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I have a few moments while waiting for a data recovery to finish, so let me entrance the masses with an epic tale of a somewhat homeless woman who had drifted around our area for a couple of decades.
In my town we have a few "interesting" people. I shall tell their stories at some other time, for this is a Beowulf-level story for this thread.
The tale of Wandering Wanda began well over two decades ago. The owner of the store in which I work, M, was aware of this woman's existence when he was a lad of perhaps 11 or 12. (25 years) Now, there's a couple of stories that had floated around town, but this is the one that we'd heard most often: She had witnessed a few members die in a house fire. Understandably, she went a bit nutty from that. She had to be at least in her 30's at the time. She wore old, dirty clothes and walked everywhere. I'd heard she had been seen in towns as far away as 10 - 12 miles. But usually she stuck around our area here. Supposedly there was a brother or nephew whose house she stayed in, but she wasn't allowed there during the day, which was why she walked or stood around all day, smoking cigarettes and talking to herself.
Not so sure how accurate that last rumour was, as she would sometimes sleep in the lobby (PO Box section) of the local post office. But when the USPS found out, they started locking the doors so she couldn't sleep there. So, right off the bat, people weren't able to go after hours for PO Box mail because of her. But no big deal.
I've been working here pretty much since the store opened, nearly five years. Here are a few sightings I've had personally, as well as the boss and others:
What'd she wipe with?
We were working one Sunday, maybe 3 years ago. Drizzling weather, boring day. I was standing up by the front window and I see a cop car park on the street a couple doors down to our right. Then a couple of cops walk past us headed to our left. They were down there for a few minutes. I see a guy we're friendly with who works at a bakery a couple of doors down wander past. When he comes back, I pop my head out the door:
Me: Say, Mike, what's the hubbub?
Mike: Meh, the bag lady took a shit out in front of someone's store. Again.
Me:
Thanks, Mike.
I relay this to my boss.
M: AGAIN!?
Me: I guess once wasn't enough, huh?
Getting a few more details later from the owner of the storefront whom we're also friendly with (we love our neighbors, they love us. It's a lovefest in town!)
Apparently the "bag lady" was walking down the street, stopped, dropped trou (sweatpants, actually) in front of a hair salon a few doors down, and dropped a Lincoln Log on the sidewalk. The cops escorted her to the outskirts of town, but I don't believe any official charges were filed.
We have a large east coast-based convenience chain store across the street from us. We eat there often as the food is cheap and it's close. But some of the employees got a little lenient with Wanda's habits. I don't mean to sound cruel, but these will illustrate why that's a bad idea:
I don't want that sandwich now.
M, my boss, went over to get a sandwich. Wanda was in the store, muttering to herself and looking for something to eat. The thing is - she's not poor. She routinely carried around several $20 bills and if someone noticed her outside the store, sometimes they would try to give her money. Wanda always refused. Anyway, Wanda did not take good care of herself as you can imagine. 20 years of walking/standing outside in the elements in the same dirty clothes, smoking, eating junk food... it's all going to take a toll. She had some sort of skin condition on her legs and sometimes coughed up blood into a napkin. So as M is there ordering lunch, he sees Wanda pawing through the breakfast sandwiches. (wrapped up like McDonalds breakfast sandwiches, under a heat lamp) She had *just* been coughing into a napkin and now she's picking up individual sandwiches, looking at it, and putting it back until she finds the right one. M saw one guy walk up to get one, saw Wanda going through them, and the guy promptly did a heel turn and got something from the cooler instead.
Can I move in behind the deli?
The convenience store has a little shelf near the front door where kids are meant to put their bookbags when they come in. Wanda had taken to sitting on the shelf and often fell asleep there. Both me and M had seen her do it. We didn't want to bring any heat on the store, so we didn't complain (she was a little ripe, plus the coughing up blood thing was a little gross). After more than a month of the store people allowing her to do this, one or more people had finally complained to the corporate office about it. (I'm friends with a couple of the guys who work there and got the story right after this happened) At least a couple of people had emailed corporate because they were letting a homeless woman sleep on the shelf near the door. The kicker was, in one of the emails the person had said something like "I'll be bringing over a sleeping bag and I'll move in behind the deli counter."
I'm probably forgetting a couple of stories, but my data recovery is done. so back to work I go. But I part with this:
The last time we'd seen Wanda was, perhaps, February of last year. ('08) Then no one saw her for at least two or three months. A friend of mine who does trash pickup (those big open-container types) said he saw her milling around the bus station of the next town over. (a large urban sprawl, some bad sections, lots of crime and drugs, etc. Picture Newark but a bit smaller) After that, no one ever saw her again. Based on her rapidly-deteriorating health from the last couple of years, there's a good chance she passed on.
