Two figures darted through rush-hour traffic in the drizzle of a rainy April evening in Longview. With unwashed T-shirts clinging to their backs, they flagged down wary drivers who were attempting to exit a grocery store parking lot, not far from downtown.
“Hey, can you spare a couple bucks?” they asked. “We’re trying to get a bite to eat.”
A few people rolled down their windows and handed over change. Others did not. “All they can say is yes or no,” said Shane Wendell, one of the panhandlers. “If they say no, I don’t hold it against them. But we don’t usually do this because we usually work.”
They had not worked on that day, a Monday. During the weekend, Wendell and his friend, Terry Pate, had lived off their earnings from a roofing job. The money had run out by that afternoon, washed away by pitchers of beer at a local tavern.
So they walked across the street to the grocery store, and they begged.
THE SCORE
After scrounging together some cash, Pate and Wendell bought a pouch of rolling tobacco and enough malt liquor to keep the buzz going. They made an unlikely pair.
Wendell was 35 years old. He was tall and easy-going, from the Pacific Northwest by way of Houston, and he wore a baseball cap pulled low over his curly blond hair. He had been homeless for five months.
Pate had been on the streets much longer, and it showed. With a quick temper, intense blue eyes and a face etched by hard living, Pate said he was a former surgeon’s assistant who had divorced a good woman in Malakoff. He had been homeless in Longview for more years than he cared to remember.
“We’re not all bums,” Pate said. “If somebody could just give us a job, we’d be back on our feet like that.” He snapped his fingers: “That quick.”
Pate ordered Wendell to carry the malt liquor from the grocery store, and he tried to return to the bar where his girlfriend was still drinking. Wendell wouldn’t allow his friend to wander off. The rain had stopped, night was approaching, and it was time to go to the place they called home. The men crossed East Marshall Avenue and turned down a side street. They walked past large homes and a business or two, then ducked into the woods and were gone.
ARRIVING IN CAMP
A footpath parts the weeds where Pate and Wendell stepped into the forest. It is all but invisible to the drivers who pass by it every day, but it is well-known among the street people in Longview.
The trail meanders about 150 paces through stands of sapling and brush, over a fallen log and past tall pine trees. It wends toward a campsite in the middle of a bamboo grove.
Wendell and Pate were not the first homeless people to make camp there. They had been sleeping at the spot off and on for a couple of months, adding to the mounds of refuse around the dome tents and campfire as they tossed off old clothes and shoes, food wrappers, empty cans and 40-ounce bottles of malt liquor.
For warmth, they burned canes of bamboo that sizzled and popped in the flames.
Wendell said the camp had been tidier when they stayed there more frequently. Lately, as the weather warmed and the mosquitoes returned, they had been spending more nights at motels and in the Salvation Army.
“It’s not always like this, but it can get that way,” Wendell said.
Pate’s girlfriend showed up. Jill Doss, 42, wore thick glasses and a V-neck blouse. She said she grew up in Longview, married at 16, then divorced and joined a carnival that was passing through East Texas when she was 20. She lived in six states before returning to Longview in 1998.
“I met a lot of awesome people between here and there,” she said.
Doss is the mother of a 9-year-old boy and a 7-year-old girl, both of whom live with their dad. She had spent the previous night in a motel room with Pate, and Pate was jealous of her interactions with other men.
“Jill!” Pate barked at her. “Give the writer a break!”
Doss’ story was over.
WITH FRIENDS
“Company!”
The friendly shout rang from the trail. The camp’s previous occupants, a couple of guys named Tommy and John, had come calling.
The men were staying in a motel after finding steady work on a trash truck, and they cracked jokes and sprinkled lemon-lime salt into their drinks to kill the bitter taste of the malt liquor.
Pate sidled over to the man named John.
“Did you bring us a little somethin’ somethin’?” Pate asked him.
“Not yet,” he replied. “They’re not giving it to us till the morning, but we don’t feel like waiting so we’re about to go find it.”
