Leftovers and Sloppy Seconds
A mid western 19-year-old kid named Jim from Indiana has left the confines of home to venture out into world. Home for him, felt like a tragedy and now he had to give himself a chance to make it on his own and hoped that luck would be on his side.
It was 5 a.m. and it was his birthday, when he was rudely woken-up by the yelling and screaming of his dad and mom downstairs. This normalcy defiantly could drive any depleted youngster crazy. He shuffles out of bed, dodging the piles of stuff that laid scattered on his bedroom floor- dirty cloths, dishes, plates, fast food boxes, wrappers, plastic cutlery, bones and half eaten food-entering the bathroom to take a piss, and then stares into the grimy mirror in the bathroom for a minute or two, and suddenly hastens back into his room and starts to search in some boxes. Rummaging through them he has finally gathered $183. 23. Very quickly he gathers some cloths and throws it into a duffel bag and scampers downstairs once all seem quite and leaves home. He takes one last look, tears had filled his eyes as he began to briskly walk away. Where or what was he planning to go or do?
Several hours later, he was standing outside Time Square in New York City, counting the remnants of his impoverished pockets, he was left with just 13 dollars and some change, after paying for his bus fare and food. The frightened dazed look on his face said it all, what had he got himself into! Perhaps his dream place is more that he bargained for; and now he needed to come up with something very quickly. The move was made, and now even if he wanted to go back where was the money going to come from!
Broke and an absolute stranger in arguably one of the biggest cities in the world, it seemed like he was in a boat with no ores, all he could hope for was luck to be on his side. Unfortunately for Jim he was equipped with a turbulent past, all he had observed and experienced was physical and mental abuse. From a tender age he was belittled, constantly being told he was useless and good for nothing, his self-esteem and confidence must be at an all time low, with the added pressure of homelessness, and if he had no frame of reference to happy days, how was he to find it now.
Sitting on a park bench you could nous young Jim bewilderment; his demeanor was like he could never blow this dark and dreary cloud that has followed him even into New York. Lucky for him it was the end of spring and had all summer to find the sails to his boat.
A month had gone by and Jim had still to figure thing out. Wandering the streets of New York, spending his nights on one of the benches by Madison Square Park in Manhattan. He was left at the mercy of organizations like-Green harvest, soup kitchens run by churches, and some generous citizens of New York City, he had managed to survive.
Was this the life Jim aspired to have? What about his future? My heart goes out for him, with just a high school education there is not much he can do. Does he have the sense to realize this? Or is time going to wiz him by before he realizes? Jim a destitute with a wardrobe from discarded cloths and leftover food after others have had their bellies full, he hangs on to life.
‘Seek and you shall find’ says the beatitudes; it is for those that have nothing that great teachers came for to find shelter, refuge and recovery. Now he has to find it.
asnappshot 
Beautiful photograph. I hope your story finds its happy ending.
There is no story without drama.
Such an insightful comment, thanks, I needed to hear that just now!! Great timing.