This is the piece i wrote for Chaotic Combanations. Hope you guys enjoy!

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Hannah Richmond – 24 year old.

-       ( this indicates interruption for invisible speaker )

( Piece to be directed towards audience)

Fun Run or how I stopped loving the homeless

Hello, yes hello nice to finally meet you.  Hannah Richmond? We talked over the phone about this meeting last month?

Yeah, I’m really sorry about last week. I got caught up in a little altercation back in Manchester before I got on the train. Yeah, I’m fine now. It was just a little incident. It’s just good to finally be here. Never seen head offices before. But anyway, now isn’t the time to go into detail. The community efficiency plan which I sent you which has a spreadsheet attached to it from the research I did during the first quarter. The data was compiled from the areas around the North West that I think we should try developing into new Emmaus communities. I based it on some of the reports Shelter did around the boroughs of London. According to the report I made, there are 1.5 people leaving on the streets of Manchester to every thousand homes.

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Oh, you’ve read it. Great to hear.

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Well if you look closer into the report you’ll find that there - oh so you’ve heard about? - Well it wasn’t exactly a malicious - it was - Okay.

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Well I was running late for the train, I initially planned to get to the station a  little earlier just to make sure - oh alright, I’ll skip.  So I was walking down Oxford road with my suitcase and rucksack and well I’m in a rush. I have 10 minutes to get to Piccadilly station and I’m carrying this hefty, bulging case around with all the stuff for the fun run in it.  I have some of the banners, the numbers. Basically everything. After seeing what time it was I started to get a jog on.  I’m trying to get through this bustling street with a suitcase, which I have to drag behind me, attempting to be on time for my train. It’s a bit of a hassle.

Yes? Well yes it’s important and no I’m not making it an excuse.

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My phone beings to ring as I’m walking  so I’m rooting through all my pockets for it . Now I don’t know who it’ll be or if it’ll be anything important so when I realise I can’t find it and see what time it  is. I ignore it.  I can feel it vibrating but I cannot miss this train for the life of me and -

Yes this is important just please give me a chance.

So after a while I decide I need to answer it. The person on the other side is not giving up.  This must be important so I put my hand in coat pocket and took out my phone. Now we know by our research that one of the most heavily populated areas in Manchester for the homeless community is Oxford Road. We have one of our Emmaus communities where I help out. Oh you know? It’s really nice to hear that news of our community and our projects have reached you in London. We’ve worked really hard on making a stronger community around the area. Just last month we reopened the old soup kitchen by Hulme Street. The response from the community has been great. Our average intake of the homeless is greater than any in the region already - I know, we worked really hard on it.

So yes, I will continue. I took my phone from out of my jacket pocket and this pocket well, it was crammed. It was holding my phone, keys and everything basically. And when I took my phone out, my purse fell out. It was that same purse I got from the India trip last year, you remember? One of the little presents the kids made us. Little Sanjay made it me. Well I dropped it on the floor and well it landed on the floor

Yes that was it.  I dropped it and had to pick it up. Well, no that isn’t the full reason.

Well I dropped it down next to a beggar, no I’m sorry someone who is homeless.  I er…yeah dropped it next to their foot. Yes I know it sounds a bit ridiculous, it’s not as if I threw it at them but it did honestly happen. That’s why I didn’t make it. Well why do you think I spent a night in jail it’s just - no I know just listen. Please?

Well the homeless person picked it up smiled and said thank you. She had a huge smile on her face. It was a real beautiful wide smile, missing one of her front teeth. The woman was in a bad state. I looked at her as she said thank you and stood there in shock. Not shock towards her no, I’m used to seeing people like that. I try all I can for people like her. I couldn’t really bare looking as she filed through my purse. It really began to agitate me.  So I simply asked for it back. Now I don’t know if you’ve ever asked for your wallet back from a homeless person, well I assume you haven’t considering your line of work, but I can assure you it’s not the easiest of situations. “ Look I’m terribly sorry my love but I’ve dropped my purse, yes that one in your hand and I was just wondering if I could perhaps have it back’. She stared back at me with these deep brown eyes , you could read so much into her. She’s a woman who has clearly had… issues. ‘No, you gave this too me. Why would you want it back?’ she said.

Yes I know I could have just given her some money but I didn’t have any on me. Yes I understand that it’s a common excuse, research shows that 6 out of 10 people use that as an excuse. It’s in the report. But this wasn’t an excuse. I only had my cards on me and I needed to catch the train.

As I was saying, she looked bemused as to why I would like to have my own purse back. I tell her that quite simply it was a purse made by someone really close to my heart and I just couldn’t part ways with it. She looked confused and asked me again. I checked my watch seeing that the time was beginning to catch up with me, so this time I asked her politely but firmly “ If you are going to speak like that I won’t” she replied. “ I won’t give you your purse back, I get talked to like that everyday of the year, it won’t get you anywhere” she said.

 I’m slowly becoming more annoyed as she begins this long rant on how people like me have no respect and don’t care for people like her.

I know right, I’m sure if she saw the irony she would of given my purse back but I don’t think it would have been appropriate. “Sorry, I’m organising a fun run for the homeless please may I have it back” I’m sure If I said that she’d say “ oh yes I completely understand here take it back, make sure you run that extra bit harder for me” No I couldn’t explain I was running for my train. Well of course I could have continued to try and catch my train and cancelled the cards later but well, my train tickets where in the purse. Exactly.

I bought myself first class tickets to London for the fun run and I kept them in my purse and now a homeless woman is clutching on to it as if somehow having this purse will save her life and bring good fortune to her or something. I was supposed to have a nice simple trip down to London and raise some money for a cause that right at that moment didn’t look worthy to fight for.

Yes, I know I’m sorry it was just annoying, anyway…

Now I try to explain the ticket situation to her, I ask her to give me the tickets that are in the purse so I can board my train. I’ve stopped looking at the time now because I’m now more focused on getting back my purse. But this ticket situation just adds ammo for her. She says it’s people like me who voted in the current government and that it’s my fault her benefits were cut and it’s my fault she’s homeless. I start to explain my charity work but she just laughs at me. Calls me patronising for trying to help. She accepted my accidental help earlier and now just laughs at me when I try and show support. It’s ridiculous. Yes of course I tell her about the soup kitchen. I just can’t get through to her. So I ask her politely again and fully explain every intricate detail to her. “ I’m going to London to do a fun run In aid of the homeless community in Manchester and I need my purse back to get there, please may I have it back’. She smiles. This just fills me with hope and starts to make me believe that in about 3 hours time I’ll be in London helping everyone out on such a busy day. But she says “ I don’t need your money’ and throws my purse into the middle of the road. Now Oxford Road is one of the busiest bus corridors in Britain and this is why it is a hotbed for begging and busking and would explain the need for their being an Emmaus community on Oxford Road but I’m digressing.

 I can’t go in the middle of the road; I mean it’s busy. Very busy. So now I’m definitely going to miss this train. I don’t even know the time but just guessing from how long I’ve been here arguing with this woman that I more than likely have missed this train. She now stands up, puts her blotchy face,  her empty eyes near to me and asks why am I not going to get my little purse.  I regret now what I did but it’s under acceptable circumstances I think -

 Yes, yes you’re right attacking a homeless person isn’t acceptable. I’m sorry it’s just….

Well, I slipped off a shoe and threw it towards her head.  I know a bit unreasonable but I was at the end of my tether.  I missed her head so I got my other shoe and threw it towards her again. I missed again which really pushed me to the edge. She gave me the look as if to ask why? “I’m only doing this because I care”. And then I lunged at her. Yes I punched her in the face.

Yes, and that’s why I missed the fun run.