The following is an excerpt from a writing that I have yet to publish but I'm currently organizing for that purpose. With the cold weather that a lot of people are experiencing, myself included although currently in Arizona I was reminded of an experience in my life that makes me appreciate the comfort of a warm home and my grandmother's quilts.
I had been walking from San Diego starting on the first day of the year 1980. I thought I was good at hitchhiking till this trip and after a day on the road had only made it to Gila Bend AZ. It was cold and I walked through the most of the first night out of San Diego. A friend had given me a ride to the highway. I had been staying with this friend but felt that I was imposing and wanted to get back to Texas, Houston to be specific because I felt that I belonged there. I had left with a large suitcase and summer type clothing since it is not that cold in San Diego. By the first night in Gila Bend I was miserable and could not get warm. I checked for missions or shelters but could not find one so continued to walked through the night. I had not slept and by approaching night fall of the second day on the road I had only managed to get a ride to Lordsburg New Mexico. I could go no further and when I walked under an over pass just outside of Lordsburg I decided to spend the night there. The following hours seemed long as I tried to get into the large suitcase I had with me. I had no money , and no warm clothing and didn’t sleep through that horrible night. At first light I was shivering as I stumbled down to the highway to try to continue my trip to Houston. I had just gotten down to the road side when a man in a pick up truck stopped. He opened the door and asked if I had spent the night under that bridge and in stammering speech I said yes sir I did. He said what are you doing out here and I replied trying to get my ass back to Texas where I think I belong. He then asked if I drank and I said yes and he said reach under the seat and get yourself a shot of whiskey. I did but was still shivering. He then asked if I smoked and I said yes. He said get yourself a pack of cigarettes off the dash . This man then introduced himself to me. I forget his name after all these years but he told me he was the sheriff of Lordsburg and was on his way into work. He said he would drop me off at a good exit and go into town to do some paper work. He then said when he was finished he would return to see if I had gotten a ride and if I had good luck to me and if I had not he would take me to town for breakfast. Then he asked how does that sound. It sounded very good to me and I thanked him very much for his kindness and got out of the truck at the exit still shaking but starting to warm up with the whiskey and the sun. On the way the radio said it had been 25 degrees that night in Lordsburg. I waited for no more than five minutes when a car with two brothers and a friend of theirs stopped to give me a ride. They were going through Houston and would take me the entire way there. I thought often of that sheriff and his kindness and how he could have taken me to jail for vagrancy but instead showed the compassion that he did. Years later I tried to contact him through the Lordsburg chamber of commerce and did get a letter off to him, or who they said was the sheriff during that time. I never received a reply and that is not important but will always hope that he did get my letter of thanks from those many years past when he lifted me instead of putting me down.
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