I had left home because of an argument. And I couldn’t afford an apartment because I wasn’t makin’ that much, so, um, I had got a room up on Temple Street in back a the State House. And - ah - the landlady there had a little bit of a problem--she used to think that the men that lived in the house were trying to get into bed with her every night, so she’d be knockin’ on my door, “Help me. Help me.” So, I just couldn’t take her any more, so I just left and, ah, stayed on the street, you know, knew everybody--we all stayed up on the hill. I’m the only one that worked--that had a job, so I used to feed everybody. Payday would come and I would go shopping. On weekends in the summertime, we’d all come down here fishin’ and barbecue down here and spend the whole weekend. And then I’d leave about midnight, time to go somewhere and get some rest to get up the next day and go to work. I worked in a printing company, in an office which I hated.

We knew a lotta people that had rooms and stuff, so we’d just go there, take a shower and clean up and, you know, every day, I’d go to Jordan’s basement and find an outfit to buy that was cheap. You know, and then go to laundromats, keep everything in a big laundry bag--And every week I’d do my laundry for the week and then go someplace--I’d put it,like, in a little bag, and then I would go to the Jordan Marsh Ladies’ Room and change, you know, and do my things in the sink in the morning--wash up and comb my hair and everything, put on my makeup for the day, and go out.

I probably - probably wouldn’t do it again. Even if I was the same age, I don’t think I--I’d do it again. First of all, the summer it was nice because we’d be, you know, out at the beach all the time. We used to spend a lotta time down here, but in the winter, and I’m not a winter-type person, I just can’t hack it, and how much can you stand on a grate to keep warm, you know, it’s dangerous for one thing, you know, and then you have to watch out at night when you sleep for the rats and whatever else - so…

Well, when I was homeless, there weren’t so many, um - um - people with mental illness. Most of the people that were homeless were either alcoholics or just young runaways. There weren’t that many people that had, you know, come outa mental institutions and stuff. So, it is different. Now, the women have shelters to go to.

Mary. Interviewed at Castle Island, South Boston. She worked at staff in a shelter. 1990.