Riley
Seeing her here was such a shock to me, but to find out that not only had she stolen clothes but that she had stolen clothes for a child, well, that just blew me away. The stuff that she stole came to a total of $11, so if she can't pay for them, fuck things must be bad for her.
I've tried all I can to get her to talk to me and so has my Mom, but she won't. She won't tell us a Goddam thing, and now I'm pissed! So fucking pissed! She's lying to us about her name. I know she is, and she won't tell us why she has done this. Even when I threatened her with the cops, she didn't waver.
We rarely have anyone steal from here. It's a charity shop after all, but it does happen. Usually, when it happens, the threat of me calling the cops is enough to get them talking, but not this time. I don't do it to be a dick. I do it to get them talking because if there's one thing that I've learned since my Mom opened this shop, it is that if someone steals from here, they are usually desperate and if they are honest with us, then we will help in any way we can.
The last person who stole from here now works in the nightclub that I own. He was homeless and barely alive, but now he has an apartment, a car, and a full-time job. I think that's the main thing that has got me pissed right now, the fact that she won't tell us what's going on even with the threat of the police, and that means that we can't help her even if we want to.
It also makes me think that she's hiding more than we can imagine. Is she hiding a child? Or children? Is that who the clothes are for? Fuck, I wish I could make her talk. "Please, understand that if I could tell you, I would but I... I just can't." I look toward her as she talks to find her staring right at me and the moment that I look into her eyes I know deep down that I believe her and I find that just pisses me off even more.
What if she's in some kind of danger and won't talk? What if she is homeless? What if she's homeless with a child? Jesus Christ, my head hurts. There's only one thing that I can do here, and she may hate me for it, but she'll get over it. "Just go, just go, and don't come back. You are banned for life." she blinks several times as she stares at me in shock, and if I wasn't so pissed I would properly find this moment hilarious.
"I can go? Just like that?" she sounds suspicious of my words and I get it, but I have a bigger plan in mind than calling the cops. "Yes, but as I said, you are not welcome here, ever again." I make my words firm and realistic and have to hold back a smile when I see a slight look of disappointment cross her face, but then she quickly covers it up. Was that moment of disappointed at the thought of not seeing me again? For some reason, that idea stirs up my insides in the best way possible. Jesus, I'm a 27-year-old man, not a fucking randy teenager.
"Thank you so much. Thank you for showing me this kindness, I won't ever forget it and I won't ever come back." she jumps up wiping her face where stray tears are still falling but not as much as before, then she gives me and my Mom a gentle smile before walking towards the door.
"Wait!" my mom calls out to her as she steps towards the clothes and boots that Gemma tried to steal, then she hands them to her. "Take these. I may not know your reasons, but it's clear that you need them, so please take them. I insist." more tears run down her face as she expresses how much she appreciates my mom's kindness, and it's a hard moment for me because all I want to do right now is take her in my arms and comfort her, but I don't. Instead, I stay seated and just watch.
I'm up on my feet while texting Bruno the moment she's out of the door. Once he texts back with the OK, I head for the door. I can't leave it too long to leave. "Mom, I have to go, but Bruno is on his way to pick you up. Sorry about this." she gives me a knowing smile, but I don't have time to question it right now, so instead, I give her a kiss on the cheek and head for the door.
I step outside, tightening my coat around me as the cold air hits me with force, causing my mind to drift back to her. She's out here in
Insanely flimsy clothes and it's not OK! As if by some miracle, I spot her across the road, and, fuck am I glad that I do. I was worried for a moment that she would disappear too quickly for me, but there she is with her arms wrapped around her body while clinging on to the clothes that my mom gave her.
I cross the street and start to follow her, making sure to stay a good few feet behind her, far enough away so that she won't easily spot me but also close enough so that I won't lose her. She thinks that she just gets to walk away from all of this, but she is wrong, so wrong. Yes, she gets to walk away from the theft aspect of this, but she doesn't get to walk away from me.
I continue to follow her for a few blocks when she suddenly stops and looks around her as if looking for someone or maybe making sure someone is not watching her either way, I'm not sure, but she must be happy with what she sees as she turns around and starts walking up an alleyway. What the hell is she doing? It is cold and dark, and she is walking up alleyways.
