I’m Fat…Because I Grew Up Hungry

We spend most of our time counting money, but not understanding the numbers. Growing up in poverty, I learned how to do unorthodox things to survive and get what I needed. As an adult I’m finding out money is not the essential need, we only think it is.

I remember when my sister use to get food stamps. She had just had a baby and got public assistance. My sister would only shop for herself and her daughter and would not share anything. There were times when milk would spoil, bread would turn green or uncooked rotten chicken would be left in the refrigerator, but I couldn’t touch it. I would be hungry, literally starving and she would not share anything. How could someone be so cruel? So I had to resort to other things to eat, keep in mind I’m about fifteen or sixteen at the time. I was the youngest of three and by the time hard times really hit my family I was still in high school. Sometimes I think my mom forgot how young I was. I really had to be an adult when I was just fifteen!

Some days I would go into Harold’s Chicken and make my order. “I would like a half dark with pepper, no slaw and extra mild sauce.” With a half dark you got two thighs and two legs and a ton of fries. Just as I finished ordering my food I’d say my friend was going to pick my order up and I would walk out. Harold’s would cook to order. They never cared who picked up the food. Anyway, I would send my friend back into the restaurant about 10 minutes later and they would give him my order. Then I would come back in the restaurant with another friend. I would go to the counter and ask for my food. The cashier would say “Your friend came and got it.” At that moment I would point at the friend I brought in with me and say “Here is my friend right here. Did you give him my food?” The cashier would immediately think she gave the food to the wrong person. Then she would say “Hold on, your order is coming up soon.” Now we have eight pieces of chicken and we could all eat.

On other days I would call the local McDonald’s and ask to speak to the manager.

Manager: “This is the manager.”

Me: Sir, I just left there. I had ordered a Quarter Pounder with Cheese and the meat was half cooked!”

Manager: “How long ago was that?”

Me: “I just came through the drive thru about fifteen minutes ago.”

Manager: “What did you order?”

Me: “I ordered the number four.”

Manager: “Give me your name and I will give you a new order when you come back.”

Me: “Do you want me to bring this food back?”

Manager: “No.”

Whew! I was glad he didn’t want me to bring the food back because there was no food, but I just got me a free meal. You are listening to a guy who really grew up hungry and had to learn tactics to get food.

So many days I would dig into the couch for loose change. Some days I was lucky. Most days I was not. Seventy six was my number. That’s what I would strive for every day. Seventy six cents was all I needed to get me a bag of fries from Harold’s. If I could eat around 4pm I was good the rest of the night, but I had to time it just right. If I couldn’t get enough money (most days I couldn’t) I would take whatever change I found and go to John’s Game Room and buy one cent cookies. John’s Game Room was right behind my house.

The one thing about survival is it makes you do things you don’t want to do. So many times I plotted to go up to the local Burger King and snatch someone’s bag. There were times I would stand outside the Burger King and look through the glass to see who was an easy target, but I never could do it.

Don’t ask me where my mom was!? I don’t know, I couldn’t tell you! For whatever reason it was justified at the time and I never blamed her. Somehow I would make it to school every day. I went to school to eat. I had a free lunch card. I would ride with my friend who lived on the next block to get to school. I didn’t realize how much these things would have an effect on me, but because I grew up hungry I always wanted to be the first person in the cheese line. Metaphorically speaking I’m still hustling to be the first person in the cheese line, but one day I would like to be the person giving out the cheese.

The Point ↓
If we could all start thinking mathematically about things we would realize very quickly that money is not the essential need.

D-Revolution
www.D-Revolution.Org