Manny / Manuel

Manuel, a.k.a., Manny was a sweet, caring, strong, warm-hearted man. He was not a small man. His built was quite above the average size, which was good because this kind of protected him from being assaulted or hurt. He greeted all the people who walked by him and he did everything he had to do with a smile on his face.

 Manny did not like to follow social rules or do what people expected him to do for he lived under the marquee of a bank in a busy metropolitan city.  He didn't live there; he just spent the night there and during the day he roamed around the city. After all there were so many places for him to visit, like the church, the stores, the newspaper stands, and especially the parks. In fact, he spent much of his day at the biggest park nearby. He didn´t have money and rarely asked people for it, so most of his visits he did on foot. Therefore, he couldn´t go very far.

Every morning, Manny would get up from behind the bushes, open the faucet in the bank parking space, ( there were only two spaces) wash his face, brush his teeth and then he would organize his belongings into a bag ( one of those recyclable carry-on bags that you get at the supermarket). He would also clean up his spot where he had spent the night because the bank manager was actually doing him a favor by allowing him to spend the night there and he believed that people did not deserve to see a mess and  likewise believed that the planet didn't deserve his mess . Besides, if he wanted to continue sleeping there, he would have to pay back the favor. Manny believed that if you are kind to people, they will be kind to you. He made it a point of crossing the street and depositing his trash in the bin on the other side, too.

Next to the bank there was a bakery and every morning the baker used to give Manny his breakfast; usually he was given fresh bread with butter and a cup of milk and coffee. Now the cup belonged to Manny. He cared about the planet and ecology, so he carried his cup and used it to get his water to get his drinks and even to help him with his personal hygiene which by the way he did at the bakery he was allowed to use the restroom.  

This sweet man wanted no trouble. He lived his life the way he believed life should be lived:  carefree and free. He treasured his freedom and he respected other people´s freedom. Although he was friendly, some people did look down on him; after all he was a homeless person and some people are afraid of the homeless. However, he just loved talking to people and especially listening to their stories too.

Manny's family did not care for him although he missed them terribly and sought out to find them several times; however, it was to no avail. He nostalgically remembers who they were and what they looked like in addition to having some memories which were kept in his heart- only the good memories. The bad ones he made a point of forgetting.  He did feel kind of sad though that his family never looked for him and were not interested in knowing what happened to him, but as he would say: “That's life.”  

So, if you drive by a bank next to a bakery and you see this big, tough, rough looking man say hello; it's just Manny.

Written: February 22, 2020

Photo: Google Images