The old woman stood on the street corner.  The hat she wore did little to keep the icy wind from blowing her unkept hair into her face and eyes.  Her clothes were torn and they did not shelter her body from the cold.  She had not had a bath in a long, long time and she smelled of dirt, grease, and garbage.  She did not have any friends or family who would take her in.  She was all alone. 

She did not have any money.  Every day she looked for food in trash cans, hoping to find at least one morsel of food to eat.  She didn’t care that unwanted animals shared her meal.  She was unwanted too, yet, she was a fighter; she wanted to survive.  She had found an old grocery cart and she pushed that around wherever she went.  She filled it with clothes that had been thrown away, along with other items that she found in the trash bins behind the stores. 

At night a park bench was her bed and newspapers were her blankets.  Many people stared as they passed by.  Some would hide a laugh, while others called her names.  She would try hard not to cry even when their snickers echoed down the streets.  The words would cut, piercing her already wounded heart.  She would hold her head high and dream of the day that her life would change.  Someday she would live in a nice house and have nice things like she had had when she was younger.  “Someday,” she would say to herself.  Still, she wondered if that “someday” would ever come.

She would think about the strangers.  She would wonder what their lives were like and sadness would fill her soul.  What kind of houses or apartments did they live in?  What kind of jobs did they have, and what about their children?  Were they happy? “If only,” she would think to herself.  “If only someone cared about me.”  But, no one took the time to know her.  No one knew that she was once a fine young woman. 

She had been married to a man and she thought that he was going to love her forever.  “Fairytales,” she said to herself.  “It was all just a bunch of poppycock.”  The marriage lasted for a few years until her husband decided to stray and then he left.  She never saw him again.  Perhaps, she was better off not knowing his whereabouts, but now she was penniless.  Her young life had been ruined by depression and alcohol, until she had nothing left, but the clothes on her back. She had lost everything and no one cared. 

But, all she got were stares, laughter and people pointing at her.  What if, what if someone took the time to care?  Would that make a difference?  She wondered!  No one really took the time to think about how she might feel.  Perhaps a kind word and a little help would brighten her day and cause her wrinkled face to smile.   If someone would just take the time, maybe she could get out of this rut.  If only, someone would take a risk.  She needed to find a good samaratian, someone who would not pass her by.  Was there anyone, at all who would look her way?  But no, they were too afraid of her.  Afraid that they could be in her situation if circumstances were different.  Afraid, that she might take advantage of their generostiy.  Afraid, of being afraid.  So, they go on their merry way, pretending that she is not there, and the old woman, as always, is left all alone.  Alone with her dreams of a better life. Alone, as she takes some extra clothes out of her shopping cart.  It was going to be a cold night.