My City and My Homeless Friends

My City and My Homeless Friends

 

By Paul Bao

 

This picture was taken at the top of our apartment building and the background is the downtown Sacramento, California. The old man in the picture is one of my homeless friends – Mike Bush.

 

I first visited Sacramento in spring 2006. At that time my application for immigrating to the US was in process. So I was searching a suitable city for my wife and myself to reside in.

 

On my Amtrack train from Richmond to Sacramento I met Mike Bush. It was his generosity that drew my attention. The steward on the train found a young man who used an invalid ticket and was going to be fined $ 500, ten times of his ticket value. Otherwise the young man would be taken by the railway police at the next station. Mike walked toward where the young man seated and asked the steward, “Can I pay for him?” Before the astonishing beholders, Mike took out five a-hundred-dollar bills from a Bible which was in his hand. After the matter was over, Mike gave that Bible to the young man and patted the young man’s shoulder, and went back to his own seat.

 

There were quite some empty seats on the train, so I moved to the seat opposite to Mike’s. Our chat started then. Mike is a talkative Californian of my age. His destination was Sacramento too. He introduced to me a lot of things about Sacramento, including the history, the Golden Rush, the regional transit system, etc. Of course, he mentioned the Chinese immigrants in Sacramento as well. I must recognize today, it was Mike who helped me make the decision of choosing Sacramento as our resident city.

 

When the train arrived at Sacramento Valley Station, it’s almost dark. Mike and I already became friends. He told me that the day was a local festival, so it’s impossible to get a hotel room if I hadn’t reserved one. I told him that I hadn’t had any hotel reservation. He said immediately, “If you don’t mind, you may stay with me tonight.” I thanked him.

 

Mike took me walking from Sacramento Valley Station to a tunnel about two miles away from the station. It looked desolate but there were already seven or eight men lying there. They showed warm welcome to Mike, of course, Mike briefly introduced me to them. Then Mike made a cell phone call to somebody saying “Bring me a clean sleeping bag and a pillow for my new friend”. Ten minutes later a young man came, driving a truck, brought the sleeping bag, pillow and two packs of meal and water.

 

I had a very good sleep that night. In the morning the following day I told Mike that I’d like to go back to the bay area. Mike accompanied me to the Valley Station. On the way I said to him, “Mike, I hope my question won’t hurt you: Do you and your friends belong to the homeless people?” He was silent for a while, then answered me with a wide smile: “Generally speaking, yes, for we enjoy all government benefit for homeless people. But actually I have a home right here in Sacramento. The boy who brought you the sleeping bag last night is my grandson. I think the term ‘homeless’ includes three kinds of people: the beggars, the homeless, the wanderers. People become homeless with various reasons. I think that I myself belong to wanderers. The reason of my wandering is to spread the Gospel.”

 

I suddenly understood what had puzzled me. I asked Mike the last question: “Why did you bring that much cash with you yesterday?”

 

Mike smiled again and said, “That’s not my money. That’s God who prepared for that young man. You know, a charity organization in Richmond informed me to pick up twenty copies of Bible at their office. That’s why I went to Richmond yesterday. On the train back to Sacramento I thought I should check if there’s any page missing. As I opened the second copy of Bible, I happened to see there were five bills of a-hundred-bug. Right at that time, the young man was caught by the steward.”

 

 

(Written in July 2013)