Something Special About You

Chapter 1 - New Beginnings

Andy Jenkins flipped the sign to 'open' in front of the glass doors from his newly opened gift store. A smile stretched wide across his freckles covered face, making his left side dimples deepened with excitement.

The young twenty-five-year-old man had finally saved enough money to open a business of his own, it may be small, but it was his, and no one can take it away from him. After all, he did work long and hard to get to where he stands.

At just the tender age of seven, Andy's parents had died in a tragic car accident, with him being their only child, Andy was immediately thrown into an orphanage where he was forced to experience the life of an adult at an early age. 

From throughout his stay, Andy became a victim of bullying from the other children who were supposed to share something common with him - a loss of both parents. But unfortunately, the gods weren't in his favor as the bullying eventually got worse when they found out his deep dark secret of being gay. If his peers weren't enough of a torment already, he'd also had to endure being harassed by the persons who were given the task of being his guardian. 

Eventually, Andy managed to pull through it all, however, it did come at a price. After the bullying had grown unbearable, Andy did the only thing that would see him finished the day. Andy fought back, which ultimately got him thrown out of the only home that once welcomed him since his parents passed away and landed him in an underage prison detention center for two years.

At the age of eighteen, Andy was released, with nowhere to go, he ended up on the streets with barely a few spare changes and the old worn-out clothes he'd had on his back. 

From there on out he'd lived his life on and off the streets for two miserable - backbreaking years, from either never being qualified enough to keep a job for too long, or from continuously paying bills until he couldn't anymore. 

Hence, Andy did the one thing he thought would benefit him in the long run. Andy had decided to become permanently homeless until he could accumulate enough money to do something worthwhile. 

Andy went on to work at a construction site while being homeless for a year, later proceeded to become a bartender, to taking shifts at fast food joints, plus numerous other odd jobs wherever he could get his hands on. 

Three years soon flew by and the young man had managed to save enough money to better himself. With all that money at his fingertips, Andy moved into a new unfamiliar city where no one knew him, hoping to start fresh. 

Amsterdam city, a city that once had been littered with gang violence, replaced with mobsters who claimed it as their own. 

Regrettably, Andy didn't know this, being the eager young man that he was, he had forgotten to research the place where he intended on living his life, not that his mind would've changed if he'd known the latter.

Andy rented out a small flat within the busy city streets. Unbothered by the countless skyscrapers and large businesses that surrounded and hovered above his fully stocked tiny store, Andy couldn't care less about them. He was going to make it, he was sure of that, and someday he planned on having his own place, a nice house away from the bustling crowds. As for now, he settled for staying in the single storage room by the back of his newly opened store. 

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A lifeless, slow-moving week floated by since Andy had opened his gift store. There he sat, sulking next to the empty counter, regretting he'd ever imagined opening a gift store in a busy city was ever a good idea. 

Since he had been open, only fifteen customers he'd manage to get. Andy would know because he'd counted every single one of them. 

Everyone else appeared to pass by the place as if it hadn't even existed. Andy damn sure thought it was a good idea, after all, every item was unique. He would know, considering he'd gone out of his way to find each and every piece of trinkets that rested upon the many wooden shelves which filled his tiny store.