There are endearing characters in the neighborhood that give this massive city a sense of small town and community. May I introduce you to Robin Hood.
A large white truck completely covered with graffiti and parked in front of my Mother's building annoyed a lot of people in the neighborhood. If it weren't for the driver's generosity, they would have called the police to remove his truck. Filled to the brim and overflowing with everything that had ever been discarded in the neighborhood, it was a warehouse on wheels. You need a microwave, a TV, a VCR, some utensils, china, designer clothes? The truck's owner, who we shall call Robin Hood, diligently fishes everything out of recycle bags left on the curbside for the sanitation trucks that come twice a week. Just let him know what you need, and most of the time he has it, and if he doesn't, wait a week and someone who no longer needs whatever it is, will leave it on the curbside. I have seen some of the most elegant furniture and household goods sitting on the streets waiting for the sanitation pickup. Mom's often upset with Robin Hood and wishes he wouldn't park his vehicle in front of the building she maintains, whose tenants pay $2,000 a month for rent. At the same time, she's grateful for the microwave he brought her when hers went on the blink, and the light weight shopping cart he gave her that makes her grocery shopping so much easier. And her grandson whose apartment was recently broken into, was grateful for the black leather jacket and the DVR that replaced those that had been taken. During an intense summer heat, two seniors in the neighborhood where thrilled when they were surprised with gifts of air conditioners they otherwise couldn't afford. Robin Hood, we thank you for your wisdom, recycling what wasn't obsolete.
