Linette Trout is an absolutely amazing person. We first met her when she used to beg just in front of the Canadian High Commission at upper Waterloo road. As we passed by for our morning walks, she would shout smilingly,. "Bring something fi mi tomorrow yu hear mi fren.'
As I never walk with money in the mornings, she was never lucky enough to get anything for when I did remember to bring something" tomorrow," she was never there. She went and came like that for months, always welcoming us cheerfully in the mornings and as her lips were very red, I used to wonder why someone would put on lipstick to go abegging?
It took many months for her to move her operations to weekends at Kings Way in front of the Andrews Memorial hospital. As I rode past on a Saturday or Sunday morning she was there and became one of my favorite charities as my bicycle has a pouch and I always carry money in case of emergencies.
After stopping to talk to her several times and she constantly addressing me smilingly as "mi fren," one morning she suddenly asked 'doan yu is the lady pan radio". Out the window went my theory that street people do not listen to radio!
After she showed me her foot which was badly swollen and told me she had a kidney problem, I decided to see if I could get some help through PATH for her. (Incidentally, she does not wear red lipstick, her lips just happen to be bright red!) When they started to question me about her, I am ashamed to admit that I could not supply either her name or age but they told me to send her in anyway.
The following week I wrote off the address and gave her with instructions that should go there and register for help. What they did not tell me at the time though was that to get help from PATH you must have a permanent address.
The following week when I asked her if she had gone to PATH, she told me how her bag with the address had been stolen as she slept on the sidewalk. " A pure pervert out deh" she had told me conspiratorially at the time.
This again reinforced my belief that all things always work for the greater good for at least she had not wasted her time going to downtown to an agency that could not help her and where they probably would have turned her off.
By then I had gotten in touch with the Poor Relief Authorities and spoken to the Inspector of poor who told me to send her to her specifically and she would get her help. Unfortunately along came hurricane Sandy and the following Saturday and Sunday, she was no where in sight. Neither was she there the Saturday after that.
I had started to worry that something had happened to her, but as I rode up this morning (Sunday), there she was smiling broadly as usual and welcoming me with 'Miss Will, mi glad nutten neva happen to yu far yu is a good ooman". I decided it was time I learnt her name and that's when she told me she was Lynette Trout and added that today was her birthday and she was now 51 years old.
I asked her if she did not have any family but she told me her daughter chased her out of the house and she also had one son but he has a girlfriend and a baby and really has no money but he gives her a "nanny " now and then. I asked her if she had ever worked and she said she used to buy and sell until "her head tek her". While I had long suspected that she may have mental issues, I have never seen any real signs of it when interacting with her as she is always smiling, cheerful and intelligent, but as they say here 'Si mi but nuh liv wid me".
When I suggested that maybe her daughter did not want to live with her because she was miserable, she laughed heartily.
I was really glad to see that she had weathered the storm safely. She told me she had gone to the National Arena where they had a hurricane shelter but they only allowed people to stay there one night before sending them off with nothing but a blanket. When I asked her where the blanket was, she said she stored it in a secret place with her other things for as she sleeps in new Kingston, she doesn't like to lug things around.
You know, I am absolutely inspired each time I interact with Lynette Trout for I could never have really imagined that one who begs for a living could be so happy all the time. God bless you mi fren, especially on your birthday and may you have many many more years for you demonstrate to the world that happiness does not come from what you have but what you are inside..
As I never walk with money in the mornings, she was never lucky enough to get anything for when I did remember to bring something" tomorrow," she was never there. She went and came like that for months, always welcoming us cheerfully in the mornings and as her lips were very red, I used to wonder why someone would put on lipstick to go abegging?
It took many months for her to move her operations to weekends at Kings Way in front of the Andrews Memorial hospital. As I rode past on a Saturday or Sunday morning she was there and became one of my favorite charities as my bicycle has a pouch and I always carry money in case of emergencies.
After stopping to talk to her several times and she constantly addressing me smilingly as "mi fren," one morning she suddenly asked 'doan yu is the lady pan radio". Out the window went my theory that street people do not listen to radio!
After she showed me her foot which was badly swollen and told me she had a kidney problem, I decided to see if I could get some help through PATH for her. (Incidentally, she does not wear red lipstick, her lips just happen to be bright red!) When they started to question me about her, I am ashamed to admit that I could not supply either her name or age but they told me to send her in anyway.
