happy holidays from skid row

so the gucci squad and i threw a holiday party at jeff's last night, celebrating the holidays and exchanging gifts. one of the guests is a client at jeff's work, a pre-op woman named jala. she was full of joy and just happy to be part of our loud and obnoxious group's festivities. she had nowhere else to be last night, no friends, not even family close by. it was jeff's idea to invite her over, and all of us welcomed her as if we had known her for years. i was asked to take jala home after the party was over, and at the time, i only knew she lived in downtown l.a. when i asked her specifically where she needs to be dropped off, she told me she lives on skid row. driving late at night to the housing building where jala has resided in the last month and a half was an unforgettable experience. i've only heard of skid row and barely seen pictures of it. it's a lot different seeing it in person. it was cold late last night, the streets were empty, except for bundles of clothes, trash heaps, people walking about, doing whatever it is they do on such a quiet night. the people who weren't sleeping on the ground just walked by and never made any eye contact. i felt an overwhelming feeling of guilt when my eyes glanced down to my door locks...just to make sure.
we dropped jala off at a building that has a bright blue neon sign that just says "hotel." it had a security guard outside, and was well-lit inside. she was very grateful to us for inviting her to the party, giving her food and tea to take with her, and the ride home. jeff offered some advice to her, stuff like "don't go out tonight," and "make sure you take your meds, and visit the office for more counseling." i drove away feeling so lucky and thankful for what i have, because i've spent so much of the last year wanting things and always looking for things that i don't have. i know better now.