Hope Street
Giffird became so discouraged with the rejection from the church and the charity in downtown San Francisco that he decided to hitchhike down route 82 back to San Jose, where he had had many positive memories. Giffird felt lucky when a man driving a pick-up truck pulled over almost immediately and told him that he could take him as far as Mountain View.
After driving for an hour, the man pulled off the highway into a parking lot and said, “This is as far as I can take you.” Giffird thanked the gentleman and slid out of the pickup truck. As he walked away, Giffird looked up and saw that he was standing on “Hope Street.” He decided to start walking to see where it would lead him.
He began knocking on every door, saying to anyone who answered, “Hi, I’m homeless and I need a place to sleep.” Everyone quickly slammed the door in his face. Giffird approached a very large, old home where an elderly woman answered the door. She politely told him to have a seat on her porch, and while he was sitting there, a police car pulled up. He immediately felt scared, thinking the lady had called the police on him. Moments later, he was relieved when the patrol car pulled out and drove away. Then, he heard a noise from the door behind him. Looking back, he saw the elderly woman squeezing a sandwich in a plastic bag through the door’s mail slot. Giffird thanked the lady for the sandwich and quickly ate it.
As the day wore on, he got so hot, tired, and depressed that he wrote two suicide letters: one to the charitable organization and one to the church. Feeling increasingly hopeless, he decided that if he didn’t have a place to live or a place to work by the end of the day, he was going to kill himself. As the sun sunk lower on the horizon and his efforts continued unsuccessfully, Giffird was determined to keep his promise. He was convinced that by taking his own life, he would be helping other people in need. Maybe the two letters would make a difference, stirring the hearts of the church members and charitable volunteers to help other homeless people.
Giffird became so discouraged with the rejection from the church and the charity in downtown San Francisco that he decided to hitchhike down route 82 back to San Jose, where he had had many positive memories. Giffird felt lucky when a man driving a pick-up truck pulled over almost immediately and told him that he could take him as far as Mountain View.
After driving for an hour, the man pulled off the highway into a parking lot and said, “This is as far as I can take you.” Giffird thanked the gentleman and slid out of the pickup truck. As he walked away, Giffird looked up and saw that he was standing on “Hope Street.” He decided to start walking to see where it would lead him.
He began knocking on every door, saying to anyone who answered, “Hi, I’m homeless and I need a place to sleep.” Everyone quickly slammed the door in his face. Giffird approached a very large, old home where an elderly woman answered the door. She politely told him to have a seat on her porch, and while he was sitting there, a police car pulled up. He immediately felt scared, thinking the lady had called the police on him. Moments later, he was relieved when the patrol car pulled out and drove away. Then, he heard a noise from the door behind him. Looking back, he saw the elderly woman squeezing a sandwich in a plastic bag through the door’s mail slot. Giffird thanked the lady for the sandwich and quickly ate it.
As the day wore on, he got so hot, tired, and depressed that he wrote two suicide letters: one to the charitable organization and one to the church. Feeling increasingly hopeless, he decided that if he didn’t have a place to live or a place to work by the end of the day, he was going to kill himself. As the sun sunk lower on the horizon and his efforts continued unsuccessfully, Giffird was determined to keep his promise. He was convinced that by taking his own life, he would be helping other people in need. Maybe the two letters would make a difference, stirring the hearts of the church members and charitable volunteers to help other homeless people.