I pick up my pace and continue to follow the path she has been taking. I stop when I come to the end of the alleyway and look for her, but it's pitch black, so I can't see a thing but I know downtown, New York like the back of my hand and I know that this alley is a dead end so she has to come out. Only after fifteen minutes of waiting there's still no sign of her, and I'm getting concerned, so I decide to go and look for her. Fuck, I hope she's ok.
"I think I've lost my mind." Talking out loud properly doesn't help how mad I look right now, but fuck it. I take my hands out of my pockets as my body becomes more accustomed to the dark and aware of my surroundings. There are a lot of large dumpsters back here and god knows who could be hiding behind them.
I make it to the end of the alley and I don't know what I was expecting to see, but it certainly wasn't this. There is a row of tents up against the back wall of the alley. I'd say around 10 small tents and there are a lot of homeless people here, maybe more than there should be for that small number of tents. I move over so that I'm mostly covered by a large dumpster so that I can't be seen and just watch the scene in front of me.
These people are homeless yet seem to be content as they all sit around an open fire and talk. Why has she come up here? A sinking feeling starts to take place deep in my stomach, but I push it aside. I'm not willing to believe it until I see it with my own eyes and, so far, that hasn't happened.
I stay there just watching for around ten minutes before deciding that there must be another exit out of this alley that I don't know about and that idea makes me pissed. I've been looking for her for weeks and now that I've found her I've gone and lost her already. How the hell am I supposed to find her again? I'm mad at myself for waiting so long before I came up the alley, but more than anything, I'm worried about her and now that my plans have gone to shit, it feels even worse.
I turn to head back down the alley as I curse myself but take one last look over my shoulder as I'm leaving and suddenly find myself rooted to the spot with a pounding heart when I see her coming out of one of the tents with a little girl holding her hand. The little girl only looks about 3 or 4 and is smiling while they talk. Then I notice that she is wearing the clothes that my mom gave her and that sight is a sober one.
I quickly get behind the dumpster once more just in time as only seconds later she walks right past me with the little girl in tow. "Momma, do we have food tonight?" please tell me she didn't just ask that. God, please tell me that I'm hearing things! "You do, baby. Momma kept some leftovers from last night, it's still good to eat."
"Jesus loving fuck! I really did hear right." she spins around until she's facing me, and it's only then that I realize that I said that out loud and outed myself fuck! "What are you doing here?"
Julia I'm still so ashamed that I was caught stealing from a charity shop and I swear the moment that he walked in I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me whole. I know that a man like him would never be interested in someone like me, but that doesn't mean that I can't daydream about it on the cold sleepless nights that I often face. However, after my antics today, even I'm going to struggle to daydream about him wanting me after what he saw. Despite all my mixed emotions, the look on Nina's face when I got home with a coat, jumper, and boots for her made every single embarrassing moment worthwhile. After being caught once today, I'm not up for any more stealing, so I'm staying here tonight with Nina and the others rather than going out on my usual nightly hunt. Thankfully, I managed to get a large amount of food last night, and we've kept enough for everyone to be able to eat tonight. Well, everyone except for me... I won't eat tonight. I'd rather keep my potion for tomorrow.
RileyIt's been three days since I last saw her, only three days, and yet it feels like it's been forever. She's constantly on my mind. It doesn't matter what I'm doing, whether it's running my many businesses or working out in the gym or even at the club with Josh, she never leaves me, and it's playing with my head.Josh and I hit the club last night as the asshole part of me tried to convince myself that I just needed to get laid, but of course, the moment a woman come on to me, I had absolutely no interest in her and, I shit you not, she was everything that I usually look for in a one night stand and yet, I couldn't get further enough away from her which has pretty much summed up what I already knew, but just didn't want to admit.And so that's why I'm currently sitting in my car with the entrance to the alleyway in full view, hoping and praying that she will come out of there and that I can catch a glimpse of her and... Well, I don't really have a plan yet, I just know that I need
Julia "Momma, will we ever have a Christmas tree?" the sad look in her eyes tugs at my heart. Her request is such a simple one and yet, still something that I can't give her. All children should know the pure joy of a Christmas tree, the twinkling lights, and multicolored baubles. I've only ever had one Christmas tree but I've never forgotten about it. "One year, baby, one year." It's the same line that I tell her every year but it's something that I plan on making happen.... one year anyway. "You said that last year, momma." this girl may only be three but she has an incredible brain and memory. The girl is home-schooled by me and with the limited resources that I have you would think that she would be behind for her age but she's not, she is incredibly talented and makes me insanely proud every day. "You're smart for a 3-year-old, chicken," Helen says as she comes to sit next to us. I swear this woman reads my mind several times a week. "I'm almost 4!" Nina rushes out proud to a
Riley I'm in the car and on my way to downtown New York so fast that it feels like a blur. Thankfully, the traffic isn't so bad tonight so it's a pretty quick ride to the city centre. I quickly find a parking space not too far from the alleyway then waste no time in heading that way on foot. It's almost 9 pm and from what I've learned over the past few weeks of watching her, if she is out then she will be back soon. She doesn't seem to stay out late which makes me happy because I worry about her out there doing God knows what. I stay in the dark and out of sight so as not to frighten her or anyone else who may come here and get impatient as the time goes by and she doesn't return. Maybe she's not out tonight? Maybe she's up the alleyway with her little girl. I decide to give it another ten minutes and if there's no sign of her then I'll head further up the alley to see if I can spot her there. Another fifteen minutes go by with still no sight of her I finally lose it. "Fuck this!"
