Dudley

Have you ever wondered about carnival workers? As I have observed them at the state fair over the years, I have often wondered about their stories. From the looks of them, I was certain they each had an interesting story to tell – at least interesting (voyeuristic?) to this fortunate one. At the time, I didn’t live my life in a way that I would ever have the opportunity to hear any of their stories. This past weekend, I got to spend some time with a former carnival worker named Dudley.

I stopped by A Family Called Us Saturday afternoon. I just couldn't shake the feeling I got after our little field trip. Not sure what it’s all about at this point, but when things like this happen, I have learned to go with it. Dennis (the guy heading it up) and the homeless were moving their stuff over to their new place. I helped them for a few hours. Dudley rode in my truck with me. He was living in a camp in midtown and was recently jumped by three guys. He had his head cracked and what little money he had taken. Two outreach workers put him up in a hotel for the night and tracked down A Family Called Us and got him in with them. This was going to be his first night in the new shelter.

As we rode together, I asked him about himself. He spent years traveling with a carnival. His travels with the carnival brought him to Arkansas and into my truck. We worked shoulder to shoulder, talked, and ate lunch together. That night, he slept in a bed and had a new family called us.