Chapter Two.
Alex
Tonight was cold. I had my sleeping bag and the food Katy had bought.
There’d been genuine kindness in her eyes, which was a rarity in today’s society.
Usually, I faced intolerance and damnation, which made me laugh.
I’d given everything for my country for this, and this was the thanks I got.
When Katy had torn into that bitch, she’d not been too wrong in her assessment.
I was ex-army. When I came home, I was unable to relate to everyday life.
Loud noises scared me to death; flashing lights offered flashbacks, and finally, I couldn’t cope with being inside.
I was thirty-eight going on fifty. Katy was young; despite her story, there was still innocence in her eyes.
She believed goodness could be found in the world, and Katy was doing her best to help that along.
If only Katy knew the truth. People lacked genuine kindness now.
Humans were damned. Principles that once mattered no longer did.
This was a dog-eat-dog world, and Katy’s generation excelled at it.
Social media was a cesspool, full of trolls and haters.
Say something someone didn’t like, and they ripped you to shreds, cancelled you, your voice and ideals.
What the hell was that about? That behaviour wasn’t what I fought for, but that’s what I came home to.
The streets were safer than living in society.
What did that indicate about life? Christ.
Tiredly, I walked to the bridge where I usually slept and paused.
There were blue flashing lights. A police raid or had something happened?
Slowly, I turned away from the safe spot and headed into the park.
A couple of years ago, I’d discovered a bush that, while thick on the outside, had a small hollow inside.
Tonight, I’d be fine sleeping there. Crawling in, I opened the bag that Katy had given me.
The remaining items included a sausage roll, crisps, and two bottles of drink.
Katy’s kindness was touching. She’d been genuine when she explained why she’d never seen me before, and I’d believed her.
Katy seemed apologetic for not seeing me before today.
Idly, I wondered what soup kitchen she worked at.
I reckoned she was a good cook. No doubt they loved her there.
Katy was gentle, listened and didn’t pry.
She let you tell your story when you were ready.
A world this cruel would destroy somebody like Katy.
That thought made my protective instincts stand up.
The truth was harsh, but Katy was way out of my league.
Katy
Happily, I smiled as I spotted Alex sitting on the bench and headed straight for him. Alex looked up and blinked in surprise when he saw me.
“Morning!” I greeted as I sat down.
“Hi,” Alex replied, looking surprised.
“I’ve got bagels and cream cheese, and I have two flasks. One with tea and the other with coffee. I wasn’t sure what you drank.”
Alex stared as if I’d grown two heads. Oh. Had I overstepped the mark? Damn.
“Katy, you bought breakfast?” Alex asked slowly.
“I did wrong, didn’t I? Sorry, did I insult you? Shit, I should know better,” I began babbling and stood up. Alex reached out and grabbed my wrist.
“Sit down, Katy, and thank you,” Alex said, still holding me.
“Are you sure? Because it looks like I disturbed you.”
“No, I was shocked you bought food again. Even more so, you brought coffee and tea. I don’t remember when someone cared,” Alex replied, capturing my eyes.
A smile spread across my face, and I sat down on the bench. “Today’s going to be beautiful.”
“It already is,” Alex murmured as he dug into the bag. He yanked out a bagel and bit into it.
I wondered what Alex’s comment meant, but didn’t get a chance to ask because two shadows fell over me.
“What’s going on?” a security guard demanded.
“Breakfast. Why?” I retorted.
“A member of staff reported he was pulling you about,” the guard replied. I squinted, getting annoyed. I turned around and spotted Tiffany hurrying into the building. Tiffany cast a gleeful look over her shoulder. That damn bitch.
“Do I appear as if I’m being manhandled or under duress?” I demanded.
“We don’t want his kind…”
“Before you say something that forces me to put in a complaint with HR, think again. Alex is a human being, and whether or not you agree with his lifestyle choices, he is worthy of respect. Alex has thoughts and feelings too,” I snapped.
