A Chance Encounter

Today when I was leaving from a get together with my friends in the Gold Coast (Chicago), a lady approached (with a young boy), asking if I had any money to spare for food. My initial reaction was ‘sorry’ and then she asked if it was possible that I could buy her and the boy a pizza from Lou Malnati’s nearby. Now, I normally am in a rush and just wouldn’t have the time, but at that moment, I didn’t have anywhere pressing to be AND the fact that she was asking if I would pay for the food directly was a positive sign (versus giving a homeless person money and they go spend it on drugs or alcohol). So, I walked with them over to Lou Malnati’s and on the way over, she was thanking me and describing to me her situation: that the young boy she was with (Amaury) was her grandson whom she had taken care of since a baby as her daughter passed away at his birth; but the reason why she was out asking for money was that recently a fire had burned down their apartment and, not having any insurance, they lost everything. She was technically not homeless as she was staying with a neighbor until she got her feet on the ground, but the neighbor did not have a lot of means either and food was difficult, so she had to figure out how to obtain food in the meantime before she gets a job again.

When we arrived to the restaurant, I sat down with them and told the waiter they could order and I would pay and then leave shortly after. The waiter, I think, got the gist of the fact I was helping them and that they weren’t in the best circumstances, and he was very polite.

I could have jetted immediately after they ordered the food/receiving the check, but stayed for at least fifteen minutes and got to know a little more about the lady and her grandson. Her name is Lillie and, in addition to her daughter that passed (the mom of her grandson, Amaury), she has two other children (twins) and two grandkids total. After the burning down of their apartment, she has been seeking some assistance from Catholic Charities (I heard of them previously) obtaining some clothing and rent stipend. I asked if she is working. She said no, but she’ll have to find work soon (although she had hoped to be retired at this point, but the fire obviously changed things).

Amaury, her grandson, is 6 and I asked him his favorite things to do. He loves playing basketball and eating cherries. He is currently in school. Speaking of cherries, he was fishing in his drink (that had cherries at the bottom) with this hand to get the cherries at the bottom. His grandma told him to ‘get his dang hands out the glass’ (lol), so I showed him how to fish the cherries out efficiently with a fork , so he could get to the good stuff without getting his hands wet 😛.

So, before I left and after I received the check, I told them they could order more if they wanted (they ordered a salad, a soft drink and small pizza but figured if they ordered more they could save it for later), and Lillie said, “no thanks; It would be nice to have a cold beer but I can get that another time. You’ve already been nice enough.” I told her to go for it and order the beer and told the waiter to add it to the bill and readjust. He just said to us/Lillie “I got you,” and was sweet as when I received the bill, I noticed he didn’t charge for the beer.

Lillie and I discussed what type of work she was looking to pursue when she got more settled and I gave her my business card and told her about having a resume writing company, so that I could help her out (complimentary, in her case) when needed. Additionally, I gave her some extra cash to help them with some groceries they could get from Aldi to last them a couple days hopefully.

Lillie was super appreciative but more notable to me, she seemed like a normal person.. like someone who could be an aunt or family member. God-loving and strong personality; obviously has experienced some challenges in life, including losing her daughter…she just happened to fall on hard times. I told her that I normally don’t give to people that are begging for cash (just to be transparent/honest) and approach situations with reserve caution, but I appreciated the fact that she clearly wanted food and was using the help for something that truly helped her and her grandson (told her that even sadly there are some homeless/people of need out there that use kids as props for money and still blow it on drugs/alcohol/things not good for their well being). She agreed that that’s out there but she “wasn’t about that nonsense” 😅. She was just trying to “get back to normal to provide for her and her grandson.”

It was truly an honor to spend the time with Lillie and Amaury today. I’m glad I was able to take the time out. I made sure to give a good tip to the waiter too for his compassion and generosity.

God has blessed me in my life and, given that an extraordinary encounter had happened to me moments before I met Lillie, I figured that the least I could do is help someone that truly wanted to help themselves. God put us in each other’s paths for a reason.

If anyone knows any additional resources in the Chicago area that may be helpful to Lillie or Amaury, please let me know and I will pass the info along to her.

Stay safe out there y’all, stay smart…and most of all, stay grateful… God bless! 🙏🏽🤲❤️🙌🏾

~Lesley~