Overheard at Work. New Orleans

I was thinking lately about all the weird and strange and depressing things I overheard when I was working in New Orleans for Serco...

Warning: Depressing.

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One woman told me they had to evacuate for Katrina pretty quickly and thought they would only be gone for three days. So they decided to leave their dog behind. They left him a bunch of food and filled the tub with water. They said "goodbye" and "see you in three days." Of course they didn't make it back in three days. In fact, they didn't get back for six months. Turns out their thieving neighbor robbed them blind and in the process accidentally let the dog out of the house, at which time another neighbor took the dog in. When the homeowner finally returned to her home, she decided to just let the neighbors keep the dog because they had become so attached after rescuing him. Fortunately they're just a couple of doors down so she gets to see her old dog all the time.

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...Another conversation with a very nice guy in his sixties:

"Marriage these days only lasts about 10 years.  In my day, it was for the long haul."

"I don't get involved with dogs.  In my day, if a dog bit the neighbor's kid, their mother told them, 'that's what you get.  I told you to stay away from that dog!'  Today, mama calls doctor, lawyer, jury."

"My son was killed.  He didn't want to take my advice."

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...Another old black lady, while talking to me referred to George Bush as "your president."  I said, "why did you call him "my president?" and she didn't reply.  She just looked at me like, "duh."

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...Another woman told me that of her 9 children, only four are still living. One went missing for three weeks at Rita. Then he was found dead. Another died of cirrhosis of the liver, another had an aneurysm, and one was murdered. The fifth died in Katrina.

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SOME QUOTES FROM THE LADY WHO WAS TOTALLY HIGH, AND FORGOT TO TELL HER HUSBAND THEY HAD COMPANY BEFORE HE WALKED OUT IN HIS BOXERS AND THEN GOT VERY EMBARRASSED:

"I'm on more pain medication than anything.  But sometimes I don't take the medicine cuz I don't want to get addictive."

"I don't do drugs.  It's not my thing.  Crackheads.  That's not how you wanna look."

When her husband came out in his boxers (because he didn't know we were there) she told him, "That's what you get."  He replied, "I'm about to finish you right now."