Transcript of 8/22, midafternoon, interview with Tony, a homeless man sitting on a bench at the corner of College and Clayton.
After a quick walking tour around the streets of downtown Athens, I decided to focus on a man sitting on this particular bench. He was looking at a book when I first saw him. A cardboard sign reading “Homeless, please help” was perched against his backpack on the pavement.
I approached (with my husband accompanying me) and handed him a dollar. He accepted it with a smile, made direct eye contact, and said “thank you”.
Me: Can I join you here?
Man: Sure, sit right down.
He motioned to the space next to him. There was already someone seated at the other end of the bench, so I sat down next to the man. My husband sat on a cement wall until the other occupant got up to allow the three of us to be on the bench together.
Me: Hi. My name is Maryann … and actually, I’m taking a journalism class at UGA.
Man: Oh, that’s great (smiles).
Me: I’d like to interview you for a project I’m working on, if that’s okay.
Man: Sure. That’ll be fine.
Me: Would you mind if I record our conversation, or would you be more comfortable if I take notes instead?
Man: Whatever works for you. Either way’s okay with me.
Me (after getting recorder going): What are you reading?
Man: It’s a travel book. This one is on South Carolina. It has a lot of nice pictures. I had one on Georgia but I gave it to someone who’s traveling around. There’s a free book exchange up the street (points up College Avenue toward Washington Street). I pick up a book every week or so and read it, then give it to a friend if someone wants it. Or I bring it back up there. Then I get another one.
Me: So, what kinds of things do you like to read?
Man: I like science fiction and history mostly. Those kinds of things. But I read all kinds of books.
Me: Do you have a favorite book, from what you’ve found there … or anytime?
Man: Well, actually last week, after I got out of the hospital, I read the book Green Mile. The movie with Tom Hanks was made from that story.
Man continues, after I ask for clarification about book name (I’ve put the statement about being in the hospital in the back of my mind for now): It’s about him being a prison guard back in the early years and the green mile meant you were on death row. One of the guys that he had on death row was this huge, huge, huge black man but he had special powers. He helped heal the guard and also, he helped heal the warden’s wife. She was bedridden. And the guard took him out of the prison to the warden’s house. And he helped heal her. But the thing about it was … whatever was, whatever was in their body that was making them sick or whatever, he would inhale it and take it into his own body. Then all he had to do was blow it out (he demonstrates).
Me: Too bad that can’t be true.
Man: Yes (emphatically). Too bad.
Me: So, let’s start with …
Man: How I got here?
Me: Yes. Would you mind telling me your name?
Tony: My name is Tony.
Me: Tony. Okay.
Tony: I lost my job and my house at the same time. Um, I worked on a horse farm just outside of Helen Ga. Uh, we gave artificial insemination and raised ponies up to certain age, and we shipped them to Florida .. to the owner’s sons and they raised ‘em up for horse racing. I was there for about 8 years and there were nine of us that lived on the farm. Um, the owner passed away, from a heart attack. He was in his mid-70s. His sons I had always dealt with for years, just by phone, I had never met ‘em, umm… but once their father passed away, they came up, they put up for sale signs and said, “See ya.” No severance pay, nothin’. I’m originally from here. This is where I grew up.
Me: So you grew up in Athens and left to work on the horse farm?
Tony: I moved away before that. I worked for a book company.
Me: What book company was it? What did you do there?
Tony: Account administration and I went from that to receiving department. The company was Baker and Taylor. They’re right in Commerce. I stayed there for like 14 years and um … then I got into account managing, inventory control, that kind of stuff. I decided after 14 years I’d had enough of it.
Me: it just wasn’t the right thing for you.
Tony: Yup. So, I decided I wanted to learn how to build a house and I had no clue (laughs) so I went out and started toting lumber for construction companies that were building houses here in East Athens. And um, swinging hammer, learn how to read blueprints. I did that, probably for about 7 or 8 years. Then the last 8 years I was on a horse farm.
Me: What did you like the best of those things that you’ve done so far … or none of them?
Tony: I liked being on the horse farm. Yes. I would love to go back to the mountains. Yes. But, I’ve been back here about 3 years.
Me: Do you still have family in the area?
Tony: My son lives in Lawrenceville. Uh … he has no idea of my situation. I don’t let him know about that. I mean I talk with him, and we visit. I have two grandsons, one is four years old and the other one’s seven. And I talk with him and stuff. He’s doing very well and I’m very proud of him. He and his wife, both. But I don’t let him know what my situation is.
Me: How do you keep him from discovering that?
Tony: I go visit him sometimes but he doesn’t come here. Yup. If he knew I was out here, doing this, he would’ve already come and got me.
