city life

Tiredly he walked home, carrying his meagre shopping-all of which was Tesco’s own brand. The leg, which had plagued him with pain for so long, was doing so again, aggravated by a dull 9 hour shift of washing pots and running errands. He was content though, life had recently and unusually good to him and he had a feeling things would continue this way.
A girl approached him, and that’s all she was. Just a girl, surely no older than 15. She looked cold and tired and miserable. He had an idea what she was going to say, but hoped that he had been mistaken. He wasn’t
“Looking for business mister?”
His heart fell. He shook his head feeling sorry for her. Living in such a neighbourhood he had come to expect sights like this. Yet never had it happened so early, or by someone so young.
“Sorry no thanks. Just tryin to get home”
“Ah, ok” she said, falling in step with him. “Its murder trying to find any this time”
“Hmmm” he said, like he had any idea about this whole different world.
He looked at her again. Frowning and feeling stupid he said “you hungry?”
She nodded
He went into his Tesco bag he pulled out an item
“Banana?”
She accepted it gratefully and ate it there and then. The darker part of him, the smart arse part that always had something to say thought, hmm, you gave a banana to a prostitute and she’s eating it. Hell you didn’t even need to pay to watch. He hated that thought, but there it was.
They came to cross roads and stopped.
“sure your not looking for business?”
“yeah well I have a girlfriend”
“oh”
“yeah like her a lot so…” he hated to dismiss her like this but there it was.
“well g’night mister and thanks. Take care”
“you too” He walked away, swearing at himself and wishing he had done more to help her. Being poor made it hard though. That cynical bitter part of himself told him that she was probably relying on the sympathy vote. That she was a scammer like half the other people in this shitty city were. Tiredly he trudged on.


That happened yesterday. Damn near broke my heart to see.