I met Chris while I was waiting for my train. I was leaning against the wall in New York Penn Station with my headphones on waiting for the track number of my train home to be displayed on the flat screen TV hanging a few steps to my left.
Suddenly a man was standing in front of me. His mouth was moving but I couldn’t hear him over the music in my ears. I paused the song and removed my headphones.
He started over.
“Could you help me out? I need to get $10 as soon as possible and I’ve only got $2.” He was a short African American man who was almost completely bald with a beard, wearing a yellow Brazil soccer jersey. He didn’t make eye contact.
“I’m sorry, I don’t typically give out cash. What do you need it for?” I answered his question with a question.
“I’m not going to lie, I have an alcohol problem and if I don’t get $10 I am going to be hurting soon.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. What’s your name?”
“My name is Chris.” As we shook hands he asked me again, “Can you help me out?”
“Well, Chris, I work with the Relief Bus, do you know us?”
He sighed. “I know the Relief Bus.”
I pretended not to notice his obvious frustration with the fact that I wasn’t going to give him any money and moved right past it. “Have you ever thought about getting some help for your alcohol problem? Maybe go to a detox or rehab? Do you have Medicaid?”
“I’m trying to get up to Boston. My birthday is next week and I really don’t want to spend my birthday in a detox if you know what I mean. Maybe when I get back?”
“I can respect that. But you know the reality is that tomorrow isn’t guaranteed to any of us. I mean, maybe if you spend this year in a detox, you could be celebrating a year of sobriety at your next birthday?”
“I guess, but I’m not that interested in sobriety. I just want to be sustainable.”
“Well, you may not be able to have the one without the other. I mean, I may not be all that interested in falling to my death, but if I really like jumping out of airplanes without a parachute, it may not matter.”
He replied, “I hear you but I really need a drink.”
“Good luck, bro.”
