Hero Quest Chapter 2 part 3

In the parking lot, the dumpster was being put back into position after being emptied.  The driver of that truck was amazing.  John remembered watching the driver maneuver between cars, snow banks and people last winter to put that dumpster right where it belonged.  With this many people at the shelter it was always a relief to have an empty dumpster.  Before the truck even got out of the parking lot the maintenance truck pulled in with the housekeeping team.  One of the guys jumped out when he saw John.  John directed them to rooms 16 and 17 so they could deep clean those rooms. 

While they were parking their van, he saw the truck from the Thrift Stores stopped on the busy street waiting for traffic to pass.  The Mission’s logo was plastered prominently on the sides of the truck for all to read.  The mission hoped to cultivate a community presence, to be familiar around town.  This also made him smile.  The work that the Mission was able to do was really only possible because of the generosity of this community. 

John’s smile widened as he watched the driver of the thrift store truck try to navigate on the busy street in front of the shelter.  There wasn’t much room to maneuver in the parking lot as he was attempting to back in.   Since the street was busy, he was using the parking lot across the street to get himself lined up for a straight shot into the shelter lot.  Four lanes of traffic stood between the driver and the shelter gate.  The problem was the business across the street was a brothel with a bikini espresso bar attached.  John wondered what donors would think if they saw the Mission’s truck in that vicinity.  He decided to help out and get that truck moving.  Cautiously, he moved out into traffic and stopped the cars.  The driver rocketed across the street, apparently eager to exit the vicinity of the bikini bar and all it represented. 

John realized that what he had just done was a picture of the job they had to do at the Shelter.  We help people get into a better position to launch them into a new life. This illuminating thought brought new life to John.  What an honor, he thought.

After welcoming the driver, Bob, he helped him load the donations into his truck.  As Bob pulled down the back door they insulted each other as only men who really like each other can, shook hands in farewell, and John returned to the duty of getting that clog fixed.   

     The basement smelled musty, but musty was one of the better smells at the Shelter.  At least this smell was predictable and that fact alone comforted him.  Strangely he walked past the work bench that housed the tools and simply walked around the basement.  His memory returned to a time when there really were no lights.  He had strung extension cords and lamps around this place.  It may not have been safe, but it had to be lit somehow. 

His eyes looked at the shelves of soap, shampoo and other toiletries that had all been donated. Somehow seeing the full shelves of toilet paper, feminine products and other assorted necessary items again spoke to him of a God who provides.  To most people these were just common items, but to those that were staying at the Shelter, most of whom had nothing, these items were priceless.  He smiled as he took time to speak a prayer of thanksgiving.  As he finished his loop of the basement, he grabbed the wrench, took a blue bucket to place under the pipe and began heading toward room five to open that drain. 

When he stepped out into the parking lot he noticed the donation truck was still there.  “That’s weird,” thought John.  He looked in the office.  Darlene was still talking with the lady she was with earlier.  No Bob.  John looked all around the parking lot and saw not one soul moving around.  As he moved down the sidewalk he could see Bob halfway under the hood, scratching his head. 

Bob gave a crooked smile. “Ah, you got jumper cables?  I left the lights on while we were talking.”  Again, Bob had brought a smile to John’s face.  Bob seemed to know this would be fodder for jokes for a long time but it couldn’t be helped.  John set down his tools.  He went to his little compact car, moved it into position and rooted around in the trunk for the jumper cables.  After attaching the cables, he looked at the enormity of the delivery truck next to his little car.  It looked like a mouse next to an elephant. His smile lines crinkled once more.  After a few moments the large truck was up and running.  Carefully, John pulled off the cables put them back into the trunk, moved his car out of the way, waving good-bye to Bob one more time.