“He’s a homeless fuck who begs for a living,” one of the guards snarled.
“Alex is ex-military who served this fuckin’ country so assholes like you can make snap judgements about him! Where were you when Alex was fighting for your right to be an asshole?” I yelled.
Alex stiffened behind me and then stood up. Fingers gripped my shoulder. “Katy, don’t. They’re not worth it.”
A guard glanced away shamefaced, but the second bristled. “Take your hand off her. She’s a decent lady.”
Alex snatched his hand back immediately, and I stepped into the guard’s personal space.
“You are insulting my intelligence and ruining my day. Alex is not harming me or anyone else. You’re a judgemental asshole.
How dare you treat a veteran so poorly? Why the fuck did Alex fight for bastards like you? ” I seethed.
“Katy, I didn’t. I went to war for people like you,” Alex said from behind me quietly.
“That’s enough,” a voice barked. Alex backed off and began collecting the remains of breakfast.
“Sorry,” he muttered.
“Johnson and Smidt, head to my personal office immediately. I’ve heard more than enough.”
The two guards moved away, and I winced. Mr Armstrong, the CEO, stood there glowering. I stepped back, and his gaze speared me before he peered at Alex. For a moment, I’d say Mr Armstrong looked hopeful, but then his expression blanked.
“Katy. Stay and finish your breakfast, and then please attend my office afterwards,” he said in a kinder tone. Now anxious, I nodded, biting my lip. Was I about to be sacked? My hands started shaking, and Mr Armstrong shook his head.
“Sorry about the scene,” I forced out through stiff lips.
“Don’t be. I like somebody who stands up for the underdog. You’re not in trouble. Please see me after breakfast,” he replied. With that, Mr Armstong walked away.
“Holy crap,” I gasped, sinking onto the bench.
Alex stood there looking torn. “Katy, I should leave, but one question: how did you know I’m ex-military?”
“Oh, easy. Military is in your bearing. Ex-armed forces are a familiar sight at the foodbank and soup kitchen. I can spot you guys a mile away. Even beaten down, you’ve still got a certain stance. Although it was wrong to blab like that.”
“No. It felt good having someone like you stand up for me,” Alex replied with a small smile.
“Like me?”
“Yes. I’ll move along. Katy, I don’t want any problems.”
“Come back for lunch, please,” I asked, and Alex shook his head.
“That bitch is out for blood. She won’t stop causing trouble.”
“Screw Tiffany. What she thinks doesn’t count. Meet me,” I glanced around. “Please, Alex.”
“I’ll see Katy, but know that this last day meant a lot.” Alex smiled and then left.
Damn. What had started as a brilliant morning has gone badly wrong.
Resigned to a shitty day, I headed into the building and onto my floor.
Tiffany was smirking as I entered, with her little cronies crowding her.
I dropped my purse and walked over to Mr Armstrong’s office.
The two guards were inside, and it appeared they were taking a real bollocking.
“Please wait, Katy,” Mrs Ellison said, and I took a seat. Moments later, the two men came out, and I was sent in.
“Sit, Katy,” Mr Armstrong ordered.
“Mr Armstrong, I’m sorry about what happened outside,” I blurted.
“Why? From what I witnessed, an innocent man was being harassed and threatened by guards who worked for me. You stood up for his rights and dignity,” Mr Armstrong replied. “Were you wrong to do so?”
“No. And I don’t regret that either, but I need this job,” I responded honestly.
Mr Armstrong began laughing and slapped his hands on his desk.
“Katy, I like the honesty. It’s very refreshing.
Call me Aiden. Those two have been dismissed; they’re not the type I want working for me.
Now they reported that a member of staff said you were being harassed; unfortunately, she could have misinterpreted his actions.
However, there was no mistaking how those guards spoke. His name is Alex, correct?”
“Yes.” I wondered where this was going.
Aiden opened a drawer and pulled out an envelope.
