Searching for the Answer

Poverty & Shame

Poverty and Shame

There were several instances in my senior year of high school in 2011 to where I was almost essentially made fun of by people because they couldn't understand what it was like being poor and homeless at 17. In one of the instances that still angers me to this day was whenever I was living with the Simpletons, Carleton's sister, Mrs. Simpleton's daughter was in town for a visit and so being vane as she was, Mrs. Simpleton or Cathy, wanted us to go eat at Masa. Masa is the most expensive restaurant in Oakridge, or at least it was at the time. It's one of those restaurants where the prices aren't listed on the menu and during our visit at the table over the head of Ohio ST, I can't remember his official title, but someone of importance was sitting eating his dinner with a group of suit wearing men.

Towards the end of the meal I asked Carleton if I could borrow his phone and step out to call my father because I still called him every night and it was around that time. I used to call my mother but she stopped answering when I called, but my father always answered. I don't even know how they could have afforded phones at that time, but that's what it was.

Anyways after I asked Carleton, Mrs. Simpleton asked me "why can't you use your phone?" "Is it broke? Hahahah?" I had already told her a week ago explaining that my phone was limited to minutes and again I had no money or family to pay the bill I was 17 and couldn't find a job that didn't tell me I was overqualified before decided not to hire me. That's a story for another time.

So going back. She knew I had no money for a phone and that's why I was borrowing her sons, yet she chose to bring it up and make fun of me for it. Whenever we had tennis tournaments out of town I would borrow the richest kid on the team, Addison's phone and I suppose he asked his mom why I needed to and she was understanding to the degree that whenever I needed a dentist check-up she asked prior to putting me on hold if it "would use up your minutes." And I said no. I'm not sure what Addison's father did, but his mother was a lead dentist at a dental shop in town. They all drove bmw's but they were understanding of the limitations I was in and how poverty can cause shame.