Homeless Bat

“Freddie!” “Freddie!” Creaking the metal, gated door swings open nailing in the ribs of Freddie asleep the ground as if camped out in front of a neighborhood restaurant. “Freddie dammit! I have to open the restaurant!” -Joe the Restaurant’s Owner. Snoring sounds of what sound like a water buffalo stop…. “Hmmmm?” “Oh sorry about this…” Embarrassed to have fallen asleep on the job. “I overheard some evil doers planning to break in here so I thought I would keep guard.” -Freddie

The restaurant owner’s name is Joe. Joe knows about Freddie here and aside from his name he likes to be called Batman. Joe recounts opening his restaurant and quickly learning about the crime fighting homeless man of the neighborhood. Joe grew up in a convenience store owned by his parents and knows how unsafe it is to own a business. Joe has learned that Freddie really does help protect and has never known why.

After Joe moving Freddie from his front door he gestures to Freddie toward the open door… “Come in for some breakfast Batman.” “No, No Please I am on my way.” -Freddie. “Enough! For all you do a meal is barely enough payment.” -Joe

As Freddie settles into the welcome comfort of support from a proper hard wood chair with fresh cup of coffee in hand. He becomes inflicted from memories that haunt him daily.

Freddie has had quite the life…. To not even speak of his childhood, Freddie has been though the ringer in his life and feels as if he is to blame for it all.

“Here you go Batman!” -Joe. Snapping back into reality by Joe’s exclaim. “Thank you.” -Freddie

Staring down at the plate feeling as if he doesn’t deserve such kindness.

Freddie likes to be called Batman because it reminds him his purpose. As if by some kind of personal sentence to prison, Freddie chooses homelessness and the self appointed role of protector.

Screems echo throughout a neighborhood park…. “AAHHHHGHHHHU!” Gasping for air breathing heavy Freddie wakes from another nightmare. Its 8am and as people walking about the park avoid the screaming man Freddie reminisces his least favorite part of homelessness.

As much as it helps his crime fighting a vast sense of loneliness and emptiness washes Freddie as people pass him by. Talking to a hallucination sitting across from him, “You know the thing I miss most that you don’t get once homeless and disheveled?” “What’s that Freddie?” “Eye Contact.” “People avoid eye contact with me because it’s easier to think I don’t exist.” “I get that, avoiding eye contact makes it so that they don’t have to see you are human like they are.”

“Exactly they don’t want to connect because they know my life is rough and they don’t want to feel bad.” “What they don’t realize is that chips away at a mans humanity”“Plunging you into deeper darkness.”

A dog barks in the distance as Freddie looks to that direction his head swivels back to who he was speaking to discovering no one is there. “Damn these hallucinations are getting worse.” Freddie states to himself.

Some say hell is living and sometimes and in Freddie’s case he feels he must sacrifice his comfort and life to balance the karmic tides of his past choices.

Batman Freddie will roam the streets of his town 24/7, napping when he can and training where-ever possible. He enjoys the homeless style because no one pays attention to the homeless so investigation is easy.

Judgement is easy when all you see is the cover of someone’s book.

Challenge yourself to ask what more could this person hold?