“This is a company card. You have a budget of two hundred and fifty pounds a week. Please buy Alex whatever meals he needs and any other items he requires. If you find further homeless people, you’ll receive another two hundred and fifty pounds for each one.
I ask you keep me updated on how many we’re feeding,” Aiden said.
Shocked, I gasped and stared at the card. “Sir, I can pay for Alex’s food.”
“Yes, no doubt, but society should do more. This is the company stepping up. Return to your desk, and before Mrs Ellison yells at me, please get receipts and hand them in to her each morning. Oh, and you may take an extra fifteen minutes to fetch his lunch.”
I stood up, surprised not only that I had kept my job but that I had support in feeding Alex. “Thanks, Aiden.”
“Keep up the good work, Katy,” he said, and I was dismissed. When I left the office, Mrs Ellison winked, and with a beaming smile, I made my way back to my desk. Tiffany scowled when she witnessed my grin. Yeah, bitch, the meeting didn’t go as you expected.
Alex
Damn. Katy was in trouble, and that was my fault.
I wanted to hang around and make sure she was okay, but I saw the guards leaving, and they didn’t look happy.
Frustrated, I headed down to the park. I needed a way to fix this situation, but I wasn’t sure how.
That flaming woman who believed she was the bee’s knees, Tiffany.
She’d orchestrated this mess because Katy was a threat.
Katy was; her looks may not have been as beautiful, but she blew that bitch away.
Katy was pretty, don’t get me wrong, but in a girl-next-door way.
The sweet sixteen kid. Katy was worth a million of those nasty colleagues.
I recognised Tiffany’s kind from my own school days.
The spiteful cow who needed to be Miss Popular, the bully who destroyed those who disagreed with her.
Sadly, I’d met them in my army career, too, and even out here on the streets, men and women with egos and attitudes existed.
Anxious and upset, I sat on a bench, staring at the water in the duck pond.
There was an easy solution to smooth this over, but I couldn’t use it.
That meant reaching out, and I was too damaged to contact them.
Everyone was better off without me. People cut wide paths to ignore me or suddenly discovered their phones fascinating.
Shit, was I really that scary? A homeless man with nowhere to go?
I was clean; I used a public toilet to wash in every day, and I rinsed my one change of clothes in there too.
I probably still smelled, though; deodorant was something I’d not had for ages.
And I needed a haircut. The buzz cut from my army days was long gone.
I screwed up my nose. Katy had recognised me as ex-military immediately.
That had been a surprise. I again wondered what soup kitchen she worked in; it had to be one for veterans.
There were loads of ex-military personnel on the street.
A sigh left my lips. What Katy had done meant something, but it was one drop of kindness in an ocean of cruelty.
It was best I stayed away. Shit, I couldn’t offer Katy anything, and a girl like that didn’t need my friendship.
Katy was too good, too sweet, and I’d drag her down with my darkness.
Katy had already suffered in her young life.
She didn’t need a friend who couldn’t face reality.
Katy
Alex was here somewhere, but not at our bench.
He’d stood me up, and I guessed why. Well, I wasn’t tolerating that.
I had his lunch and dinner for him. I’d hunt Alex’s damn ass down even if it took all day.
But something inside told me where he’d headed, and I raced down the steps and towards the park.
Alex wanted peace and quiet. He’d head here where he felt safe and sure enough, there he was, near the lake. I snarled as I saw three women skirt a wide path around him. He didn’t have the plague! People were so damn cruel.
I rushed up and plonked myself down on the bench. “Next time I say meet me for lunch, I mean it!” I snapped.
Alex looked surprised. “Katy, I thought you’d gotten into trouble, so I was avoiding you.”
“Oh, I worked that out. But I wasn’t. However, I’m none too pleased at having wasted twenty-five minutes hunting you down. Here, lunch,” I stated and pulled out two chicken cobs, a cake, crisps and a pork pie. Alex looked down at it, raising an eyebrow.
“Katy, you can’t keep feeding me!”
“How much do you want to bet?” I retorted. Alex glanced at me in shock and then laughed.