Chapter 19 Summary
Denver Moore thinks everything at the mission is going well until the smiling white couple start serving in the dining halls on Tuesdays. Every week, he feels the woman focus in on him, and when he goes through line she smiles hugely at him and asks his name and how he is doing—“attackin him for no particular reason.” Moore does his best to stay away from her.
The woman corners him every week, pokes her bony finger in his face, and tells him he is not a bad man. She tells him God has a calling for his life; Moore tells her not to bother him because he is a mean man. Deborah insists Moore is not a mean man and does not want to hear him say that again. Moore thinks she is “gettin kinda smart” with him, and it is the first time a woman—or a man—has done so without getting hurt. None of this stops the woman and Moore wonders to himself what he has done to her that she refuses to leave him alone.
It may seem like being homeless takes no skill; but in order to stay alive, homeless people always need to be aware of who and what is around them. All the homeless people in Fort Worth know to stay away from Moore because he will beat them if they do not; however, all of his posturing at the mission is not enough to dissuade Deborah from seeking him out. She is the first person Moore has met in many years who is not afraid of him. It feels to him as if she has spiritual eyes, looking past his outside to see what is inside.
Homeless people generally disdain those who try to help them. Every volunteer’s motives are suspect because homeless people understand that everyone wants something. Moore thinks about the smiling white couple. The man dresses and acts too high class, like the law. He thinks Deborah seemed too high class and sophisticated at first; the way she carried herself and interacted with people is what made her seem this way, not the way she dressed. To make things worse, Moore thinks they ask way too many questions.
While everyone else at the mission is falling in love with these people, Moore admits he is skeptical. Though he does not have evil thoughts about them, Moore is convinced they are not the type of people who typically volunteer with the homeless. Perhaps these two do not feel superior to the people they are serving, but the homeless people feel as if they are. And yet there is something different about these two.
One difference is that the Halls come every week, not just on holidays. Most people do not want the homeless anywhere near them, afraid that some of the unfortunates’ troubles will rub off on them or they will contract a disease. They come at Christmas or Thanksgiving and serve tepid food before going back home to their families and feasts, forgetting about the homeless until the next year when they begin to feel guilty because they have so much for which to be thankful.
On Tuesdays, Moore begins waiting until there is no line so he can get through quickly and without talking to them; however, that does not mean Moore is not watching them.
Get Ahead with eNotes
Start your 48-hour free trial to access everything you need to rise to the top of the class. Enjoy expert answers and study guides ad-free and take your learning to the next level.
Already a member? Log in here.