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Saints and Martyrs ˜ 285
ple around him. It was only after he got mugged here in Atlanta, and the
bankroll that he had accumulated to buy into another restaurant was stolen, that
Bob began to live on the streets. Three years on the streets nearly destroyed Bob’s
spirit and his pursuit of life.
During the past few months, if you have called or come by the Open Door,
you have probably been greeted graciously by Bob. Now his main job is handling
the huge number of requests and donations that come in every day
through our front door and over the telephone. It is wonderful to have Bob here,
still reading everything he can get his hands on. Our lives have been enriched
because we share life with Bob. We hope that he will continue to entertain us
with stories about his past and that we will continue to have wonderful stories
to tell about our life together. 2
Breakfast with Curtis, by Ed Loring
J u l y / A u g u s t 1 9 8 7
Curtis rolled over. His foot was trapped in the kudzu vine like a moth in a
spiderweb. “Oh Christ,” he prayed in disgust. Slowly, he pulled himself up, dislodged
his foot, and began his ascent toward the dumpster behind Hardy’s
Liquor Store.
Only yesterday afternoon Curtis had been released from the city jail for the
seventh time in three years. He had walked and walked until the city-sick, pale
darkness had covered his. Hidden, he had crept toward his cat hole. He cursed
the night and felt the fear juggle in his abdomen as he clambered downhill to
his weed-webbed home. “Crap, what if some dude is in my hole,” Curtis mumbled
inaudibly. “I’ve been in hell for ten days.” Wet vines flung their arms at him
while giant leaves pursed their putrid petals and spit in his face. The angry earth
denied her child, throwing rocks in his shins. Suddenly, an invisible tree cracked
Curtis between the eyes. Red blood flowed into his wiry mustache. “Jesus
Christ!” he confessed, falling to his knees. He was lost.
Today was another day. “One day at a time”—he remembered the line from
the fathomless lessons he had forgotten at detox. Finally, he arrived. Leaning his
shoulder against the giant green dumpster’s side panel, Curtis opened the beggar’s
version of a drive-in window at Wendy’s.
2. Bob eventually left the Open Door Community and moved back to the streets,
where he later died (ed.).