Post #3727524

2026-07-10 18:03 UTC

I saw Mary again today. As already noted, the homeless woman in the car has a name. Well, she also has a story which I got by asking "so what's your story?" She then started with "I came her as a 7 month old baby with my mom escaping civil war in Sierra Leone" and it went from there for about the next half hour along with pictures and everything. Punctuated by a hug. This was probably the most interesting conversation I've ever had in my whole life.

Replies (3)

@dabeaz@mastodon.social 2026-07-23 13:18

Mary rang the doorbell about 10:00pm last night wondering if we had a blanket she could borrow. I gave her a sleeping bag from a long past camping trip to keep and she seemed ecstatic before taking off again. Not entirely sure of her current status except that the car is still impounded and she said she "had a place" for now.

Open ##4123113
@marick@mstdn.social 2026-07-10 22:06

@dabeaz@mastodon.social My aunts on my father’s side basically walked from about 150km NNE of Warsaw to Stuttgart, Germany, fleeing ahead of the Russians. Because I was/am a self-centered little shit (and saw them only every five years or so, plus we had no language in common), I never heard more than the barest outline of the story. I remember seeing the “Joy Luck Club” movie, which has a scene of a long line of fleeing refugees and suddenly realizing: “I’m only one generation removed from *that*.”

Open ##4319458
@asarfraaz@mastodon.social 2026-07-13 10:39

@dabeaz@mastodon.social Sometimes, all one needs is an ear that listens. I am sure that conversation must have brightened her day :-)

Open ##4319459