Wimpy

 I enjoy a bit of trivia now and again. I wouldn't say I was very good at it as there are huge gaps in my knowledge base. I'm not very informed about great art or artists. Pop music? Not even close. But every once in a while I can pull an answer out of thin air. Yesterday it was asked," who would pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today? " I immediately responded with Wimpy. Then I had to add, not Wimpy from Three Mile Harbor though, not that wimpy. That got to remembering the Wimpy I knew. That Wimpy, I don't know his real name, could usually be found in the section of town known as the hook. When I was a teenager I worked at the IGA grocery store located in the hook. It was there I met and interacted with Wimpy. Every time I saw Wimpy, or more correctly Wimpy saw me, he would ask for a quarter. If he only had one more quarter he could get a sandwich. That is what he told me each time. If you offered to buy him lunch, or whatever at George Greens restaurant right there in the hook he would tell you, oh no, not right now I'd rather wait till later on, if you could just spare a quarter I will get a meal later on, you know, buy something at the store, make it go farther. I always gave him the quarter.
 Wimpy was what they used to call a drunk. Back in the day he wasn't the homeless man, or a man with an addiction, no, he was just a drunk. He didn't bother anyone beyond asking for that quarter. If you ignored him or just said no, he just walked away. I never heard him raise his voice to anyone or act aggressive in any way. Really he was as pleasant a man as you would want to meet. He lived in a little wooded area across the street from the IGA store and behind the firehouse. He would get a refrigerator box from the appliance store every now and again. That's about as much as I knew about him that I know for a fact. I did hear stories about him though. It was said that Wimpy had lost his best friend in an accident. They were walking together on the Three Mile Harbor road and his friend was struck and killed by a car. Following that Wimpy would just get his wine, sneaky Pete we called it, and go visit that friend in the cemetery. I never saw him there, but they say he sat on the grave talking and sharing that wine. That Wimpy used those quarters I gave him to buy that wine is a fact. There was a liquor store right there in the hook and I saw him enter that place many times. Occasionally I would even tease him a bit, asking him, you're not going to buy wine with that money are you? And Wimpy would assure me he wouldn't do that, oh no, I'm going to get something to eat.
 It was also told that wimpy had lost his toes to frostbite. He did walk with a bit of a shuffling motion. Whether that was from his loss of toes or just a matter of bad balance I really couldn't say. I never asked him about any of that. I didn't see him around during the winter months, supposedly he was in the county jail, an act of kindness by the local magistrate. He would be arrested for vagrancy and given a few months. Again, if that is true or not I really don't know.
 I only interacted with this man for a year or two. He would do odd jobs to earn a few dollars. The barber, Frank Libert, would have him trim the hedges around his home every now and again. Frank would give Wimpy a free haircut too. I don't believe anyone tried to interfere with Wimpy and what he was doing. Folks back then kinda minded there own business in that regard. No one was trying to " save " him.  At least no one I ever heard of. Whatever happened to Wimpy I have no clue. I hope he found peace at some point and is resting easy with his friend. You know I didn't pity the man, I didn't feel bad for him, or obligated to do anything in any way. I just treated him like I did everyone else. He never gave me cause to feel any differently. It was a different attitude back in the day. I just naturally figured Wimpy was responsible for Wimpy. He was who he was and that's all he needed to be.