It was so hard to leave such a nice hotel room but we had a big day ahead of us. We were already on the road and ready to walk at 7 am. It was a foggy and muggy morning. We were going to be walking through some neighborhoods in Wilmington that people were warning us about. We weren’t very worried about it at this hour.
Everyone we passed was super nice and while it definitely looked a little rough, we didn’t run across anyone that was any better or worse than anyone else we’ve met anywhere else. It was actually a really cool neighborhood. Bob Marley lived there for a while when he moved to the U.S.
We met up with our friend Jen and she was able to walk a few miles with us. Jen is awesome. She reminds me a lot of my sister when it comes to caring about everyone and not being scared to love the moment and show it. I was so glad that we got to spend time with her. She had to go to work so she hopped on a bus to get back to her car and we were back to being on our own. Not for long though.
We crossed into Pennsylvania and at the state line we were greeted by a woman named Denise who lived nearby in Marcus Hook. She walked with us for a while (in flip flops) and we got to talk about her son who passed away from an overdose. There was nothing good to say about the situation except that we were both happy to be doing something to be honoring our loved ones.
We were walking through town and a man in a pickup truck pulled up and asked what our cause was. We told him and he offered to buy us breakfast at the diner in town. Even though we weren’t very hungry since Jen had just bought us breakfast about an hour earlier, we gratefully accepted. We walked into the diner and he told the owner to put it on his tab and we sat down to eat.
Denise joined us and we ordered omelettes and actually ate most of it. It’s amazing how much that we can eat when you walk over 20 miles away.
After eating, Denise went her separate way back to her house. We continued onward. We walked through some industrial areas. Nothing but factories and rundown buildings. Buildings with noticeable water damage inside and out. Many abandoned structures looked as if they were ready to collapse at any given moment. There were plenty of people living there too though. We would pass rows of old townhomes. The gray day made it seem even more oppressed. People were really nice though.
A few people stopped to talk to us briefly and wished us well. One car pulled up and 2 women that we had seen at the big Eddystone walk earlier this year came out to say hey to us. It was really cool. We chatted for a few and took pictures. Then kept going. We walked through Chester which was very rundown but we had no problems. Again, just nice people.
As we got close to Eddystone, Jeanette came to meet us. I met her at the walk also. She has been helping us out with planning and sharing our posts. She’s pretty dang awesome. They just had their 5 year angelversary of their son Matthew yesterday. Her and her husband walked with us for a mile or two and then we stopped for lunch in Eddystone.
We got cheesesteaks at Vicki’s Deli. The real deal. We sat their and ate and a few people came over to meet with us while we were passing through the area. It was awesome! Me and Stick were both emotional wrecks as all these people were coming to meet us and show us support. It was amazing. We talked with everyone for a good hour. Then a woman named Kayla and her son Gionni walked with us for a few miles. Her company was great. It didn’t even feel like we were walking. Having someone to talk to made it just seem like we were hanging out. Her son helped push the cart too. It was awesome.
They turned back and then Stick and I headed to my friends Amy and Mike’s house. They let us stay there for the night and also helped us go get our car. We cleaned up and hung out and had dinner. All the good stuff. I feel like this is my home away from home now. This is the third time that I have stayed with them. It was such a great day with old friends and new friends. So much grief has brought us all together. It was emotional but I was so happy that I have been able to do something in my sister’s name that helps people. It is so cool how it works out that people help me too. So much. It’s just all such a great experience.
Read your blog everyday, can’t wait to hear the rest of the story!
Brett and Stick, thanks for what you are doing. I am honored to have spent a couple hours with you.