Edwin Lanier Jr. (EL) and David Wright (DW)
EL: Every time you came by you’d stick out a two dollar bill, and a can of tuna fish. And, um, it was New Years Eve. And I had nowhere to go, couldn’t drink, everybody’s partying. And you walk on over and says, “You remember me?” And I said, “Yeah you the two dollar bill man.” He said, “I’m going to take you home with me for a New Years Eve party. How would you like that?” I went to your home and had a shower, and you gave me some clean clothes. And we sat down at the table and I told you some stories about who I really was, and who my daddy was. There was a lot more to me than you might imagine.
DW: I hope I was a little bit of a help along your path.
EL: Well you know, David, without your kindness, I don’t know. I wouldn’t say I’d have gone back drinking again. But I’d say, it would have been rough.
DW: You’re now in the hospice program.
EL: Yep, I guess it’s my turn, now.
DW: It’s your turn.
EL: My, uh, prognosis is that I should be dead a month from now. I honestly tell you, I look forward to dying. There’s a lot of people out there that’ll do anything to stay alive. Heart transplants, anything. But I’m telling you, I’ve done my business here, and I’m ready to go home. And, uh, when I wake up in the morning, to tell you the truth, I’m pissed off that I’m still here. Only way I get through the day, David, is to say, “Well, I’m going to make my life worthwhile by saying something of value.” That you can keep with you and can help you.
DW: I’m grateful for that. You’re certainly an inspiration to learn about how to live. And the last chapter here over the months, how to die.
EL: I want to say one thing about you. You really really been patient with me, and you cared for me tremendously. That’s going to count on your record, upstairs, and you got the finest record of anybody. Thank you for helping me so much.
DW: Oh, you’ve helped me so much. Thank you.