"CATCH HIM!" A loud shout erupted behind me. I whipped around to see four burly men barreling towards me. They were surprisingly fast for their size, but I was faster. I pushed myself to sprint even harder, shoving past the oblivious passersby. "MOVE!" I growled at one man who seemed utterly lost in his own world.
Normally, I'd be soft-spoken, head down, radiating defeat, but there was no time for that now. I needed to run like my life depended on it. I risked a glance back and saw the men had spread out.
"Shit, shit, shit!" I veered off the path, plunging down the steps to the subway station on my left. I knew a train would be leaving around this time punctuality was everything in my line of work. The rush hour crowd would be arriving soon, so I needed to be at my usual spot before it started.
Another quick look back revealed the men were now in the subway tunnel. I faced forward again and sprinted towards the train, its doors already beginning to close.
"I won't make it. I have to jump," I muttered to myself. Just as one of the men's hands clamped onto my tattered cardigan, I shrugged it off and leaped into the closing doors of the train, tucking and rolling to avoid serious injury.
The doors hissed shut. I stood, a smirk playing on my lips as I watched the men through the window. The one clutching my cardigan balled his fists around it, while the others looked apoplectic.
"Well, I'm definitely going to miss you too, cardigan. You were the best at keeping me warm in the cold." I scanned the car for an empty seat, finding several pairs of eyes fixed on me.
I offered a sheepish smile and settled into a seat beside a little girl near the door. I hated being stared at. I glanced down at the little girl, who was gazing up at me with wide, curious eyes. I gave her a small wave.
"That was cool! Can you teach me how to do that?" she whispered.
I chuckled and whispered back, "...definitely. Just look for me on Highrise Street, and you'll have your first lesson. The little girl squealed with delight.
She reminded me of my daughter, gone now for so long. The little girl's mother abruptly pulled her away, muttering something about not talking to "nothings" like me.
I sighed, rubbing the crease that was starting to form between my eyebrows. I leaned my head against the wall, the familiar weight of my past settling upon me.
My life hadn't always been like this. I had once been happy, with a child, a job, a car, a house, and most importantly, a family. But life changes people. The things you once held dear can vanish in an instant.
Wealth can turn to poverty overnight, a family can disappear, love can morph into hate. Things change, and often, you're powerless to stop it. I turned my head to see the little girl still watching me from her mother's side.
She offered a small smile, which I returned, careful not to get her into trouble. I looked away, the familiar sting of tears pricking my eyes. I closed them, willing them away, and tried to nap.
Hours later, I emerged from the subway station, stretching my stiff limbs. I spotted the man I was supposed to deliver the bag to.
I weaved through the thinning crowd, and as soon as he saw me, a smirk stretched across his face. I rolled my eyes, tossed him the bag, and started walking towards my usual begging spot.
His hurried footsteps echoed behind me. "So... how did it go? Was it difficult?" Ignoring him, I glanced at the kid's new watch on my wrist.
The little girl had slipped it to me just as we were leaving the train. I bet she'd noticed my broken one. Anyway, it worked, and it was still a watch, so...
"Oh, come on, Elias!" I stopped and turned to face the persistent pest.
"What do you want to hear, Jack? That you lied about the job, or that I almost got caught and killed?"
Jack's eyes widened. I rolled mine and continued walking. "I didn't know, I swear! They only told me to tell you to collect the bag from there. I didn't know anything about theft, I swear."
I scoffed inwardly. Of course he didn't, how ridiculous. "Well, Jack, it was a theft. I walked in there like they asked, grabbed the bag I found on the floor, and walked out.
I realized after a while that there was panic in the building, and the next thing I knew, someone started chasing me with a well-hidden rifle.
So you see, Jack, that's one of the reasons I ask you for all the information about a job, to avoid such incidents. And now they have my face on camera."
I stopped walking and turned to him. "If anything happens to me, I'm coming after you, do you hear me?" Jack swallowed hard and nodded. Leaving Jack behind, I resumed my walk towards the spot near the restaurant.
Once seated, I waited for the "rush hour" at Clover's Dines and Wines. Lunch hour, to be exact, but the employees call it that. Five minutes later, at 1 pm, the restaurant was swarming. High schoolers and university students poured in, followed shortly by business men and women and people from other professions.
I sat there with Rebekah, my begging partner. She was a fragile, skinny thirteen-year-old with sharp eyes and a surprisingly bubbly personality. I usually hated talkative people, but I made an exception for her.
"Today's busy, don't you think, Elias?" I hummed in response. She turned to look at me, legs folded neatly, a hand resting on her cheek, elbow on her knee.
"What's wrong? Did something happen where you went?" Yep, definitely talkative, but a good secret keeper. I hummed again, my gaze fixed on the restaurant door.
She playfully slapped the back of my head, and for a fleeting second, she reminded me of my mother.
"Dammit, Bekah, leave me alone!" I huffed, more annoyed than truly angry. She giggled at my irritation, much to my dismay.
I glanced at her and noticed her staring intently at something behind me. I turned to look at the restaurant door and saw a group of six boys, probably high school students, walking out.
