Another night she met Dick, a Vietnam veteran who lived in the park. Since she was peaceful, she ran into peaceful people. That’s why she couldn’t be afraid of him. In fact, he became somehow her guardian, her human mentor when she was only hanging out with God and Mateo. Dick knew everything. Interesting conversations, catchy music on his radio, and what was best, he and Mateo got along pretty well. Always wearing sandals, Claudia often stopped by to hobnob with him on her way back home late in the gloom. He once revealed that he was in love with her.

Although he was disappointed when his feelings were not reciprocated, Claudia really admired the fact that he gently accepted it. Despite his insistence that she carry a knife just in case, her inner reassured girl didn’t need one. She never pronounced his name correctly, about which he often felt upset. Nick? Deck? “No! Dick!” The last time Claudia saw Dick, it was daytime. He was desperately knocking on a neighbor’s door asking for help. Apparently, somebody wanted to kill him. From a heart attack, a week after, her dear friend was found dead.

Rain. Grabbing onto an enormous rock; a huge wave washed over every inch of me. The fear of the Ocean’s avalanches seen in nightmares was defeated. The ocean, the wind, and the sun protected me; we had a blast. I saw the Goddess of water. The dream where lions were fighting. (*) Next, I appear sitting with two more women who were wearing my same sweater.

Claudia ignored that, as reported by the VA, homeless veterans suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder—an anxiety disorder—that often occurs after extreme emotional trauma, involving, experiencing or witnessing life-threatening event or injury, which prompts depression and prevents them from continuing a normal familial, social, and working life. That only half of all veterans who need mental health treatment receive it, and they also suffer from comorbid major depression—addictions, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and infections. She would’ve been bewildered to know that the causes of homelessness include physical or mental disabilities, illness, substance abuse, family breakdown, joblessness, poverty, lack of low-cost housing, and government policy. Would’ve been perplexed to know that veterans comprise 20% of all suicides; 5,000 homeless veterans per year, sadly, take their heroic lives.