Maggie & Stevie

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Maggie & Stevie

Maggie & Stevie

By

Francis William Bessler

Laramie, Wyoming

September 8th, 2013

Note:

       All dates below are for 2013.  The story is mostly true.  Let us just say that for the most part, it is accurate; and that which is not true is somewhat trivial.  Enjoy my story as you will.  OK?  Thanks!  FWB

August 14^th

       This saga began when friend, Nancy Shaw, and I were visiting Vedauwoo Rock Mountain Park, 15 miles or so east of Laramie.  Vedauwoo is an Arapahoe Indian name, I think, and it is pronounced "Vedawoo".  Nancy and I were in a remote location so I could wax my car au natural - as I try to do once a year.  I am not sure how long young Stevie (14) was watching, but from some hidden point she waited until I put on some clothes and then approached us, asking if we could help her 59 year old Grannie (Maggie) and her to get their car going.  The battery was dead and they needed a jump, however their location was about a mile away or so. 

       So, Nancy and I took Stevie to their camping location and jumped their car - a mostly defunct 1980's Ford station wagon.  They had been camping at their remote location for over a week and were basically living out of their car - living previously with some friends in Casper who supposedly asked them to leave to make room for family.  In brief, they were homeless. 

       Anyway we jumped their car with my own and then escorted them to Laramie where we filled up their gas tank for being nearly empty, treated them to a meal at Burger King, and sent them on their way.  Nancy gave them her telephone number and told them to call her if they needed more help.

       In fact, I do not know much about the history of these two.  Stevie's father died when she was a baby and she lost her mother due to some toxic happening when Stevie was 8.  Stevie lived with her step father for a time, but she does not get along well with him and chose to live with her grandmother.  Stevie has a little sister who still lives with the step father.

       I know almost nothing of Maggie.  Like her granddaughter, she is somewhat of a sweetheart.  I think she has moved around quite a bit.  Maybe like a Gypsy or the like.  In the end, what difference should it make?  Maggie & Stevie were like two "friends" needing a lift.  So we - Nancy and I - gave them some help - as you will find out below.

       Maggie & Stevie have a 14 year old Boston Terrier by the name of "Honey" that is just one of the family - and Stevie also has a turtle that she feeds lettuce.  That turtle thing is a new one for me; but if a turtle can comfort Stevie, why not?  Maybe the turtle has a name - and maybe it doesn't - or maybe "she" doesn't.  Stevie tells me her turtle is a lady.  I know not; but at least the turtle has a home.  Good for it - or her!

August 15^th

       In the afternoon, Nancy received a call from Stevie from Stevie's cell phone that their car was dead again, but this time it just stopped on their way out of Vedauwoo to find some homeless assistance in Laramie.  Nancy and I returned to where their car had stopped, hoping a jump would be sufficient again, but soon found out that the car would not run at all - even with a jump.  Nancy and I then brought them to Laramie; and Nancy let them stay at her house.  We left their car along a little side road at Vedauwoo.

August 16^th -  August 30^th

       Maggie & Stevie stayed at Nancy's for several weeks.  During this time, from the want ads in the Laramie Boomerang, we located a low rent apartment for them that would become available at the end of the month.   Nancy made sure that Stevie was registered for attending 9^th Grade at a local high school - and Maggie, Stevie, Nancy, Rick, a new neighbor at the new apartment, and a new boyfriend of Stevie, Ronny, whom Stevie met during the first week of school, painted the new apartment.  All I did was clean the vents of the furnace, though I was prepared to help paint.  As it turned out, my help was not needed.  So like a true sideliner, I skipped out.

       A friend of mine, Lynn, got a friend of his to tow Maggie's car to an auto repair company in Laramie.  It was repaired a little, but we were told it needed a lot more than they could offer.  Maggie drove her car to Nancy's after it was "fixed," but the car died again and eventually we would have it junked and picked up from Nancy's by one of those auto salvage places.  It is our intention to eventually get Maggie another car - as she cannot afford to buy one right now by herself.  It won't be much, but we are on the lookout for one.  Nancy is thinking about maybe getting a new car or good used car to replace her current 2001 vehicle - and then giving her old car to Maggie & Stevie.  Time will tell.

August 31^st

       Renting a large U-Haul truck in Laramie, Maggie, Stevie, Nancy, Ronny, Rick and I drove to Casper, about 200 miles from Laramie, to pick up Maggie & Stevie's belongings - located at two locations.  The first location was that home in Casper from which Maggie & Stevie were asked to leave to make room for the occupant's family.  We picked up a TV and some twin mattresses - among some other little furniture - at this first location.  The second location was a rather large rental unit - which was chuck full of stuff.  I told Maggie that stuff looked more like junk to me than anything else and suggested that she throw most of it out, but Maggie  thought otherwise.  So we loaded all the stuff (junk) found in the rental unit and made our way back to Laramie and Maggie & Stevie's new home.

