Second Crossing

Many I have met toted their belongings in a grocery cart or two.

Jason worked in transportation, after leaving the military. In his free time, he attended his sons’ high school football games, held neighborhood cookouts. Washed his car in the driveway of the family home on weekends. That scenario, which played out in a comfortable suburban neighborhood, ended when he and his wife got a divorce.

A graduate of a university, Jason never doubted he could find and keep a job. He has a degree in business administration and doesn’t do drugs or drink. "No, I can’t afford those things” he chuckled. "Not everyone out here is an addict or mentally challenged. There are a lot of us who are just trying to make it as best we can"

“I look at myself in the reflection, in the windows of these buildings and think, ‘How did I get here’? It all happened so quickly and I lost control of my own life. One thing led to another. All I know is, I’m going to survive. I’ll get there, it just takes time." He still dreams of getting back on his feet and building up his resources to enjoy some sort of retirement. “In a few years I’d like to be doing normal, everyday things,” he said. "Just to do the things most people take for granted. Things I once took for granted.”

                                                                       Meanwhile, he makes two daily trips across the bridge.