My Story of Being Homeless (continued)

by Tammy Hammock

Morning came and I still didn’t have a plan. So I hid most of my money and took off. I walked a couple hours. Then I saw an elderly women mowing her grass. So I asked her if I could help her. She was like, Thanks! I finished the yard. She made a sandwich and brought me a coke. She asked me what I did for a living. I told her I was a hairdresser. Her face lit up! Then she asked me if I could give here a perm. I said sure. She says come back tomorrow.

So I went back to my humble home. I was glad to be able to help her, but I was hoping she would offer me some money.

The next day I show up. We went to the beauty supply and bought what we needed. We sat and drank coffee and I did her perm. She just loved it. I told her I had to go home. She said wait! Then she went in her purse and pulled out a $50.00 bill. She handed it to me and said what an angel you are.

I went home feeling pretty good about myself. I still had plenty of food and drinks, so I figured I would stay there a few more days until I run out of food and drinks. So I started thinking I have to limit how much I spend. So I set my limit to $10.00 a day. So now I have $220.00 saved. My goal is to find work every day.

So I brought out my blanket and lay by the fire. Morning came and I set out to make a few bucks. So I cleaned up, packed my stuff and hid my money separate from my stuff in case someone discovered my things.

That morning was hot and muggy. I mean sweat just poured off of me. It was so humid you could hardly breathe. So I carried a wash rag with me with some anti-bacterial soap. That way I could keep clean and cool.

I decided to change direction that day to keep people from noticing me. I had this fear that someone I knew might see me. I didn’t want to face anyone. I was embarrassed as it was. So I avoided my old stomping grounds.

I had to be careful that no one was watching me come out of the woods. There was a dirt road. So I didn’t worry too much about someone seeing me go in and out of the woods

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