Day 39: “I’ve got work to do!”

It was raining. It wasn’t a downpour, just a light rain, but it added a wrinkle to the project. I like to talk to people outside. It just feels more private than in a building where others more easily can be part of the conversation. But rain doesn’t help things. People don’t generally walk around in the rain.

I was standing at the door at work, trying to decide what to do and where to go. I just didn’t want to wind up at Walmart that night. That’s when a truck drove down slowly down the street. It was some kind of delivery truck, but it was open – like one of those trucks that picks up junk people don’t want. (I researched the company later and found it was a sign business.) The truck stopped just up the street and backed up to the loading dock of a nearby building.

So I walked up to the driver. I had to wait a few seconds while he backed in. It took him a couple of tries to get the truck positioned just right. When he hopped out of the cab and started walking toward the loading dock, I stopped him and asked if I could ask him a question.

“What is it?” he said. He was a guy of about average height, but heavyset – maybe 45 years old. He was wearing work clothes and dirty ball cap. “Can I pray for you?” I asked. He didn’t think about it long. There was an impatience to him, like maybe he was running late. It was after 5 p.m. after all. “No,” he said, “I’ve got work to do!” Then he turned away from me and stepped toward the loading dock. He started to throw his leg up on the dock to hoist himself up, but then thought better of it. So he turned and started walking back around the truck.

I asked him then if he was sure. It would only take about 10 seconds to pray for him. That’s not a long time. He never fully addressed me to my face again. He just turned and walked around to the other side of his truck. “No thanks!” he said. And then he was gone.

I just walked back down the street, the rain still coming down gently. It was a quick brush-off, and I wondered later whether he even would remember talking to me. So I prayed that he would.