thanksgiving. She is at home with all my sisters and their kids and she has a turkey in the oven and all the trimmings being made. She aint gonna want to talk to her no count son. Laurie said, “I am not going to force you. But I think you should give your Mom a call. Every mom wants to hear from her son. Every Mom wants to make sure her family is okay. Especially on Thanksgiving. I don’t think your mom would want you to spend Thanksgiving sitting in downtown Austin, Texas at a bus top. You think your mother wants her son to spend Thanksgiving Day sitting at a Bus Stop? I don’t think so. I am on my way to see my mom. I don’t have the best relationship with my mom and my family. I brought home a Black man when I was only 16 and he was 34. My family tried to tell me that he was wrong fro me. I got angry and called them racist and I left home and lived with him. I was young and stupid. They were not mad at me because he was a Black man. I know now that my family is not racist. They just knew that a 16 year old girl should be doing high school things and not spending her time serving a grown man. I did not want to
Admit I was wrong and I am just now working on healing with my parents. I spent too many years and too many tears not wanting to admit I was wrong.” At that time one of the busses was pulling into the stop. It was not the us I was waiting for. I just listened and did not say a word. She again pushed the phone toward Bubba. She said, “Bubba, my bus is coming. It’s now or never. I am getting on this bus if you don’t want to make the call.
Bubba took the phone and then handed it back to Laurie, for a second she had a look of dismay. Bubba then said, “I got the number. My hands are too swollen from sleeping in the cold all night. Can you dial it for me? He then said. We have had the same phone number in my mom’s house for 35 years. Hell, that was before I was born. I should still be able to remember the
Number.” I think the Area Code may have changed more than one time. I am not certain about that.
Bubba recited the number to Laurie who dialed the number and then went to hand the phone over to Bubba. The other end answered almost as quick as the phone rang. Laurie still had the phone in her hands when a woman said hello, Laurie paused for a second. There was still silence when the voice at the other end again said hello, hello. Laurie said “Hello, Hello, You don’t know me, Hold on, Happy Thanksgiving, is this the mother of “Bubba? Err, I mean Elijah”? The voice on the other end sound nervous and in a loud voice she said, “Yes, has something happened to my boy, she then almost sounded like she was crying and said “Oh God my Elijah is in trouble and on Thanksgiving”. Laurie said no wait let me finish. Bubba then said, “What’s going on”? The voice on the other end said, “Is that my Elijah”? Laurie said yes and handed Bubba the phone.
Bubba with some confidence said “Hi mama Happy Thanksgiving this is your boy mama. I love you and these two fine people kept me company and the young lady let me use her phone to call you. I love you mama and I miss you.” The voice on the other end just said come home son, its Thanksgiving come home. Bubba now with tears in his eyes said, “You mean it mama, you want me to come home? I’ll be good mama. I’ll be good. I just gotta find out how much it will cost. I think I got enough money stashed away in my boot mama” I love you mama I will see you as soon as I can”.
Bubba said to Laurie “My Mamma wants to talk to you fer a second if you don’t mind.” Laurie took the phone and said hi to Bubbas mom. “I could here Bubbas Mom say to the young woman “Praise God I prayed that my son would call. You are an angel, just an angel, God bless you.” Laurie said
Thank you and wished her a Happy Thanksgiving.
She hangs up the phone and before even saying anything dials information for the number of Greyhound. She gets the time of the Bus and the amount of the fare. She hangs up the phone and says “Bubba this is your lucky day. There is a bus leaving in a very short while and we are going to get you home for Thanksgiving. Do you have enough money to get home bubba? Bubba pulls out some singles, a couple of crumbled up fives and a twenty-dollar bill. He said, here is all my money form my day labor job.”
Laurie reaches into her purse and pulls out a twenty-dollar bill and adds it to the money. “This will be enough to get you there. Now lets get you a cab,
It does not take too long for a cab to pass and Laurie flags it down and it does not take long for a cab to stop. The cab driver thinking he is picking up Laurie is more than happy to stop. But then is reluctant when he see s that its Bubba getting into the cab and puts up a bit of a fight.
I don’t know if Laurie was really a fast food worker. As she starts to get angry she reaches for her wallet and flips it open in the direction of the cab driver. I do not know what she showed him, but the cab driver apologizes and holds open the door for Bubba. The cab driver repeats, “I am so sorry sir” Laurie than hands the cab driver a ten dollar bill and says. “It should not cost more than five dollars from her. Just keep the change. Bubba shakes my hand and thanks her and Laurie tells Bubba “get in the cab you got a bus to catch and a mom too see” Bubba one more thing, If you confess and believe. You will be saved.” The cab driver smiles and he and Bubba take off to the bus station.
At that time, Laurie turns around and her bus is pulling up. She smiles at me and boards the bus. I wish her a happy thanksgiving and she turns around and says, do you know what the best table is? I looked at her kind of puzzled. With a big smile she said, “ My mother taught me that the best table is the one you will sit at later today. No not Turkey. But you will receive the Body of Christ. He sat down at the right hand of the majesty in heaven and to that we give thanks” She looked up at the sky and said “ See mama, I was listening”. The doors closed and the bus pulled away.
Before I could say anything, I heard a voice “You getting on or what”? I picked up my bag of groceries and boarded the bus. I greeted the bus driver Happy Thanksgiving. Is there any chance we could stop in Paris? His response was, “Maybe Paris, Texas. But not today, it’s the only Paris I would want to go to”. Ditto, I said.
No matter how far you travel from your home. Always remember where you came from.
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