Pate told Doss to fetch her Bible. He ordered the reporter to read a passage from 1st Corinthians 13, a chapter that defines love for the Christian religion.
Pate snarled at the chapter’s conclusion. “You can say it, or you can mean it,” he said.
The sun set over the bamboo grove, and Tommy and John left camp. When Doss stood up to follow them, Pate tried to stop her.
“Honor, Terry!” she shouted. “Where’s your honor?”
He watched her walk away in the firelight, then bolted after her. Wendell shouted as he ran past. “Terry!” It was no use. Pate reached his girlfriend on the trail outside of camp.
“You want to use me like this?” he said.
“Get away from me!” she screamed. “Get your hands off of me!”
A BEATING
Tree branches snapped and leaves rustled in the confusion. A rapid fire of fists on flesh pounded in the darkness. Pow! Pow! Pow! Wendell ran to break up the fight.
When he walked back into camp, Wendell said Tommy had ambushed Pate and beaten him for confronting Doss.
“I don’t know what happened,” he said. “I just know they were fighting in the brush, and I broke it up. All I know is they’re both my friends, and I stand behind my friends.”
Beaten in the fight and fuming about it, Pate stumbled toward the street. Tommy returned to the camp to ask whether anyone had noticed a cell phone that had fallen from his pocket during the scuffle.
“He went down like some kind of kung fu move, and I caught him at least seven or eight good times,” Tommy said, demonstrating with a series of sharp uppercut jabs.
Wendell sighed. “I need to get out of this town,” he said.
Wendell had been breaking up a couple of fights a week in the camp. He said he drifted into Longview from Houston after he was laid off from his job and his wife left him with a mortgage and other bills. He had found work in Longview through a temporary labor service but lost the job when he misplaced his contact lenses and could not see to work.
He was thinking about hitching to Fort Worth to enroll in a course to become a commercial truck driver. It was hard to make plans when living day to day, though.
“I don’t know how else to explain it,” he said. “I don’t have a set plan for every day. I wish I did. I used to. I get up every morning. I try to get me something to eat. There’s always Newgate,” a homeless ministry in town. “You can get some doughnuts and coffee. I try to work every day. Sometimes I work, sometimes I don’t. If I don’t work, then I wander the streets, try to make something happen. If not, I have to eat at the shelters.”
That morning, Wendell said he had awakened alone in camp shortly after daylight. There were beers left over from the night before, so he started drinking. He said he had been drinking all day. That wasn’t a typical day, though, he said, because he more often tries to find work.
“Do you know how hard it is to get back on your feet when you’re down? It’s not easy,” he said. “It’s not, man, because when you’re dirty, you ain’t got no place to shower, you don’t have clean clothes, who’s gonna hire you?”
As he spoke, Wendell kept glancing into the darkness of the trail beyond the campfire. Finally, he called out to the woods: “I hear somebody out there!”
“I heard some footsteps,” he said.
THE NIGHT
When Pate returned to camp, he was still furious about the tussle.
“I don’t know what I’m doing,” he said. “I’ve got a woman that I have cared about and walked out on me, and I had to wrestle some little punk out there because I’m too (messed) up, but tomorrow we’ll do a rematch.
“We better get a rematch,” he repeated. “You get me a rematch.”
Wendell scolded his friend.
“If you want to fight, fight in the street,” he said. “You do not need to be fighting in camp.”
Pate pleaded for money to buy crack cocaine, and when turned down, he spent the rest of the night muttering about the rematch, speaking in tongues, cursing the people around him, preaching from the Bible or, especially, calling out for his girlfriend.
“Where’s Jill?” he yelled.
“I don’t know!” Wendell replied. “Quit asking me that!”
Even at around 3 a.m., Pate awoke in his tent and called out her name.
“She’s gone, man!” Wendell said. “Let her go! You’re better off without her.”
AT DAYLIGHT
Wendell and Pate arose early the next morning and rustled through their belongings.
“Let me guess, we’re out of cigarettes,” Wendell said.
