During the Great Depression, it was common for strangers to show up at the kitchen door of private residences asking for work and/or food. Most were travelers, looking for anything, very humble and honest. It was not uncommon to help them if the family had the means. Hungry strangers were just a doorbell away.
Today, a Friday afternoon, I got a knock on the door. Standing there was a young African American man with papers in his hand and looking a bit anxious. He quickly went into his spiel about carpet and upholstery cleaning services offered by his employer. He was dressed very nicely and looked me straight in the eyes the entire time.
I tried to cut him off early, to save him time, because I'm moving and the house has all hardwood floors anyway. I told him I was starting to pack and this just wasn't a good time for that. That's when he said, "I'll help you move, heck, I'll help you pack".
I live in Vancouver, Washington, about 95% white. I live in a pretty much all white neigborhood. But there on a Friday afternoon, this young black man was going door to door trying his best to earn an honest living. He would have helped me take out the trash if I'd asked him. He politely asked if he could use my bathroom, which explained why he was rocking from foot to foot. After he'd finished I engaged him in conversation about Obama and the stimulus bill. He said he voted for Obama and we bumped fists.
I told him I was a retired federal government human resources professional and that with this stimulus bill maybe there would be some opportunities opening up. I offered to help him with that search if he was interested. He was excited about that and said his girlfriend would also be very interested. I gave him my name, phone number, and email address and told him to feel free to contact me. He said when I get a call from Lucinda, that will be his girlfriend.
Now I know door to door salesmen aren't uncommon. But this seemed different. It made me think that I could get a knock on the door, and it won't be a salesman, just an unemployed person looking to "help me out". It made me wonder when that will be.
I hope Lucinda calls me.