Erase and Rewind (Full Book)

Chapter Three: Even

Two schoolboys in matching white shirts and black slacks aimed at the trash can near a sleeping woman dressed in layers of grey. Noah squinted across the street trying to determine if the woman was the person he sought. The first schoolboy, however, slam-dunked his empty soda can and the second boy hit the edge of the trash can. The sound rattled loud enough to wake the sleeper who sat up and glowered at the boys.

Her deep wrinkled forehead scrunched and her missing front teeth were evident as she bellowed. "Watch where you're throwing your crap!"

Noah crossed the street and almost bumped into one of the boys in their haste to get away.

The woman shook a fist at them. "Next time I'll kill you. Do you hear that? Kill. You!"

"Time of the month?" Noah said and immediately wished he could take the crude comment back.

The homeless woman opened her mouth to retort but instead ducked as a purple box of tampons came flying at her. It landed with a soft thud, and she grabbed it with a squeal.

She gazed at Noah, who, despite his cool tone, began to blush.

"I'm not sure if it's the right one," he said.

The woman rattled the box. "There is one missing."

"I had a nosebleed," Noah mumbled and hunkered to sit a few feet away from her. He turned his attention to the mess of junk in his backpack.

"You wanna blowjob?" the woman asked.

Noah shook his head. "We're even."

Within the homeless community, the barter system was alive and kicking. No one did anything for free. During his first night at the Hound, the woman had allowed him to sleep next to her nook, so no one would bother him. That night he had tried to split the sandwich he had. She laughed at him then, telling him what he would learn to be true, that food and drink were easy to come by on the streets. What she'd give her arm for, however, was a box of tampons. So when Noah did a miniature raid in the supermarket, he had swallowed his embarrassment and swiped the box. Given her offer to pay him back, it seemed she'd been too high or tired or both to remember his promise to pay her back.

Barter system or not, everyone struggled. He would always help.

He began to drag the mixture of flyers and random papers he'd collected unconsciously for weeks in his backpack. He tossed the ones advertising for waiting jobs or shop assistants since the interviewers pretty much either took one look at him and said the job was no longer available or turned him down when he said he had no prior experience.

It was grating. How was he supposed to gain experience if no one was willing him to hire him to gain experience?

He did still have the email from the Haven of Hope. When he fled the hostel he'd taken a copy of the resident application. Turns out, Mrs. Lawrence had printed an email between Haven and the local community college. The email had details he could use, such as who to meet for the job and when. It wouldn't entirely solve his problems, but he would be guaranteed money by the end of each month.

And he wouldn't have to steal. It was disturbing how good he was getting at it. Before, he could only get away with stealing a few pocket-sized items. Now, he was stealing larger items or nicking the freebies normally attached to soap boxes. The freebies rarely had tags and never flared the store's alarm.

Maybe he should mention that on his list of prior experience.

It mattered but right then, he had to change into a pair of shorts.

***

The Victoria City 10K marathon ran on a quarterly basis. Noah had zoned out when the official had explained the event but brightened when the man mentioned the winner would receive a token of a hundred bucks. Noah signed up without a thought and now stood in the registration queue to get a number.