Epilogue
A year and a half after I had first set foot in the homeless shelter, I now found myself back in downtown Detroit, standing just on the outside of one of the main parks as pigeons flocked to a familiar statue.
On this beautiful, warm day, I wore a summer dress as I glanced across the street at some people hanging out on the steps of one of the churches. The way they held themselves and the way they dressed and spoke to each other, it became obvious to me that they were probably of the homeless crowd, hanging out at the church because they had nowhere else to go, just like I did in the past. One or two faces even looked familiar, although they didn't seem to even notice I was there.
I used to sit there. And to the left, over there on that bench. To the right on that grassy area, too. So much sitting and walking I used to do. Sometimes alone, sometimes with my best-shelter-friend, Dee. Down the road would be the shelter itself, where I'd told Dee a chunk of my past—even today, I still remained out of contact with my younger brother, but I was okay with that, now, and I'd learned that sometimes it was alright to move on from relationships that simply weren't working.
Across from the shelter would still be the university, where I toyed with the idea of studying while staying at the shelter for another four years while I finish a degree there. Four years. God. I couldn't imagine living in such an environment, now—not even for a day.
A tender hand lightly touched my shoulder. A tall, thin man with kind blue eyes and light-brown hair handed me a Cinnabon that took up the size of my whole hand. Times were changing and I knew that soon I would be trading in Cinnabons for similar but smaller kanelbullar on the other side of the globe. He leaned forward just a bit as he tilted up his European-style hat with a smile, speaking gently to me with a Swedish accent: “Are you ready to depart, Codi?”
I nodded to him, returning the smile. His company warmed my heart—and to think we'd originally met online! Now we were together in-person.
A refreshing breath filled my lungs as I took one last look around the city square and then realized there was no longer a need for me to see Detroit any more. I'd carry the experience—for better or for worse—with me forever, while also creating new experiences in Stockholm, Sweden.
In one hand I held the Cinnabon, and in the other I held my boyfriend's hand as we walked to a taxi that waited for us with rear doors open.
We squeezed in the back seat with a cat carrier next to us. Jodi was surprisingly quiet and patient as she allowed me to take that last look around the city.
“Alright. I'm ready to go.”