Living By The Word: A Tale From The Street – Fall 2009

By Rev. Linda Kelly-Baker

He goes by “Shorty,” but his real name is Larry King. Really! Fifty-six and a-half inches tall, Shorty is a familiar fixture around mid-town Sacramento and the church where I serve as part-time associate Pastor for Urban Ministries. Shorty is also a frequent guest of Loaves and Fishes where I first met him many years ago.

Shorty is a Marine through and through. He never quite left the Viet Nam war behind. He greets me with a sharp salute and say, “Permission to speak.” “Permission granted,” I say, “At ease.” Shorty relaxes. He often repeats the Marine slogan, “Semper Fi.” “Always Faithful.” Shorty served as a tunnel rat in the war, a very dangerous position clearing out underground mazes, hoping not to be killed by the enemy. Only one out of five of his comrades made it home alive. Shorty was wounded and nursed back to health by a Corpsman by the name of Annie. She is the love of his life to this day. Shorty often tells me that God gave Annie to him as a mate for life, though they never legally married. He tells Annie that she will always be number two because God is number one. When he tells me this, which is almost every time we talk, Shorty points to the sky and looks up to the heavens.

Shorty came to worship with me one day after our Community Breakfast. He got to the sanctuary before I did and sat in the very front center pew of our large, auditorium-style sanctuary. He was a bit tipsy but there to praise the Lord just the same. God is number one. We had a great time worshipping God together that morning.

I met Annie when they both lived on the street together. After suffering some difficulties, Shorty’s Annie now lives in a care facility where she has been for several years. Shorty continues to live on the streets of Sacramento. He has a very secret place where he stashes his bedroll and belongings during the day, and a relatively safe place he claims at night. He likes to drink a bit and often overdoes it. But I’ve also seen him quite sober several days in a row.

God is number one for Shorty. Annie is number two, and Shorty is last. Every month when he gets his VA check, Shorty boards a bus to visit his mate and signs over his check to pay for her care.

What greater love is this?