As I was parked at my typical location at the intersections of Ruth and Somerset[1], people came and people went to and fro from their self appointed rounds of 'doing a date'[2] to buying their drugs of 'choice' to consuming those drugs through inhalation and/or injection.
One of those people stopped to actually share with me the pain she's feeling about the relationship she's in these days. "He's miserable to live with."
She went on the tell me how sick she is with 'doing dates' how she's dead inside for having done so for so long and doing so only to financially support the heroin addiction she'd rather not have.
*****
I wanted to back off for a moment from the heaviness of the conversation and that's when the path of that chat took me home - literally….
Where
are you from? I asked.
"I lived for a few years in Glen Mills."
"Glen
Mills!?" So did I! I grew up in Glen Mills and live there
now.."
I lived in a house with my husband at (exact
address) very near the 322 overpass on Smithbridge Road.."
I
grew up at Saint John's Church at the corner of Concord and Cheyney Roads. My Dad was the priest there.
Is that the big church with the really big
cross in the front yard?
Yes. It is.
Did they build an addition recently?
Yes. They did.
My husband and I would sit in our car in their parking
lot and use their open free wifi…….
Dear Saint John's Reader of this blog…
From your parking lot where you and she have parked, you drive down the driveway and turn right onto Concord Road. You proceed to Matson Road and turn right onto it and then left onto Route 322.
From there, you merge onto I-95 and then get off at exit #23. You turn right onto Delaware Ave and right onto Aramingo Ave and left onto Lehigh Ave and right onto Kensington Ave. Go up two blocks and turn right onto Somerset Ave. Ruth Street will be your next block.
At the end of your 35-minute drive, you will meet the young lady who lives on those streets and used your open internet connection in her days when opioids were beginning to take hold of her soul.
All Roads Lead to Kensington.
[1] https://www.google.com/maps/place/Ruth+St+%26+E+Somerset+St,+Philadelphia,+PA+19134/@39.9908519,-75.1220317,3a,75y,272h,98.53t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sqNxflvgMwDAzekiyZRyMxA!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DqNxflvgMwDAzekiyZRyMxA%26cb_client%3Dsearch.gws-prod.gps%26w%3D86%26h%3D86%26yaw%3D325.92612%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192!4m5!3m4!1s0x89c6c82650aa0fb5:0x66597182623d2bd5!8m2!3d39.9908595!4d-75.1220512?hl=en&authuser=0
[2] The street term for prostitution
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