Chapter 53
It had been a while since she’d last stood on a doorstep with a man with his dick out, but here she was again.
‘Sorry love. Just having a wazz.’ The man zipped his trousers up.
‘Don’t worry, I’ve seen far worse.’
Jasper gave her hand a squeeze. He looked deliciously edible in his bright yellow puffer jacket and fleece-lined snow boots. She wasn’t quite sure how it had happened, but these evenings spent walking the streets with him, helping with his outreach, had become her favourite way to spend time. The city unveiled its secrets after dark; an unseen side that she hadn’t known was there. Messy. Beautiful. Enveloping. Brutal.
Tonight was particularly cold, and the man’s sleeping bag looked like it could no more keep him warm than a bun could a hot dog. Jasper offered him a leaflet and went into his spiel, patiently explaining the services available even as the man shrugged, disbelieving.
Incredibly, Wolfe had done as he’d said he would. Marcus had made a big splash about his philanthropic deeds in the paper, the kind of whitewashing not even Johnny Depp playing the Lone Ranger could top. But this wasn’t a fairy tale, and sadly not all baddies get their comeuppance. At least later on she would curl up on the sofa with Jasper with a mug of hot chocolate in hand and a movie or box set on the TV. Or they might listen to music and chat. Their conversations hadn’t become any less sparky than when they’d first met, but at least now they got to take out their frustrations with one another in the bedroom.
She would also use these evenings as a recruitment drive. It was early days, but she had set up her own event agency, staffed in-part by homeless people. She had pitched her services at not-for-profit and purpose-driven companies, nothing that would risk her contravening her DA non-compete clause, but the reception had been strong enough to suggest she was on to something. Sometimes Tasha would join them on their jaunts – far more approachable for the youngsters – and persuade them to apply for a position. It had been Tasha who had come up with the idea of the six-week system: bed, board, and intensive training in various skills required to help Simone run the events, such as DJing, silver service waitressing, and flower arranging. Gayle had offered up two rooms at the shelter for these rookie recruits, and so far eighty percent of them had stuck it out and now worked for her full-time, getting themselves back on track because of the income they were bringing in. Perhaps one day she’d start discussions with other shelters about replicating the training model, enabling her to properly scale up.
In the meantime, the occasional private party for some spoiled rich kid that Ziggy and Nancy fired her way was enough to top up the coffers and keep the mortgage paid.
Wei had also caught the altruistic bug, and with David’s help was planning on opening a little nail and coffee bar. It would be somewhere to which the increasing number of people escaping unrest in Hong Kong could come, work, hang out, and learn the idiosyncrasies of the city to help them feel less disoriented and socially isolated.
Steve had stayed gamble-free and had got himself a job with Walthamstow council, doing repairs and maintenance on housing association places. He still turned up for his Twelve Step sessions at the shelter, and the last time Jasper had seen him, he’d brought his wife and son along. The signs were positive.
As for Hozan? Well, Hozan was still Hozan, and no worse for that.
She wasn’t na?ve enough to think she could save everyone. There was no delete key that could remove the endless cycle of shit that a lot of people on the streets had been subjected to, but occasionally they would stumble across a kid or a recently arrived migrant, devoid of options but not yet devoid of hope, to whom she would pass a card and extend the offer of gainful employment. The whole thing was an imperfect solution; they were the tiniest little drop in an ocean of people drowning. If she could rescue just one person from the ignominy of homelessness … well, if she did only manage to rescue one person, she’d be doing a bloody terrible job. But she’d never been bad at any job she’d put her mind to, and she wasn’t about to start now.