DeBraer is a man who makes his home under an overhang of the building formerly occupied by City Greens at the corner of NE 45th Street and 12th Ave NE. One time a month or so ago, he asked if I could help him with lunch as I walked by; I offered to pick up something for him at the Quiznos next door, and brought him some soup & salad (at his request). I've walked by many times since, and we often exchange greetings, but I had not offered to help him again (despite my desire to do so) … until tonight.
Tonight as I passed him, he asked me to stop and read what he'd recently written in his notebook. There were several pages dated "7-12-04", and I read them with interest. The themes included sports, religion, politics and homelessness. Among the gems were a commentary on a local baseball player, to whom he posed the question "Are you willing to win, or do you simply want to endure?", and further on, the formula "Preparation + opportunity = success." I offered to buy him dinner, and he asked if I would pick him up three eggs sunny-side up, two baked potatoes with lots of butter & sour cream, and a steak from the International House of Pancakes around the corner, at NE 43rd Street and Brooklyn Ave. Upon my return, he sang me a song that he had composed (allowing me to snap his photo, shown above), with a great voice and deep soul. As we parted, he asked if I had any old books, specifically mystery novels, sports or autobiographies. I'll see what I can find at home.
As seems to be the case with almost every human being I get to know — even a little — there is more to DeBraer than initially meets the eye, or at least my eye. I was impressed with this man's writing and singing, and perhaps most of all, with the fact that this man knows what he wants and is not afraid to ask for it. I'm reminded of an earlier moblog I posted from Grand Illusion Cafe with a photo of a sign saying "Those who never want get what they never ask for" … I suppose a corollary may be "Those who never ask get what they never wanted."