The Bench

The smell coming from the dumpster was vile, it was a putrid combination of rotting food, urine and vomit. The stench was making me gag, but it was not enough to help me overcome the extreme hunger that I was experiencing. I felt as if I would die if I didn’t eat something soon, I was desperate. As I slid the door to the dumpster open I was hit with a wave of heat and an even more intense version of the foul odor. I sifted through the garbage looking for food, I could hear the buzzing of what sounded like a millions flies. I saw several wrapped cheeseburgers under the top layer, they also had maggots on the wrapping. Fortunately, I found a couple of the burgers that the maggots had not yet penetrated the wrapper. I tore the wrappers off and started to eat, the cheese was crispy and the bun had hardened, but at least I was eating something. As I forced down each bite I couldn’t help but think how I ended up eating out of a dumpster behind the McDonald’s on the Las Vegas strip. I was homeless with no resources. I remember clearly looking toward the sky and saying out loud, “if there is a God, I hate you, this is pointless suffering.”