September 1st - September 2nd

       We started unloading the "stuff" in the U-Haul truck into Maggie & Stevie's  new apartment - which was a two bedroom apartment.  Maggie was to take one bedroom and Stevie the other, but there was so much "stuff" from the two locations in Casper that we had to use Maggie's room as a storage room - and most of Stevie's too.  All the living room was filled and the kitchen was too.  All the while we were unloading, I kept telling Maggie that the little apartment simply would not handle all of the "stuff" she was keeping.  Maggie called me "Mr. Negative" and told me she was a veteran at moving and that she had done this many times before.  I told her again and again that she ought to go more slowly and go through the boxes and throw much of it - if not most of it - out.  Luckily, there were two garbage bins just around the corner.

       On the first day of the move in, Maggie agreed to try and go through the "stuff" as we unloaded it from the truck and separate the good from the bad; but at day's end, we had unloaded only 1/3 of the truck and Maggie did not want to delay the process on the second day.  She was determined to finish the unload on that second day and she would hear of nothing else.  Consequently, we just moved box after box in, stashing box upon box.  In the end, we did unload it all in two days, but now Maggie & Stevie have to go through all that stuff and separate good from bad just to make some room for moving around in their new apartment.

       But at least they are in.  Maggie is a diabetic and receives a small amount from Social Security for that.  Stevie suffers from "panic attacks" - as she calls them - and needs as much medication for that as Maggie does for her diabetes.  I won't offer any further details.  I guess there is no need for that.  Suffice it to say that if I had lived the rather troubled life that Stevie has probably lived, I would probably suffer from "panic attacks" too.

Afterwards

       Who knows how "afterwards" will go for these two, but at least they are no longer living out of a dead car.  At least Stevie is in school.  She has made friends with several classmates already, though.  Ronnie is one of them.  Another is called Amber.  I would say that is making friends in short order.  Just one week of a new school and Stevie has several new friends.  That ought to help her adjust.

       In addition to her diabetes, Maggie smokes almost non-stop.  She needs it to keep her from  getting nervous, she says.  I think she should work to overcome such a need, but it is not up to me to live anyone's life for them.  Some would argue that folks like Maggie - who seem to be compulsive "stuff" collectors - suffer from mental illness.  I do not agree with that at all.  I don't think Maggie is mentally ill.  I simply think she is "choosing" to collect stuff.  I guess it is some kind of "security blanket" or something.  Hey, we all need various "security blankets".  That is how I see all of that.

       Personally, I think most rich people suffer from the same "mental illness".  They, too, think they need a lot of "stuff" to make life meaningful.  It's just that the rich collect rich stuff and the poor collect poor stuff.  In the end, is there any real difference?  If someone needs any kind of "stuff" to make their life meaningful, personally I think they are somewhat foolish; but like I say, everyone has a right to live their life like they want.  Who am I to say otherwise?  And I suppose one could argue that I have a lot of "stuff" too that no one else would consider useful.  That would make my stuff "junk" too.  Wouldn't it?  Perhaps we all have some stuff that others would consider "junk".

       Junk or no junk, stuff or no stuff, however, Nancy and I have felt privileged to help out two who might not have made it if they had not received some kind of help.  We all need help now and then.  I know that I have been offered a place to stay in the past a time or two - and have made some great friends in doing so. 

       For example, one person who gave me a lift when I was out of work in 1981 became my fiancé.  Sandy and I chose not to marry because Sandy was not comfortable with my wanting to do something with my ideas about "Divine Naturism" - which I was trying to develop and promote when we met in 1981; but Sandy and I remain great friends to this day.

       It happens!  Good results from some bad happening a lot.  No one can be sure how any story will end, but let us hope that this is one with a good ending.  Why not? 

       So, good luck, Maggie & Stevie!  May you have one fantastic life - even if you do choose to do what I don't.  It's a big world!  We can choose different things within it.  Right?

       In a very real way, I think my love for Nature is like the love Nancy and I have for Maggie & Stevie.  It is an expression of loving variety.  I am glad I am me and I am glad that Maggie & Stevie are not me.  We are different even as we all have the same natures; but as Nature itself is full of variety, we humans should take that lead and love the variety among us.  Maggie & Stevie can be themselves and I should be open to accepting them.  Nancy can be herself; and each of us should be open to accepting her; and, of course, I am me - and the world should be open to me as well. 

       Wouldn't it be wonderful if we all lived our lives thatta way?

Until next time, Adieu!

Your Bella Vita host,

Will Bessler

(Francis William Bessler)