Adopting Mr. Beggar

Aegeus Ioannou Point of View

Another drop of rain splattered in the muddy puddle deafening the silence with its sound.

The pitter patter of rain was both tranquil and disturbing. The grays of the sky didn’t scatter yet and seems like it will rain till the early hours of morning.

Keeping both of my eyes closed, I snuggled back into a large tree securing shelter from it along with three street dogs that always accompany me through rain and run.

It was silent but not peaceful. But soon the silence was stomped on by the hurried steps of several pairs of feet that ran in to the puddles of rain water uncaringly.

Soon the bothering noise of run is accompanied by shouts and scream, mostly curses that even my three dogs would shut their ears for the day.

I still had my eyes closed while I heard all the commotion happening nearby. Keeping a keen ear on the fuss, I could make out that there are more than ten people fighting and all of them have no connection with the law, hearing that they are arguing about something that should be done in dark.

“You should die, pal.” Sounds fun!

“No, you should. Unless you die, we cannot have an upper hand.”

“Why are we arguing? Just put the bullet into their heads and get it done with.”

“Roby, boss wants us to transport the stuff by midnight. F**k them quickly and let’s go.”

I don’t know why they are even fighting. From what I heard, they are a part of some illegal gang who apparently transport ‘stuff’, kill and literally do any crime in the process.

If they aren’t amateurs in their job, then I would call them coward and useless. Why bother chasing and running around when you can straightaway pull your gun and shoot them amen.

Save you energy and trouble!

“Gosh, it’s getting noisy on an already annoying rainy night.” I mumbled to myself and heard agreement from my dog pals.

Finally deciding to open my eyes, I wiped my wet face and pushed away my long dirtied hair from my eyes. Once opening my eyes, I looked around the quiet empty place filled with greenery and fun rides for kids.

It was a park.

One of the largest parks in London.

I watched the entrance gate of the park locked with several locks securely which means these men came inside the property through a dog hole.

With heavy rain, moonless dark night, vacant streets; there is no better opportunity for people like them to do the illegal stuff.

For illegal gangs and criminals, a place like this very park where it’s both vacant and occupied is just the great place to communicate their activities with others.

I’ve seen it. It has been two years I’m staying here and I saw almost all kind of people through day and night.

Mainly the guys who take this place as their playground at nights.

While I was scanning the area around me, I heard a couple of gun shots making me shake my head in utter disappointment.

Took them long to end the matter in a better way.

I’ve seen people like them kill each other in this very arena without even blinking their eyes. They were brutal. But by the time the park is open for the visitors, the corpses were cleared and the place is kept as if nothing happened at all.

“Hey!”

“Hey you, stinky fella.” I raised my eyebrow when I heard the word stinky.

It should definitely be me. They are calling me.

I looked towards them lazily and saw a couple of them approaching me. I straightened at their sudden arrival towards me with viciousness etched deeply on their faces.

Eye-blindingly ugly!

“He saw everything. Should we just dispose him as well?” The tall one of the both spoke as if they are not talking about me.

Well, excuse me! I would like to hold the power to make the decision.

“I did not see anything.” I spoke in a frightened tone as I sat straight in fright.

Both the men looked down at me with a satisfying grin showcasing their proud yellow rows of teeth.

It is understandable that I have unclean yellow teeth as I’m a proud penniless beggar. Why would they have such unclean teeth?

Is it somehow latest swag or something?

Scrutinizing the tall one of the both, he has a long scare starting from his eyebrow to below his left eye. If it was meant to be scary then it did its job quite well.

The shorter one of the two looked not more than nineteen and has such handsome feature. He looked like one of those idol stars that I noticed in placards in girls hands.

“What are you looking at?” The younger one spoke and my body shivered in chill.

“Please don’t kill me. I did not see or hear anything. I’m just a beggar here.” I pleaded them making them laugh in evil manner.

They enjoyed being begged at. Well! Guns have that power; that too when it is pointed at the opposite person.

