The man in the red car [Complete]

2.

Kong instantly felt the cold wind hit his body as soon as he took the first step outside the opulent building, his very first thought being that in the one week he was taking refuge in the comfort of a warm bed, winter had officially set in. Every cell in his body screaming to turn right around and walk straight back to the safe sanctuary that has shielded him from harsh reality. Hesitant feet suddenly unsure if his thin clothing and freshly recovering body from a week long sickness could even handle his sudden call for principles. Perhaps taking just a few bills of cash might help him survive just a little longer where Arthit probably wouldn't even miss their absence.

It wasn't until a random resident of that building tapped on his shoulder, frowning down at the shabbily dressed boy loitering about the entrance of his lavish building did Kong snap back to his senses again. Fate had smiled down on him when Arthit had decided to stop the car beside him a week ago. But now it was time to count his blessings, thank the heavens that he was still alive, and leave this place once and for all. Hanging around hoping that this one interaction, that one night of passion somehow meant that Arthit was going to swoop in and become his savior was not only foolish but also dangerous. As much as Arthit had done for him, as thankful as he was for saving his life he needed to move on.

Sucking in a deep, chilly breath, he tightened the jacket around him once again, wincing slightly at the sharp pain in his lower back before he began the slow tread towards his desired destination. It took him six hours to drag his tired feet to the opposite side of the large city, his pampered stomach which had been stuffed with an abundance of food for the past couple of days suddenly beginning to complain again, completely unwilling to go back to the time when it was used to being unnourished for days together. Blisters that had healed in the past week getting acquainted with his feet once more as he finally looked over the large, sprawling construction site in front of him. Atleast a couple hundred workers in yellow jackets and matching yellow hard hats running around the field.

If only Kong could be one of them. A man with a job, a purpose. A means to make some money, buy some food, find a place to sleep. A man that didn't need to beg or sell himself. Looking down at his ragged clothes, he straightened them as much as possible. Atleast they were clean, just like him. Unlike the hundreds of previous times when he has had to grovel for work while people shooed him away just cause of the unbearable stench, this time he might actually have a chance. Clearing his throat nervously, patting down the windblown hair he took one nervous step after another towards the site managers trailer.

Getting rejected within 10 seconds flat.

What exactly was Kong expecting anyway? That the man wouldn't take one look at him and immediately know he was a homeless drifter? Scornfully looking up at Kong asking for his address and phone number, neither of which Kong had for a very long time now. Practically yelling the boy out of the room for wasting his time.

And although Kong is more than intimate with the concept rejection, having had more than one door slam shut on his face, more than one person scrunch their nose at his mere presence, getting turned away from jobs over and over again was something he experienced on a daily, and yet somehow today it hurt. Maybe simply having met Arthit, having been treated like a human being after so long had given him hope, certain expectations that others wouldn't treat him like an annoying fly anymore meant only to be swatted away.

Shaking his head to physically shed off this irritating thought of self-pity, squaring his shoulders with faux confidence he walked out onto the street once again. Giving up on life right as he had begun to see its possibilities would lead to nothing but more hurdles his way. So what if this place didn't want to hire him. There were atleast six other sites Arthit had driven through that day. Atleast one of them might take him seriously.