literally another aussie in london

jrod helps the homeless part 5

Everyone was bedding down now, and suddenly I realised that I had my wallet with me, and no second guy to help watch my back. I didn’t know if I needed my back watched, but I would never sleep with my wallet in my bag in a youth hostel, so I wasn’t about to now.

When the lights went down I took out my plastic and cash and slipped them into my pillow case, smooth. The night went well early, I fell into a light sleep, but I did tend to wake up a few times, especially when the gentlemen who had been on the turps almost stood on me on their way to the toilet.

After being woken up for the 4th or so time, I decided to go to the toilet, I knew with my tricky pillow case behaviour my money was safe. I did my business in quick time, and made my way back to the sleeping bag.

As I put myself in the bag, by my feet I saw my wallet on the ground. Just sitting there, looking oddly out of place, I tried to think of what I had done with my wallet after I had slipped the money into my pillow case, oh shit the pillow case, phew, it was all still in there.

I still didn’t know how my wallet got there; I couldn’t even remember what I had done with it after the smooth pillow case manoeuvre.  It was too dark to see inside it. I couldn’t remember what cards I had taken out, and other than my oyster card.

Here I am in a room with 12 people, it’s dark, I’m feeling for cards, and I realise that I have a mobile in my bag as well. I start rummaging around like a mad man looking for it.

For some reason, not known to me now or then, I decide to put my mobile and my wallet into my sleeping bag. By now sleep is almost impossible, I am worried someone is going to go through my stuff at all times, and the mobile keeps ending up under my back.

I spent the next few hours waiting for someone to move, which several people did, more toilet trips. And I followed everyone of their movements. Most of the time I just waited for an appropriate time to get up.

Scarface woke first, and while he was getting up, I started packing up my stuff. It was at that time I realised that my wallet was probably in the back pocket of my jeans, and my jeans were hanging over my backpack, in just such a way that my wallet would have slipped out and landed, well, just about where I found it.

I lost a whole night’s sleep because I was too stupid to remember where I put my wallet.

After that I woke up the Co-ordinator, her air bed had gone flat during the night, and she slept on an office chair, yet she still said as I walked “oh are you ok, you don’t look so good”.

That is how my helping homeless adventure finished, I started off as someone who looked homeless, and I ended up not looking so good.

March 16, 2009 Posted by Jrod | living in london | homeless | Leave a Comment