Meeting Ronny
Meeting RonnyMeeting Ronny
As a sixteen year old growing up in West County I had it good. I had a car, a job, and was going to school. But I wasn’t happy. I was never happy. My car wasn’t nice enough, my clothes weren’t cool enough, nothing was good enough for me. I had no idea how much I really had. Then I met Ronny. Ronny was a homeless man living in University City.
When I first met him he was sitting on a faded brick planter next to Fitzes’, a restaurant on the Loop. His clothes were worn, and his face had a hard weathered look to it. Dusk was setting in, and I was just getting off work. I was heading towards my car, and as I passed him, he asked me for a cigarette. It normally irks me when strangers ask me for a cigarette, but there was a tone in his voice that muted my irritation. I stopped next to the planter, pulled out my pack, and handed a smoke to him.
As he took the cigarette, he thanked me and our eyes met for the first time. I had never seen that kind of warmth and energy contained in such a weathered man. His eyes were warm, and deep. I could see a level of intelligence, and experience I had seldom seen in anyone’s eyes. A cold breeze pushed down the street, and he pulled his parka tighter around his skinny frame. He took a drag off his cigarette, and asked me how my day was.
No stranger had ever asked me that and it threw me off guard. I said “ Ok, I guess.” And looked around the street, not quite knowing what to say. “I’m sorry.” He said with a slight smile as he played with the stubble under his chin.
“Sorry?” I asked, my interest starting to peak. “I’m sorry you’re just Ok. You shouldn’t have a reason to be upset. Look at you!……” He trailed off sensing that he might have offended me. But I didn’t feel threatened by his words, just interested. “Well I guess I’m doin pretty...
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