“The others are dead, end him quickly or we will be late to cargo.”

“Is killing people so easy to you? Please spare me. I don’t even know who you are.” I beseeched sitting on my knees.

The rain got heavier just like my emotions. It is not my first time to be threatened by these bad people but it doesn’t mean I did not suffer before they left me alive.

“Correct. Killing is easy. Good riddance to all the trouble that comes with keeping you alive. Say goodbye, fella. Your dirty life will end here.”

The taller one point the gun right in between my eyes and placed his finger on the trigger. The younger one giggled with excitement which actually sounded ridiculous to me.

You are excited when I have my life at your mercy?

“But – But –“ I stuttered when I saw the younger man pull a small back from his back pocket and shake it in front of the taller one. He nodded and started to pull the trigger when I spoke. “Are you sure?”

The heaviness in my voice lightened. My eyebrow slowly raised its way to the top of my dirty long hairline while theirs narrowed at me.

“What?” Both of them asked in soft yet firm tone.

“I don’t want to die.”

“But you will.”

“No I will not.” I declared with a smile as I slowly stood on my feet. Pushing the locks of my hair that was tiled in several sources of dirt, I rubbed my palms in an attempt to clean them.

With one grin, I twisted the hand that held the gun and locked the person under me with one hand while I caught the young idol man by his hoodie.

Pulling the gun from his hand, I smacked his head with the back of the same gun causing him to faint. When one is done, I turned to the younger handsome one and snatched the small bag from his hand. Before he could make any sound, I sent him to sleep with a little force.

“Never unnerve a proud beggar.” I said to the unconscious dudes.

Now that they are not noisy and moving, I took my time in observing their features. The taller one has no luck in looks but the younger one though, he looks so damn beautiful with milky smooth skin and hair styled to the side like a fashionista of the decade.

Pity, he did not try his hands in entertainment industry.

Pushing the small bag I acquired inside my clothes securely, I dragged both the men by their legs along the muddled pathway to the back gate.

Scanning the surroundings, I dragged them to the nearby garbage can and threw them beside it.

Dusting my hands, I nodded to myself in appreciation and returned back to my tree to take a nap. But then when I looked down and saw that I’m completely drenched and the murky water was flowing down my face from my head, I sighed, thinking I have to sleep with wet clothes again.

This isn’t new to me. A homeless person cannot afford dry spring days all long the year. It is nothing novel for me to sleep in wet clothes.

After years without shelter, I made good friends with tan and chill. Cold never gets me and fever keeps away from me. Heat doesn’t bother me much nor does the rain.

A royalty of being a homeless. Peace and disease free.

I was very happy to be a professional beggar leading my life meaningfully. There was only peace and fun – until –

Until my immunity is tested!

Until my peace was ruptured!

Until my life found another importance!

Until my cool mindset is challenged!

Until being a homeless scared me!

And until that jinxed day came!

Never had I thought my life would take a sudden unexpected turn but it did after I met her.

Nay, after she set her eyes on me.

Little did I know I would meet scalding sun and chilling snow in the form of a person and she would affect me like a disease?

~*~*~*~*~*~

Ariche Gil Point of View

“SDMYHTSTTD. YATOICOTW. RT!”

“i- I’m sorry ma’am, what?” Seriously now?

Am I going to explain them everything? Service is not a course that you learn from textbooks; it is a source that takes you into the textbooks.

“DTMYNACCOBK!” The person standing before me shivered in summer season as his eyes narrowed at me with a mix of surprise and bafflement.

“What she is saying is ‘Don’t tell me you need a crash course on being kind!’. That was what DTMYNACCOBK means. Are you new here?” Said a new, yet a familiar voice from behind.

Only he can understand me without a mistake.

I smiled brightly and turned to my partner in service with starry eyes. Starry eyes, not because he has a place in my heart but because he is an epitome of kindness and a male version of Mother Terasa.

He is none other than, Lucas Fernsby, my colleague and a very dear friend. He and I joined the social servicing organization at th