Cajun Lilly

Lilly is an old Cajun gal I  met Sunday in the parking lot of a men's shelter a few blocks from my house. My friend Rachel's church had a bunch of leftover hamburgers from a BBQ and we handed them out in the parking lot of the men's shelter . Lilly was the only woman there and told me she was sleeping in her car.
Last night I took a ride over there to see how she was  doing and if she needed anything.
There she was sitting in her car puffin on her Marlboro in her long grey and black ponytail and her tank top and sweat pants she had been wearing for a week.
I asked her if she was afraid to sleep out there by herself . "No mais I guess not, dees fellas say if anybody mess wit me all I gotta do is lay on dat horn and dell come runnin."she said. I must admit I'm a sucker for those old cajun accents, I could listen to them for hours.
One of the guys that look after her said she never wants to leave and get a shower or clothes at the recovery center which provides that. I asked her why . "Mais  dey got to many guys over der sha and I don't like dat." A few of the guys offered to go with her and stand watch by her door . She said she would go but I wasn't so convinced. Part of the reason she won't go is pride. She doesn't want to ask anybody for anything.The guys bring her food because breakfast and dinner are only for those at the shelter . The homeless on the street only get lunch and dinner at the salvation army which is not a short walk. I asked her if she had any family and she said she had one son but he doesn't know she has been living in her car for 3 weeks. "Why don't you tell him?" I said "Because he got his own famly to care fa and his job is dangerous and I don't want him stressin ova me." she replied.
Can you imagine? Lilly is in a situation that has "suck" written all over it. See in Lafayette there are only shelters for woman with children and battered woman. No shelters for single woman going through hard times that are not alcoholics or substance abusers. What really sucks is that Lilly is oxygen dependent and has C.O.P.D.  My father died of C.O.P.D. so I am well aware of how critical it is for her to have that oxygen on ALL the time especially since she is still smoking. Oh and before anyone passes judgement thinking that she needs to quit smoking, let me just clarify that although it doesn't help it doesn't hurt either because if you have C.O.P.D the damage is already done. Lilly had been going to the public hospital when it got really bad but one of the guys told her she could go to the clinic which was closer.
Still I  don't understand why there is no place for her to sleep. She has applied for housing an those of us who know how the system works knows it could be a while.
 No one deserves to live or die like this. Lilly is sleeping in her car in front of a building that shelters 14-20 men and there is no place for her to go. I  have one woman sleeping in my old broke down truck in the front yard and she comes and goes. I have another man who is homeless that lives with us and works with my husband(future blog).  James , aka#7  keeps his big suitcase in the back of my wrecked van in the driveway but stays at the shelter and I wish I had room for Lilly. I thought I might be able to find her a place to stay for a little while but when I passed there tonight her car wasn't there. Please don't misunderstand, I am not telling you all my business to toot my own horn or to say "look at me ,look how gracious I am." quite the opposite. I am telling you to say, if I can do it so can YOU!  To Cajun Lilly "May da Lawd go witcha sha , an evry tom I pass imma tink aboutcha and imma  pray fa ya."


UPDATE :  7/26/2012
Cajun Lilly finally received housing about a month after this post. Lilly enjoyed her little apartment and loved to watch T.V. 
Lilly peacefully passed away this past Sunday. I will miss my feisty little Cajun friend and I imagine Lilly somewhere in heaven sitting on the porch of her little cajun cabin.
R.I.P.   "Au Revior Mes Ami " (Goodbye my friend).