A View From the Cot

by Matt Farmer, Chicago lawyer and musician

The husband and wife a few feet away from you are at it again. She's screaming at her old man. She says the son-of-a-bitch stole her money so he could buy more heroin. You've figured out pretty quickly that he's a junkie and that this story isn't going to have a happy ending. For the time being, however, you're in their space and it's best just to keep quiet.

You try hard to ignore their fighting because you still have homework to do. You're also hoping that the junkie and his bride haven't scared the daylights out of your two little brothers, who happen to be nearby. At some point you manage to fall asleep on your cot. A few hours later you hop a Red Line train and head to school.

During third period your mind wanders. You wonder if you're the only kid in your class who is living in a homeless shelter. No way to know, really, since you haven't even told your best friends that you're homeless.

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