I have a former student I'll call Bruce. Bruce is 28 and living on his own for the first time with a lot of help from family and friends. He doesn't have a job; doesn't have a driver's license; and has never lived alone before. He is now in government subsidized housing, which is one of the reasons that I willingly pay my taxes. He is very high on the Autism Spectrum--quite intelligent and charming but wired differently from the rest of us. I love that kid.
Bruce never had too many great breaks in the world. He has learned to compensate for his background and his so-called failings. Anxiety is probably his worst enemy. He also has a couple of physical problems that work against him. I've known him since he was an 8th grader in my English class. He graduated in 2012, I friended him on Facebook, thereafter.
I'll spare the gory details of ways that we have connected over the last five years or so. Suffice it to say that I have provided a little bit of stop-gap for him to be in the world. When he recently moved to his own apartment, he didn't have much furniture, no food, and no phone/cable/wifi. I took him out to Dollar Tree and Aldi for food and other little things.
I should mention that Bruce is a huge NASCAR savant. He is obsessed, from drivers, teams, owners, car color schemes, records, etc...he knows it all! He has a collection of die-cast cars and "hero" cards, posters...you name it. When he moved into his apartment, he wanted shelving to display his collection before he even cared about having a table for dining. (In fact, still doesn't have one.)
Just last week, I found someone on Nextdoor that was selling a black wire shelving unit for $10. I bit on it for Bruce. The following is the explanation of how that whole transaction happened, just in the course of trying to do a good deed for Bruce:
After waiting for months for my favorite plumber to put in a new and improved toilet at my house, I was finally told that he could come this week. He was going to buy the toilet for me at a discount, and total charge for potty and install would be $100 in cash. Good deal for me!
So, I was told he would be here sometime Wednesday late in the afternoon. No problem. My schedule was clear.
On Wednesday, I was told that he would be here at 9:30 AM on Thursday. No problem. My schedule was clear.
On Thursday, I was told that he was stuck in Noblesville all day. They would have to reschedule. I heard nothing more so figured I'd have to wait a bit.
Meanwhile, there was a guy on Nextdoor who was selling a tall, black, wire shelving unit for $10. I expressed an interest in it (for Bruce and his NASCAR collections) but told him I would need to borrow a truck because it wasn't going to fit in my buggy. After all, I had nothing but time, right? Over the next few days, we kept in touch via Nextdoor. Finally, on Friday, I had secured my friend Phil and his big 'brue' truck to pick up the unit and deliver it to Bruce in Mooresville. The seller then told me that they were moving TODAY (Saturday) and would likely only be there until noon. I secured his address and told him we'd be there before noon to pick it up.
Mind you, nothing else was planned for today. My schedule was clear. Yeah....
Phil said he would be here by 10:00 this morning to pick me up. I had already looked up how to get to this dude's house. I needed to arrive before they left so I could at least pay for the shelving unit even if I couldn't take it right then, but with Phil's truck, there should be no problem, right?
Phil got here a little after 10:00. We went to Saratoga Parkway and turned the way I had determined, but we never did find Homestead Circle East, which is where the dude's house is. Homestead Lane, yes. Homestead Circle East, no. We both saw parts of Plainfield we didn't know existed but never did find the right street. We stopped at the Police Compound to ask, but they were closed up tighter than a drum....so...we headed back to my house so I could re-research my directions. He decided he needed to go home because he needed to go potty and preferred his own. (I hear his bathroom stays are legendary!) He told me to call him when I had things figured out--again.
I figured out my error soon enough. Homestead Lane immediately turns into Homestead Circle East to the right and Homestead Circle West to the left. Well, poop! We went right past it, twice! I hopped in my car and drove there just to pay for the unit before they departed. They agreed to leave it on the porch should they depart before Phil and I could get there with the truck.
When I got home, I got some lunch. It was about 11:30. I called Phil and told him I had things figured out. He said he'd pick me up at 12:30 (again). Meanwhile, I am messaging Bruce over and over again about changes in arrival times. Sheesh.
At 12:15, Judy (Phil's wife) called to say that Phil needed more bathroom time. One hour delay. I told her it was fine because I had already paid for the shelving; I just worried that there would be no one there to help load it, if help was needed.
Finally, Judy called to say that "they" were on their way to pick me up. Apparently, she was coming on Trip #2 (for them--three for me.) And just then, I got a message from the plumber's contact that he would be here "within the hour" to put in the new toilet and haul away the old TV. I told her that I would be gone but would leave the door open and money on the mantel for him. WHY must my clear schedule suddenly become muddled in mere minutes, all at once?????????
We got to the seller's house (they were still there, a couple of hours past their target time to be outta there). The shelving unit was on the porch, as promised. It was light enough that Phil could carry it without help. Plunked it in the truck and we headed for Mooresville. Phil was so confused about why we went the way we did, but I've travelled it recently and knew it was the best way.
We delivered the shelving to Bruce and drove home. When we got to my house, my plumber and helper were here, putting in my new potty. They departed probably 15 minutes after I got home. Thus, my day ended in success even though it started in confusion.
I think Bruce probably had that shelving unit filled up before Judy, Phil, and I were even back to Plainfield.
Truth be known, even doing a simple good deed isn't easy anymore!!
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