One in particular caught my eye, he was good-looking with captivating green eyes that I instantly envied. He probably gets laid all the time, I thought.
I looked back at Bekah to find her surreptitiously watching the guys. It seemed the quiet one had captured her attention the most.
He, on the other hand, wore a stoic expression, as if already fed up with everyone. His jaw was clenched tight, as if holding back words he shouldn't say. He was well-built but lean rather than overly muscular.
He was the tallest in the group and seemed the most mature. His natural curls were combed back, his sweatpants hung loosely on his waist, and his t-shirt hugged his chest perfectly.
I couldn't believe I was thinking this as a guy, but he was hot. I'd almost go gay for this guy.
I whispered to Bekah, just loud enough for her to hear, "So, I see you've got your eyes on hottie over there." She blushed, a definite flush against her slightly tanned skin. I laughed softly.
She slapped my arm, trying to shush me, but I only chuckled more. This definitely caught the attention of the guys.
Bekah's crush turned to look at us with a frown, the others following suit. They stared at us as if they'd never seen a happy beggar before.
Seriously... we were people, you know. The hottie's dark gaze flickered to my left, where Rebekah sat. His eyes slowly scanned her body before returning to her face, where they lingered.
As if finding what he was looking for, a small, almost ethereal smile touched his handsome features. The smile lasted only a fleeting three seconds before he composed himself and started walking towards their car. His friends immediately followed.
I looked back at Rebekah, who was even more flustered than before. I rolled my eyes. "Oh, for the love of God, Bekah, pull yourself together before you combust."
She glared at me while trying to cool her burning cheeks with her cold hands. This winter was colder than usual, and I'd just lost my damn cardigan!
Rebekah, on the other hand, was shivering again, rubbing her arms in a futile attempt to generate warmth. I seriously needed to buy her something warmer than her tattered jeans and t-shirt.
A young lady, probably in her early twenties, approached us and gave me twenty dollars. She smiled at me, and I, bewildered, simply stared at her flustered face. "Sorry, I only have this. I hope you can manage."
"Uhm... sure, thanks. It's enough, don't worry about it," I replied, a little bewildered. She blushed, nodded quickly, and hurried away. What was wrong with her? Was she out of breath? What was there to blush about?
"Wow, someone's in love," Bekah teased. Looking at her, I pointed at myself. "Who, me? Nah, I'm good." The last time I liked someone, she lied and broke my heart. I preferred being single. Besides, what did I have to offer? I was a beggar by profession, might as well get a PhD in it.
"Oh, come on, Eli, you saw her blush! She definitely likes you. Why are you denying the attraction? She isn't the only one, you know," she nodded towards the other girls and women eyeing him from a distance, whispering amongst themselves, some even flipping their hair in a blatant display of flirtation. Agh, females. I rolled my eyes and looked away.
Lunch hour finally ended, and I'd managed to collect at least 120 dollars and a new coat from an influencer who wanted to showcase his "kindness to beggars" to his fans while shamelessly soliciting more donations.
He was lucky I wasn't in the mood to chase his ass like the others. Then again, I got a free coat, and so did Bekah, though she only received a fifty-dollar bill. As for me, the ladies... well, I guess I wasn't as bad-looking as I thought.
Paige, one of the servers from the restaurant, came over and invited Rebekah and me to sit at the back for the leftovers, which we gratefully accepted.
The food served didn't even look like leftovers, to be honest, but who was I to complain? "Hey, Eli, what do you think I can spend this money on? I can't buy a meal because we're eating now."
"Don't spend it. There will come a time when we won't have food, and at least you have a new coat, right?"
She nodded and tucked the money into her pocket. "What about you? What will you spend yours on?" I shook my head, unwilling to tell her.
She got the message and didn't press further, for which I was immensely grateful. We finished our meal and headed to the mattress factory to rest.
Once there, we made our way to our usual spot behind the foam bins, gathering some scraps of foam to create our makeshift beds. Despite the hour-and-a-half walk to the factory, it was the only place where we both felt safe and comfortable enough to sleep.
Here, in this hidden corner, there were no thieves, no stupid teenagers, the workers finished early, and most importantly, this was the same spot I had found Rebekah.
She was only six years old then, an orphan. I found her crouched in a corner, scared and lost, her blue-gray eyes filled with tears, shivering from the cold.
I remembered the first time I spoke to her, she flinched, her breathing quickening, and I could have sworn she called me the devil, but that could have been my imagination. I offered her some food, only to realize after an hour or so that she hadn't eaten.
She kept staring straight ahead, as if looking right through everything. I waved a hand in front of her face and realized she was blind. I spent my entire savings to get her treated. After all, she was the closest thing to family I had.
I considered her my sister, and I was glad I'd raised her to this point. This was the main reason I did the side jobs for her to have a good life, to go to school, to have a life away from the streets, away from gangs, away from rapists (though I might not be able to hold them off for long), and away from me and my complicated life.
She deserved that. As I drifted off to sleep, I couldn't help but wonder how different my life would have been if I hadn't lost everything. Life sucked. I hated poverty.