Me: And you don’t want that. Do you like to be on your own?
Tony: Well, I didn’t choose to be in this situation but that doesn’t mean I have to stay here.
Me: No, it doesn’t.
Tony: Yea; several people I’ve met since I’ve been here and I’ve asked them, “How long have you been out here and they say, you know, seven, eight, nine years. And I say, “Well, do you look for a job? And the first two words to come out of their mouth are “I can’t.” They’ not physically disabled, they’re not mentally disabled, as far as I know. I think the first words that come out of their mouth should be, “I don’t want to”.
Me: I see.
Tony (adds quickly): But you know just because this happened to me doesn’t mean I have to stay here.
Me: No, absolutely not (I know that this juncture begs a question about what he is doing to change it, but I did not feel it was the right time to pose that question. Instead, I just let him continue).
Tony: I’ve been here a little over two years, day and night.
Me: Where do you sleep at night?
Tony: Um … normally beside the church under the stairwell, because it stays dry. I have camped with some fellows, in a tent, that type of thing, I’ve done that. But no, normally for the last year or so, I stay by the church over there.
Tony: I slept in that stairwell for 6 months (points to stairwell going down to basement of Subway sandwich shop). I worked there for 8 months.
Me: At the Subway?
Tony: Yes (nods). I gave it up because my last paycheck, you get paid every two week, my last paycheck for 2 weeks was $19. I had 3 hours in two weeks. I worked there for 8 months and made not the first sandwich. Everything I did was downstairs. When the trucks came in, the freezers and the coolers and stuff, you have to bring everything out front, bring new stuff in. Rotate it. That kind of stuff.
Me: You were living on the street at that time?
Tony: Yes. Right there (points to stairwell).
Me: What’s it like being out here?
Tony: It’s not so bad. To me it’s like, umm, I keep an eye on who I associate myself with. There are people out here who are not good people. In my opinion.
(At this point, a young woman who apparently knows him came out of the Subway shop and told him she had been hired. He congratulated her then returned to our conversation, now talking about how the Athens has changed since he was a young adult, particularly noting increased number of students and new buildings going up. Another individual approached him, apparently a street person. They spoke for a few minutes. I interjected that I’d let him go and would come back to talk more another time.)
Tony: Oh no, please don’t. Don’t do that.
(I stay for a while longer and resume our conversation)
Me: You’ve got a lot of friends out here. I can see that for sure.
Tony (smiles, then says about the friend who has now left): “He’s very musically talented but since he’s been out here on the street, he’s kind of nuts (laughs).
Me: Hmm. So, you were saying that you get a read on people and know who to stay away from.
Tony: Yeah, that’s important. (Pauses) About 2 months ago I started having seizures. And I never had that happen to me before, ever in my life. They gave me anti-seizure medication and did an MRI and said that I had a brain tumor. The doctor said I could go to Emory. They’d cut in to see what it is or to just take it out. But right here in Athens they could do radiation. So, I did that. They took me off anti-seizure medication because it’s not good to take it while you’re having radiation. I was supposed to have 6 sessions. Then after 4 the doctor checks it and says it’s gone.
Me: Oh, I’m glad to hear that.
Tony: But, I had another seizure, so they said it wasn’t the tumor.
(A passerby asked for directions to the Mellow Mushroom and he said it was two block down on the right)
Tony continues: The neurologist referred me to a doctor across the street and she’s internal medicine. She put me back on anti-seizure medicine. But, I had another one last night. Right here (points to pavement). One of the ladies that works there, at the Subway, saw me. It’s like a blackout thing. My body doesn’t tell me that this is fixing to happen. And um, she got me to come to and brought me some orange juice and stuff, but umm … I didn’t go to the hospital last night. The last time I did that they kept me for like 6 days. And they strapped me to the bed because I was like wanting to leave.
Me: That can’t be too pleasant.
Tony: No, it isn’t. And I didn’t want to go. I go back to the doctor on the 30th and she’s wanting to give me another brain scan and do some blood work.
Me (getting ready to leave): I’m going to check up on you, Tony, and see how you made out. I have to go now but I’d like to talk to you again.
Tony: Oh, yea. I’ll be sittin here.
Me: This is kind of your spot.
Tony: Oh yea. I’ve been sitting here for over 2 years.
Me: Well, I’m going to stop and talk to you another time.
Tony: Do that. Please do that.
I gave him an unopened bottle of water I had in my bag and wished him well. Before leaving, I asked if I could take his picture. He did not hesitate to say yes and added: I have no problem with that. I’m not wanted anywhere.
As we left, Tony said: Good luck with your class!
