"Well fuck." He murmurs... He stares blankly at the southern wall of the apartment that, as of tomorrow, would no longer be his. The paint was peeling off, there were holes from fists and gun shots galore. Previous inhabitants, in one way or another, had moved on; making way for him when he was thrown out by his wife... Ex-wife... that thought makes him cringe even now. He looks around at the rest of the room. It is dark, small and barren. If you stayed quiet you could hear the mice scurrying around in the walls. He loved it. It was all he had. The tears came in abundance when he was given the final notice. He was to be evicted tomorrow. He had done everything he could to try to pay the rent; selling everything but the clothes on his back. The bed. The furniture. His engagement ring... Nothing left but blood and bone. He remembered seeing his reflection in a window on the day. He cringed. He was too young to look like this. His hair was greying and the worry lines formed deep crevices under his eyes. His face was gaunt and his expression pained. He was tired. So very tired. He attempted to pull his lips into a smile but didn't achieve much. He sighs. "Courage." One step. One foot in front of the other. The pulling of muscles and tendons in his legs. The shifting of weight onto the forward foot.
Repeat.
Repeat.
Repeat.
This is how he made his way out the door, with nothing but the clothes on his back and a hopeful thought; "Maybe things can be different... and maybe different is better..." His brown coat billowed in the wind, barely guarding him from the cold, as he walked out of the apartment building and onto the streets of Los Angeles; City Of Dreams.
-Night comes swiftly to those on the streets and those in alleyway refrigerator boxes-
He makes his way down a dark alley.
The filling of a trash can. The clicking of a light. A putrid black smoke. But it was warmth, something hard to come by nowadays. The fire glows dimly, only just illuminating his face. And luckily so. He was a mess. Times like this he wished he had a god to pray to.
The fire dies eventually and the night moves on at a maddeningly slow pace
He curls up against a wall, his breath jagged from uncontrollable shivering.
He drops in and out of consciousness a million times and not once does he wake to find the morning
Time drags...
Footsteps.
He turns his head. A dark figure looms at the opening of the alley. Fear rises as he turns to survey his options. Dead end. He stands, bracing himself for... a girl? "Ay mister... I... noticed you knew how to light a fire..." she kept her head down. Hiding her face with her hair. "I-I have newspaper a-and a few pieces of dry wood! Um, ya think you could help me out?" He was taken aback by the plea... he smiled.
-I wanted a purpose... well? Why am I just standing around???-
He rushes to the girl's side a little too fast. She yelps and drops the wood and papers. He slides his jacket off and gently places it around her shoulders. The girl sighs with relief, relishing the warmth of the jacket. "Thanks mister." Picking up the supplies, he moves toward the metal trash can and in no time they have a warm fire. He sees her face... two black eyes. He gasps. She immediately looks down, once again concealing her face from view. He spoke. "Don't be afraid and don't be ashamed." She looks up again. Her face illuminated in the dim light of the fire. Gashes and bruises. Definitely not self-inflicted. He smiles dryly. "What's the other guy look like?" She let's out a sharp bark of a laugh. "A real pain in the ass." She says smiling lightly. "What'd'ya parents have t' say?" She pauses before answering ... One Mississippi... Two Mississippi... Thr-"The effort it would have taken them to care less is beyond their mental capacity." He decides not to pass judgement.
They sat together, talking. Nothing in particular. But filling the silence made them both more comfortable. At some point they'd exchanged names. "Look me up when I'm a novelist billionaire." She said with a wink.
Eventually the girl fell asleep, resting her head on the mans shoulder, snoring loudly.
He decides against sleeping. Time flows on and morning breaks.
The sun shines just a little brighter today.
