Jeron’s Ride

Hands gripping the steering wheel and eyes set firmly forward, Jeron’s mouth drew to a line as he focused on the road ahead. He’d been this way many times to come to one of our meals, but driving a car like Jeron’s takes a lot of attention. The lack of a windshield meant he had to squint if that red streak of a car ever got up to speed. The lack of a driver-side window meant Jeron’s ears were filled with road noise from the clatter of the wheels not so far below him. Looking at the car’s various dents and scratches, you might be surprised to learn that the wheels were original. Jeron’s car wasn’t as fast or as sturdy as he’d like, but it had gotten him to the meal before and it almost certainly would again. Especially since Jeron’s car is a riding toy with a long, dirty, blue handle that Mongoose and Greg were taking turns pushing as the trio made its way across the sidewalk to one of Grace and Main’s meals.

Three-year-old Jeron spends nearly every day with Mongoose or Greg, and has for most of his life, but neither man is his father. They’ve been entrusted with the care and keeping of Jeron, a task they’ve undertaken with warmth and steadfast love even if also a relative lack of resources. Mongoose and Greg take turns watching Jeron most days, depending on which of them has work. Like so many communities, they are a family united by a chosen bond instead of blood.

Look, I know the question you want to ask, but I don’t know if I can answer it. Try as I might to understand it, I don’t know why people started calling him Mongoose. There’s nothing about his features or mannerisms that suggests the nickname, but hardly anybody calls him anything else. Mongoose is cautious and doesn’t talk much, but he does what he says he’s going to do. Like Jesus said, his yes is yes and his no is no. Mongoose is older than me by a couple decades and I confess I was puzzled when he introduced himself. Nobody around me seemed to find his name strange though, so I nodded and started calling him Mongoose. After all, if people matter then so do their preferences. Plus, who doesn’t want a friend named Mongoose?

There is no mystery to where Greg got his name, though. It’s the one his mom gave him. A regular more by acclimation than attendance, Greg has participated at least once in most of what our community does and is a welcome presence on our porches and at our meals. At various times, and through various seasons of life, he has been very active in the leadership of our Urban Farm. It was Greg who originally procured the red, yellow, and blue riding toy that Jeron rides to meals and it’s Greg who brings Jeron around some afternoons to do sidewalk chalk at a hospitality house. With a quick smile and a tendency to rock back and forth a little bit when he’s joking around, Greg warms every room he enters with his presence. He needs a little help with rent every now and then when the weather gets in the way of his job, but it’s easy to help somebody like Greg who is living in part to provide for others.

So, Mongoose and Greg push Jeron’s car down the sidewalks toward one of our community meals, taking the time to catch up with each other as Jeron works his 8-inch steering wheel and watches the real cars drive by. His braids are set just right and he’s wearing the new coat he got for Christmas even as Greg wears a coat that has long since seen its better, warmer days. Jeron’s shoes light up when he walks and have Spiderman on them, even as Mongoose’s shoes are held together with duct tape in strategic locations. Jeron is neither man’s son but he is their family. Neither of the two single men expected that they’d be guardians of a child when we first met them, but they took to it with a committed nonchalance that rang with a sense of calling when Jeron was in need.

The trio arrived to the meal with a few minutes to spare before we broke the bread and passed the cup. Jeron had driven them there successfully, even if it was Mongoose and Greg’s legs that did the work. After shucking their coats and hats, Greg made a plate for Jeron as Mongoose went to get drinks and dessert for all of them. My hand on Jeron’s braids, I offered a quick, quiet blessing. I prayed that he would be well even as Greg and Mongoose made sure he would be. As Mongoose and Greg got plates of their own, I prayed that Jeron would always feel welcome in our little community. I prayed that God might keep knitting together families in unexpected places from unexpecting people. “It’s good to see you, little brother,” I said to Jeron, before adding with a nudge, “go eat.”