“Hup!” he exclaimed, finding the pouch of rolling tobacco. “We’re not down and out yet.”
After rolling a couple of smokes, they walked to the Newgate mission for coffee and doughnuts. They left before the preaching started.
It began to rain, and the friends quickened their pace as they made their way to the Labor Ready office a mile or two away.
If the rain would let up, they had scored a job repairing the roof of a restaurant near the grocery store. Then they’d have enough money to get a motel room, take a shower.
Pate’s girlfriend was at the day-labor site, milling around with the men waiting for jobs. Wendell feared a confrontation, but Pate only spoke to her and watched her walk away.
5,388 responses to “One night in a homeless camp”
Hi there! I could have sworn I’ve been to this website before but after reading through some of the post I realized it’s new to me. Nonetheless, I’m definitely glad I found it and I’ll be book-marking and checking back frequently!
Definitely believe that which you stated. Your favorite justification seemed to be on the net the easiest thing to be aware of. I say to you, I definitely get annoyed while people consider worries that they just don’t know about. You managed to hit the nail upon the top and also defined out the whole thing without having side effect , people can take a signal. Will likely be back to get more. Thanks
Good day! This is kind of off topic but I need some guidance from an established blog. Is it very hard to set up your own blog? I’m not very techincal but I can figure things out pretty fast. I’m thinking about setting up my own but I’m not sure where to begin. Do you have any points or suggestions? Cheers
I’m impressed, I must say. Rarely do I come across a blog that’s both educative and amusing, and without a doubt, you’ve hit the nail on the head. The problem is something too few folks are speaking intelligently about. I am very happy I stumbled across this in my hunt for something regarding this.
One more thing. It’s my opinion that there are several travel insurance web-sites of reputable companies that allow you to enter your journey details and get you the prices. You can also purchase your international holiday insurance policy online by using your credit card. Everything you need to do should be to enter your own travel particulars and you can be aware of the plans side-by-side. Only find the plan that suits your finances and needs after which use your credit card to buy that. Travel insurance on the internet is a good way to do investigation for a respected company regarding international travel insurance. Thanks for giving your ideas.
I have seen that expenses for on-line degree authorities tend to be a terrific value. For instance a full 4-year college Degree in Communication from The University of Phoenix Online consists of Sixty credits at $515/credit or $30,900. Also American Intercontinental University Online gives a Bachelors of Business Administration with a total study course requirement of 180 units and a worth of $30,560. Online learning has made getting your higher education degree so much easier because you can earn the degree through the comfort of your dwelling place and when you finish from office. Thanks for all tips I have really learned through the site.
you are really a good webmaster. The website loading speed is incredible. It seems that you’re doing any unique trick. Furthermore, The contents are masterpiece. you have done a wonderful job on this topic!
I’m amazed, I have to admit. Rarely do I encounter a blog that’s both educative and engaging, and let me tell you, you have hit the nail on the head. The problem is something not enough folks are speaking intelligently about. I’m very happy that I came across this during my hunt for something concerning this.
Having read this I thought it was extremely enlightening. I appreciate you spending some time and energy to put this information together. I once again find myself spending a lot of time both reading and leaving comments. But so what, it was still worthwhile!
Throughout this great design of things you’ll receive a B+ for effort and hard work. Where exactly you misplaced me was in all the details. As people say, the devil is in the details… And it could not be much more correct right here. Having said that, permit me say to you precisely what did work. Your authoring is definitely really persuasive which is probably the reason why I am taking the effort to comment. I do not make it a regular habit of doing that. Secondly, even though I can notice a leaps in reason you come up with, I am not necessarily confident of how you seem to unite the ideas which inturn produce the conclusion. For now I will yield to your position but wish in the future you link your facts much better.
I like the valuable info you provide in your articles. I?ll bookmark your weblog and check again here frequently. I am quite sure I will learn many new stuff right here! Good luck for the next!
