“Don’t Judge A Book By Its
Cover”
By: Alexis Rodriguez
Every time you’re outside your
house, you see homeless people all the time. Whether you’re going to the corner
store or to grab a bite to eat in the nearest restaurant. They are always there
to ask for money and sometimes you give them a couple dollars or so, sometimes
you don’t have anything to give because you only have enough money for the
things you are going to buy and you feel bad. Unfortunately, not John. Last week
I saw a homeless man on his wheelchair. He was on his chair on the sidewalk
just relaxing. He wasn’t your typical homeless man with a bad odor or long hair
and dirty clothes with a shopping cart. This homeless man had a nice pair of
converse, a nice shirt and a clean pair of pants and a decent haircut. I did
see a lighter around his neck so I assumed he was homeless because he probably
made bad decisions with drugs and maybe got kicked out of his house. When I
approached the man I expected him to ask me for some change, like every other
homeless person does. Instead, he introduced himself and said his name was John
and next thing you know we started talking about each other's lives. He asked
me some questions and so did I. I asked him to tell me more about himself, so I
can get an idea of how he is and the things he used to do before he was
homeless. He said that he was a civil war veteran and is a father. I was
shocked at the fact that a civil war veteran was homeless. He started telling
me more and how he had a brother and how close they were. I asked John where
his brother was and he said that he passed away and died in battle. So turns
out that John’s brother was a veteran as well. It was very sad how he fought
for our country and put his life on the line and people who don’t know that
just think he is you’re typical homeless man who made bad decisions and don’t
treat him with respect. Not every homeless man is a drug addict or an
alcoholic. Maybe, they don’t want money; they probably just want to have a nice
conversation like our friend John. So next time you see a homeless man who
seems to have completely nothing, have a conversation with him lunch. You’ll be
surprised at what you find out. Remember, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”