Hopefully she's at peace now.
In my town we have a few "interesting" people. I shall tell their stories at some other time, for this is a Beowulf-level story for this thread.
The tale of Wandering Wanda began well over two decades ago. The owner of the store in which I work, M, was aware of this woman's existence when he was a lad of perhaps 11 or 12. (25 years) Now, there's a couple of stories that had floated around town, but this is the one that we'd heard most often: She had witnessed a few members die in a house fire. Understandably, she went a bit nutty from that. She had to be at least in her 30's at the time. She wore old, dirty clothes and walked everywhere. I'd heard she had been seen in towns as far away as 10 - 12 miles. But usually she stuck around our area here. Supposedly there was a brother or nephew whose house she stayed in, but she wasn't allowed there during the day, which was why she walked or stood around all day, smoking cigarettes and talking to herself.
Not so sure how accurate that last rumour was, as she would sometimes sleep in the lobby (PO Box section) of the local post office. But when the USPS found out, they started locking the doors so she couldn't sleep there. So, right off the bat, people weren't able to go after hours for PO Box mail because of her. But no big deal.
I've been working here pretty much since the store opened, nearly five years. Here are a few sightings I've had personally, as well as the boss and others:
What'd she wipe with?
We were working one Sunday, maybe 3 years ago. Drizzling weather, boring day. I was standing up by the front window and I see a cop car park on the street a couple doors down to our right. Then a couple of cops walk past us headed to our left. They were down there for a few minutes. I see a guy we're friendly with who works at a bakery a couple of doors down wander past. When he comes back, I pop my head out the door:
Me: Say, Mike, what's the hubbub?
Mike: Meh, the bag lady took a shit out in front of someone's store. Again.
Me:
Thanks, Mike.I relay this to my boss.
M: AGAIN!?
Me: I guess once wasn't enough, huh?
Getting a few more details later from the owner of the storefront whom we're also friendly with (we love our neighbors, they love us. It's a lovefest in town!)
Apparently the "bag lady" was walking down the street, stopped, dropped trou (sweatpants, actually) in front of a hair salon a few doors down, and dropped a Lincoln Log on the sidewalk. The cops escorted her to the outskirts of town, but I don't believe any official charges were filed.
We have a large east coast-based convenience chain store across the street from us. We eat there often as the food is cheap and it's close. But some of the employees got a little lenient with Wanda's habits. I don't mean to sound cruel, but these will illustrate why that's a bad idea:
I don't want that sandwich now.
M, my boss, went over to get a sandwich. Wanda was in the store, muttering to herself and looking for something to eat. The thing is - she's not poor. She routinely carried around several $20 bills and if someone noticed her outside the store, sometimes they would try to give her money. Wanda always refused. Anyway, Wanda did not take good care of herself as you can imagine. 20 years of walking/standing outside in the elements in the same dirty clothes, smoking, eating junk food... it's all going to take a toll. She had some sort of skin condition on her legs and sometimes coughed up blood into a napkin. So as M is there ordering lunch, he sees Wanda pawing through the breakfast sandwiches. (wrapped up like McDonalds breakfast sandwiches, under a heat lamp) She had *just* been coughing into a napkin and now she's picking up individual sandwiches, looking at it, and putting it back until she finds the right one. M saw one guy walk up to get one, saw Wanda going through them, and the guy promptly did a heel turn and got something from the cooler instead.
Can I move in behind the deli?
The convenience store has a little shelf near the front door where kids are meant to put their bookbags when they come in. Wanda had taken to sitting on the shelf and often fell asleep there. Both me and M had seen her do it. We didn't want to bring any heat on the store, so we didn't complain (she was a little ripe, plus the coughing up blood thing was a little gross). After more than a month of the store people allowing her to do this, one or more people had finally complained to the corporate office about it. (I'm friends with a couple of the guys who work there and got the story right after this happened) At least a couple of people had emailed corporate because they were letting a homeless woman sleep on the shelf near the door. The kicker was, in one of the emails the person had said something like "I'll be bringing over a sleeping bag and I'll move in behind the deli counter."
I'm probably forgetting a couple of stories, but my data recovery is done. so back to work I go. But I part with this:
The last time we'd seen Wanda was, perhaps, February of last year. ('08) Then no one saw her for at least two or three months. A friend of mine who does trash pickup (those big open-container types) said he saw her milling around the bus station of the next town over. (a large urban sprawl, some bad sections, lots of crime and drugs, etc. Picture Newark but a bit smaller) After that, no one ever saw her again. Based on her rapidly-deteriorating health from the last couple of years, there's a good chance she passed on.
Hopefully she's at peace now.
My boyfriend and I theorize that he's realky the incredible hulk. 
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