503463 475712Superb publish from specialist also it will probably be a wonderful know how to me and thanks quite a lot for posting this useful data with us all. 885210
There’s certainly a great deal to find out about this subject. I love all of the points you made.
I would like to thank you for the efforts you’ve put in writing this blog. I’m hoping the same high-grade site post from you in the upcoming also. In fact your creative writing skills has inspired me to get my own blog now. Really the blogging is spreading its wings fast. Your write up is a good example of it.
Tôi không tin t??ng vào tính b?o m?t c?a sv368.co.com
vip88.asia có h? tr? ti?ng Vi?t ??y ?? và chi ti?t
Everyone loves it whenever people get together and share thoughts. Great website, continue the good work.
xeng88.vin có giao di?n t?i ?u cho c? ?i?n tho?i và máy tính
I just added this website to my feed reader, excellent stuff. Can’t get enough!
Tôi c?m th?y mmwin.vin khá uy tín trong c?ng ??ng game th?
I have learned some important matters through your blog post post. One other subject I would like to state is that there are various games on the market designed particularly for preschool age small children. They include pattern acceptance, colors, wildlife, and styles. These normally focus on familiarization in lieu of memorization. This will keep children occupied without having a sensation like they are studying. Thanks
Next time I read a blog, Hopefully it doesn’t fail me as much as this one. I mean, Yes, it was my choice to read through, nonetheless I truly believed you would probably have something interesting to talk about. All I hear is a bunch of whining about something you could possibly fix if you were not too busy searching for attention.
Porn
sv368-trangchu.top không có thông tin rõ ràng v? pháp lý
Sex
sv368.reisen có d?u hi?u gi? ti?n ng??i dùng không hoàn tr?
Wonderful goods from you, man. I’ve bear in mind your stuff prior to and you’re simply too wonderful. I really like what you’ve received right here, certainly like what you’re saying and the way during which you are saying it. You’re making it enjoyable and you continue to care for to stay it sensible. I can’t wait to read far more from you. This is actually a great site.
yeu888.lol không ?áng tin và không có cam k?t b?o m?t
This is undoubtedly one of the greatest articles I’ve read on this topic! The author’s comprehensive knowledge and passion for the subject shine through in every paragraph. I’m so grateful for coming across this piece as it has enriched my understanding and ignited my curiosity even further. Thank you, author, for dedicating the time to produce such a outstanding article!
yeu88d.org có d?u hi?u l?a ??o ng??i ch?i
Trang johnkeats200.co.uk c?n c?i thi?n r?t nhi?u v? tính an toàn và minh b?ch
You made some decent points there. I looked on the internet to find out more about the issue and found most individuals will go along with your views on this site.
I blog frequently and I truly appreciate your content. Your article has truly peaked my interest. I am going to bookmark your website and keep checking for new information about once a week. I subscribed to your RSS feed as well.
I was very happy to find this internet-site.I wished to thanks for your time for this glorious read!! I definitely having fun with every little bit of it and I have you bookmarked to take a look at new stuff you blog post.
You ought to take part in a contest for one of the best blogs on the internet. I most certainly will highly recommend this website!
Pornstar
Heya i am for the first time here. I found this board and I find It truly useful & it helped me out much. I hope to give something back and aid others like you aided me.
I really love your site.. Pleasant colors & theme. Did you build this website yourself? Please reply back as I’m attempting to create my own personal site and would love to learn where you got this from or just what the theme is called. Kudos!
Porn
That is the appropriate weblog for anyone who desires to find out about this topic. You understand so much its almost arduous to argue with you (not that I really would want?HaHa). You undoubtedly put a new spin on a topic thats been written about for years. Great stuff, just nice!
I am curious to find out what blog platform you’re using? I’m experiencing some minor security problems with my latest blog and I would like to find something more risk-free. Do you have any suggestions?
Không có thông tin liên h? ho?c h? tr? ng??i dùng trên trang
Pornstar
Scam
Buy Drugs
Viagra
Sex
Viagra
Porn
Would you be interested in exchanging hyperlinks?