When I heard father say this, I thought nothing of it. So what? It wouldn't effect us any. Well, at least that's what I thought. I never knew that the next day, we would be spending our nights on the cold harsh streets, with only a few blankets and the clothes on our back. I knew it got cold at night, but never had I expected it to be this cold. I have at least three blankets, two coats, and my family wrapped tightly around me and yet I can still feel the icy bites from the wind and cold night air on every part of my body. It's been a week. I never knew that this life would be so hard. We're not alone though. There are so many families just like us who have been thrown out of the warmth and serenity of their homes. They are calling it The Great Depression, and I think the name fits quite well. People are so cruel. I never thought that when I asked someone for some money or even a bit of bread, that they would just turn up their noses and walk on. People are saying that we homeless people only spend our money on liquor and cigarettes. How can they say this? If we ever got any money we would be rushing to the nearest food stand to get some warm bread or hot corn to feed the four of us. I don't see what my family did wrong to deserve all this. I have always behaved in school and my older brother rarely causes trouble anywhere. Father and Mother would never deceive or hurt anyone, and yet here we are, sleeping in a bundle on the street corner of 5th and Park. I hope this is all over soon. I don't think that I can take all the horrible screaming and sadness that is out here. I am constantly woken up at night with the desperate cries and screams of others. I see people dying all the time, and when they scream out I find myself wondering if they are just crying in frustration, or if they are drawing their last breath due to starvation or malnutrition. Father says that we will all make it through. He says as strong as our family is, how could we not? Though I love him dearly, I think he is wrong. There is a great chance that not one of us will survive, and I now understand that.
Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected president a while ago and has gotten jobs and homes for thousands of Americans, including Father. I'm glad we won't be living like that anymore. It was horrid to experience, and I hope I never go through that again.
|