RileyI shock myself with those words but the moment I say them, I know that I don't regret them. I mean every word and I may not have planned this to go this way but I don't care. I'm glad I said what I said. The sooner I get these two of the streets the better."Don't. Please, don't do that!" She pulls back from me letting go of my coat as she speaks and the saddest look covers her beautiful face. "Don't do what? I don't understand?" she gives me a disbelieving look but I'm still confused."It's mean to tease someone." I'm still confused. "You are fully aware that I don't have anything... have a home, yet you have it all and you're here just teasing me. Is this fun for you?" she starts getting angry again and so do I because clearly, she has had this done to her before. Clearly, someone has rubbed her unfortunate life in her face and that just pisses me off.I step in even closer to her filling in the small gap that she made when she pulled back from me and gently grip her chin maki
RileyI'm pissed! pissed, annoyed, upset, angry, and just plain fucking gutted! I didn't plan anything when I went to see Gemma... Julia tonight but still, I feel like a massive failure and just... fuck, I don't even know what I'm feeling right now.When she finally told me her real name, I felt my heart kick up a beat. Julia... such a beautiful name. I wonder what the little girl's name is. I doubt that she would tell me her real name and I can respect that, she has to protect her and I get it. Tonight was the closest that I have gotten to her and somehow she seemed even smaller than before but still absolutely perfect.Seeing her hurt angered me like never before. Why would anyone hurt her? Those men are sick bastards and if I ever get my hands on them I won't be responsible for my actions!"How's that whiskey treating you?" Josh sits on the empty bar stool next to me as I finish up my drink. My reply is a grunt because I don't know what to say, and don't want to talk but I know Jos
Nina "Momma, momma wake up!" The wind is so cold that my toes are hurting but my mom has got me so wrapped up that I don't feel it as much as I should. The wind got really scary and has broken our tent but my mommy laid over me to protect me and keep me safe because she's the best mommy in the whole wide world but now she's sleeping and I can't wake her up. I wiggle with all I have and keep calling her but she's not answering. Some of the other people who live here are sleeping too but the rest left here ages ago while mommy was laying over me. Finally, after lots of wiggling I manage to get out from under mommy. The wind isn't so windy anymore but she still won't wake up. "Mommy wake up! The wind has gone now, Mommy!" Why don't she listen? I'm scared and I'm cold and I just want my mommy to wake up! Maybe she's not well and that's why she's sleeping. She has told me before that if she's sleeping and I can't wake her up then I have to ask for help and now that it's happening, I'm ge
Riley "So what's going on then? Josh gives me a sheepish smile as he orders another round of drinks. "I'll take a soda" he nods as he alters the order and I once again sit my ass down on the bar stool. "Your mom Is going to see Julia." I go to stand up but he places his hand on my shoulder and pushes me back down. "Before you go and start a war just listen." I nod my head as I take a sip of my drink. Hell, I should have had a whiskey after all. "Fine. I'm listening." "Ok, so after you spoke to your mom and told her what happened she decided to go and speak to Julia. She's not going to try and pressure her to change her mind about you like you're a child don't worry. She's just going to see if Julia will accept any help from her. Your mom knows that she means a lot to you so she said that she was going to try and help her. I know it's not the same but at least if your mom can get her to accept some help you can know that she's ok and you never know maybe in time, she'll give you that