The street lawyer.-

And how many homeless?





-good question. They are a difficult group to count. Maybe ten thousand.





I thought about that.Then I asked Morcadei about himself-You have a family.'?






-Yes, a wife. Three sons. One is in college, one is in the army and...and we lost our third boy on the streets ten years ago. He was killed. Gangs, What about you?






-Married, no kids.





Morcadei disappeared again, A helper brought cookies. I took four of them and walked to a corner where a Young mather was asleep with a baby under her arm and two small children half asleep under blankets.








The oldest boy eyes opened wide when he saw the cookies in my hand. I gave him one. His eyes shone as he took it and ate all of it. Then he wanted another one. He was small and thin, no more tan four years old. The mother woke up, saw the cookies, and smiled.







-What is your name ? I said to the boy. After two cookies he was my friend for life.






-Ontario





.How old are you?




He showed me four fingers.


-Four? I said.






He said yes and put his hand out for another cookie, wich I gadly gave him. I wanted to give him things. Anyhing he wanted.







-where do you live?I whispered.







-In a car, he whispered back. You got more Apple juice?







-Sure. I went to the kitcken and got him a cup of Apple juice and more cookies.







The mother was sleeping again. Like many homeless people, she moved a lot in her sleep. She was cold. I took my jacket off and put in over her. Then the baby cried and woke her. Without thinking. I took the baby, smiling at the mother all the time, She was happy to let me hold it so she could get some sleep. I stayed there until three in the morning.










The next day was Saturday. Since Tuesday when I met Mister, I had not worked even one hour for Drake. I lay in bed. I hated the work at Drake. I did not want to go back.Ever.








I had breakfast at a café on M and wondered what Ontario was having for breakfast. Then I went shopping, Candy and small toys for the kids, soap for them all, warm clothes in lots of childrens sizes. I had never had so much fun spending two hundred dollars. And I wanted to spend more. I wanted to start a lawsuit against the person who had made them homeless. I could not wait to have Ontario family as my clients.




I went back to the church leaving all the toys and clothes in the car, but Ontario family were not there. I asked Morcadei where they were.







-Who knows? The homeless go from kitchen to kitchen , shelter to shelter.





Next morning, Sunday, I had the small televisión in the kitchen on while I ate breakfast. But the TV news stopped me from eating. I Heard the words, but I did not want to believe them. I walked toward the televisión. My feet were heavy, my heart was cold, my mouth was open in shock and disbelief.








Sometime around 11 pm Washington pólice found a small car near Fort totten Park, in a gang área in the northeast of the city. It was parked on the Street. Inside were a Young mother and her children, all dead. The mother had started the engine of the old car and left it running to keep the family warm. The air in the car poisoned them while they slept.






They gave the mother name. I t was Lontae Burton. The baby was Temeko. The other childen were Alonzo and Ontario.







Their Candy and toys and soap and clothes were still in my car.