The following week I wrote off the address and gave her with instructions that should go there and register for help. What they did not tell me at the time though was that to get help from PATH you must have a permanent address.
The following week when I asked her if she had gone to PATH, she told me how her bag with the address had been stolen as she slept on the sidewalk. " A pure pervert out deh" she had told me conspiratorially at the time.
This again reinforced my belief that all things always work for the greater good for at least she had not wasted her time going to downtown to an agency that could not help her and where they probably would have turned her off.
By then I had gotten in touch with the Poor Relief Authorities and spoken to the Inspector of poor who told me to send her to her specifically and she would get her help. Unfortunately along came hurricane Sandy and the following Saturday and Sunday, she was no where in sight. Neither was she there the Saturday after that.
I had started to worry that something had happened to her, but as I rode up this morning (Sunday), there she was smiling broadly as usual and welcoming me with 'Miss Will, mi glad nutten neva happen to yu far yu is a good ooman". I decided it was time I learnt her name and that's when she told me she was Lynette Trout and added that today was her birthday and she was now 51 years old.
I asked her if she did not have any family but she told me her daughter chased her out of the house and she also had one son but he has a girlfriend and a baby and really has no money but he gives her a "nanny " now and then. I asked her if she had ever worked and she said she used to buy and sell until "her head tek her". While I had long suspected that she may have mental issues, I have never seen any real signs of it when interacting with her as she is always smiling, cheerful and intelligent, but as they say here 'Si mi but nuh liv wid me".
When I suggested that maybe her daughter did not want to live with her because she was miserable, she laughed heartily.
I was really glad to see that she had weathered the storm safely. She told me she had gone to the National Arena where they had a hurricane shelter but they only allowed people to stay there one night before sending them off with nothing but a blanket. When I asked her where the blanket was, she said she stored it in a secret place with her other things for as she sleeps in new Kingston, she doesn't like to lug things around.
You know, I am absolutely inspired each time I interact with Lynette Trout for I could never have really imagined that one who begs for a living could be so happy all the time. God bless you mi fren, especially on your birthday and may you have many many more years for you demonstrate to the world that happiness does not come from what you have but what you are inside..
5 comments:
Joanie, There are a number of interesting street people out there!!! Close to where you live is Basil, the Dread with the athritic hands. He used to be a fisherman, with his own boat, lost it in some storm and subsequently contracted(developed?)athritis, now he begs.. ask him and he will always give you a blessing! and there is Hopeton..chat nuff, but likeable, he washes cars in the vicinity of Emancipation Park. He tells me he was one of the first operators of the large cranes that offload the ships in port. He is very proud of the fact that Seaga shook his hands in congratulations, on his achievements, back in the sixties, now he is down but not out as he is still jovial and carries on with his 'profession' pleasantly!
You know, it is a shame but I have never stopped before to speak to a "street person". I see Basil all the time but somehow he kind of scares me. He has been attacked several times and one morning he had to be saved by the Gleaner man from some wicked boys who beat him half to death. I am going to talk to him the next time I see him and see how it goes.
Howie, I talked to Basil this morning and he is really a pleasant man. He told me he had fallen down in the gully recently and was in KPH for two weeks. You are right, his hands are almost paralyzed by arthritis but he did give me a blessing!
Thanks for telling me about him. I see now why I found him scary. It is because he has one eye. He said someone threw acid on him as a child and that's how he lost his eye. Thank heavens he says he does not remember much about the incident though. I asked him if he has no one to take care of him and while he says he has family, he says they are all abroad.
I think I am going to become a lot more conscious of "street people" thanks to you.
I knew Linette very well. I say knew because I fear the worst having not seen her for so many years. Thank you for this post, even though I am just now stumbling on it after nine years. Linette was very dear to me. I too tried to help her but unfortunately her circumstances were much more serious than I anticipated.
I knew Linette very well. I use the word knew because it has been many years since I've seen her and I fear the worst. Thank you for your post about her. She had a very rough life but managed to stay pleasant. Your description of her is very accurate. I too tried to help her but her circumstances were more serious than I anticipated.
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