Clearwater, August of 2006: Locked Out, Kyle Befriends a Trio of Unlikely Angels

     

 

When Kyle returned home to Charlottesville after his tumultuous visit to Clearwater, Florida, in August of 2006 he related the  following: One evening in Clearwater, Kyle—who enjoyed a good  cup of coffee—went out to a Starbucks. This particular shop is just down the block from the apartment Kyle’s father, Tom Brennan,had rented  at 423 Cleveland street.

Kyle said that when he returned, the apartment building’s outer door was locked. He tried to call his father who was inside at the time, but Brennan had turned off his cell phone. This meant, of course, that Kyle was locked out for the night.

Heading back towards the coffee shop, Kyle was approached by a disheveled man begging for money. Kyle gave him five dollars, and the man asked: “Are you one of those f---ing Scientologists?” Taken aback for just a split second, Kyle replied, “If I was, I wouldn't have been able to give you that five."  

During the conversation that followed, Kyle discovered that the man was a homeless veteran, and that he was living in a park not far from Cleveland Street. Kyle had a soft spot in his heart for veterans. Military personnel, and law enforcement officers, were Kyle’s heroes. Back home in Charlottesville, Kyle enjoyed attending military events. He loved hanging out with veterans, and would often draw them out so he could hear their stories.

Kyle and the old veteran, enjoying each other’s company, sat up against the building, under a flickering light. Two Clearwater police officers, spotting the unusual couple—an older man down on his luck, and a well-dressed 20-year-old—stopped and asked Kyle if he was OK. When Kyle told them about being locked out, the policemen tried to open the outer door. Finding it sealed tight, they told Kyle to stay close by as they would check up on him throughout the night while they were on duty. This promise they kept. The two officers—who Kyle later said were great guys—actually spent their break time that night chatting with Kyle. The homeless vet stayed out on the sidewalk with Kyle all night long. The two passed the time talking war stories.