Chapter 28: A Good Deed
Three weeks after her meeting with the war veteran Melanie was sitting in the same café, drinking a Latte when she noticed the unkempt homeless man once more. This time it appeared as if he was avoiding her. He approached every table apart from hers and never once made eye contact with her. Melanie watched his movements and when she was finished her lunch and paid for it, she stood up and walked in his general direction.
“Hi Todd,” she said in a tentative manner, not knowing whether he would respond to her.
“Listen lady,” the homeless man replied with a hint of tension in his voice, “I don’t want your help”
The homeless man was standing no more than five feet away with tattered clothing, comprising of a dirty cream shirt and a well worn light jacket and trousers. His shoes had gaping holes in them at the front and there was an odour coming from his clothes that was hard to bear. The beggar had greasy black and grey hair, was unshaven and his face was spattered with marks of dirt
Melanie did not want to give up easily. She sensed that deep down part of Todd wanted a second chance. His stance and his gaze seemed defiant but Melanie wanted to believe that their was hurt and vulnerability under the surface.
“Why then do you ask others for money and not me?”
“That’s just the way I am. I’m a waste of space. Please go away.”
“I have a proposition for you,” Melanie responded. She was somewhat nervous about expressing herself particularly in front of unimpressed onlookers, but she told herself that the best thing to do was to speak up and get it over with.
“You can keep your propositions.”
“I can offer you a new start. New clothes, lodging, the possibility of getting a job and earning a living? Does any of that sound good to you?”
“I told you lady,” Todd responded dismissively as he turned his back on her. “You’re wasting your time on me.” There was a brief pause before he turned his head sideways but did not make eye contact. “A woman promised me that before and I ran out on her. I don’t like people doing me favours. It only makes me feel guilty. I prefer it when people give me money but show me little respect. I don’t feel indebted to them. What makes you think I’m worthy of an opportunity?”
“I don’t but maybe you pull through.” Melanie responded, hoping to reach out to him. “Then for the numerous times that men in your situation have fallen through the cracks there might be one person to make the other 999 disappointments feel worthwhile.”
“What’s in it for you, Lady?” he asked, still with his head not facing the young lawyer.
It felt to her as if she was making progress. It was as if it was the bottom of the ninth and she held out hope because there was a mathematical chance of victory.
“The name’s Melanie by the way and there is next to nothing in it for me,” she said, still probing for a weakness in his exterior.
“You must have a back story, some reason or another,” Todd responded. Part of him seemed to want to succeed and part of him seemed to want to find a reason not to. “Maybe you’re hoping to win an award. Maybe you’re a journalist hoping to get an angle on a story. Maybe you’ll take a picture and put it in an article and make me a laughing stock.”
“If you manage to get through two weeks, cold sober,” Melanie suggested, “then I will tell you everything and no I’m not up for an award. I’m a Lawyer, not a journalist.”
“A Lawyer eh? That’s even worse.”
Next to sipping from a bottle of JD, Todd desperately wanted to sleep in a bed he could call his own. He was never a heavy sleeper and he hated nights spent out in the freezing cold with little or no covers for warmth. What Melanie said sounded too good to be true. He wondered if it was a trick. An April fool’s joke perhaps, even though it wasn’t April 1st. His instincts told him that she was genuine but part of him was afraid to believe in her. He had been mistreated so many times since he became homeless that he was taken by surprise at her offer.
“Ok Lady, I mean Melanie,” the alcoholic responded, turning around to make firm eye contact once more. “I will take you up on your offer.”
Melanie smiled. She was going out of her way in an attempt to help this man, but she knew it would help to make her feel better on the inside for having done it.
“I can meet you here,” she said looking around, “at Seven, after I finish work.”
“You mean right here?” Todd responded in an attempt to clarify her proposal.
“Outside that shopping centre,” Melanie said with a nod of her head.
“Ok Lady, thank you,” he said, about to offer her his hand. He was unsure of whether she would accept his unwashed hand, but before he put it back in his pocket she grabbed it firmly and they shook on it.
“I look forward to it,” she said before standing up and walking away. She left her Latte unfinished but was more than happy with the benefits of her transaction.
At 7:05pm Melanie stood outside Madison Shopping centre and she could see no sign of Todd. As she breathed in the cold evening air she wondered if the homeless man had any intention of meeting her.
“Ok, what now lady,” a familiar voice said from behind her.
Melanie turned around. He was still wearing the same dirty clothes from earlier in the day. His trousers appeared to be too wide on him. Perhaps he had lost weight on his alcohol diet. Both his hands and face had markings of dirt and food and he smelled as though he didn’t have a shower in over two weeks. He was unlikely to be permitted entry to the majority of clothing stores.
“First, we’re going to have to get you cleaned up,” the young lawyer responded. “Follow me.”
They had only walked a dozen yards before a security guard approached the homeless man. “You can’t go in there,” he said aloud.
“He’s with me,” Melanie responded.
“I’m sorry mam, there is a dress code,” the security guard responded in a strong voice.
“Can’t you just make one exception,” Melanie pleaded. “We only want to get him cleaned up.”
It was at this point that out of the corner of her eye, Melanie spotted Mrs Huppert, her Mothers neighbour. She clearly wasn’t impressed with the company Melanie was keeping. Melanie hadn’t thought of the repercussions. She hadn’t dwelt too much on what onlookers and neighbours might say or do. Worst of all, Melanie assumed that Mrs Huppert would contact her Mother straight away. There was a brief moment of humiliation in Melanie’s facial expressions as she caught the reaction on the older lady’s face.
“It’s my job,” the security guard revealed pragmatically. “If he’s found wandering the store, then I won’t be able to pay the bills mam. I’m sorry.”
Frustrated, Melanie asked Todd for his measurements.
“34 inch waist,” Todd replied. “33 Inch Leg, 15 inch neck, normally I’m a size medium sweater and size 42 shoe.” Todd wondered if he was overstepping the mark, by hinting at a change in footwear but they were falling apart and he could see his toes in them. They were fine in summer, but in winter they would prove impractical.
Melanie entered the shop having noted the measurements on her phone. Within twenty minutes she re-emerged from the store with four bags of clothes, toiletries and footwear. She even managed to avoid the temptation to go window shopping. It was most unlike her. Even better, she got three tubes of shaving gel for the price of two. Melanie loved a bargain or two.
The young lawyer led Todd down the street. A taxi would have been more convenient at this point in time but Melanie feared that she might be rejected and so she took the bus instead.
When she and Todd spoke to each other, many people turned their heads around to observe. Once more Melanie felt slightly embarrassed but on this occasion she told herself that she was doing the right thing.
Eventually they arrived at 23 Sycamore Road. It was an apartment and duplex building that was gifted to Melanie by her stepfather in advance of her wedding. The apartment was not occupied and Melanie and Max had been actively looking for a suitable tenant, without success.
Both Todd and the female Lawyer entered the apartment. She was so tired that she dropped everything she was carrying, just inside the door. Melanie then pointed out where everything that might be of interest to him, was located. Within five minutes she left the apartment, handed him a key and informed him that she would see him in an hour’s time.
When the young lawyer entered her Duplex building, she could see that Max was already home.
“What are you doing Melanie?” he asked with a hint of aggression in his voice.
“What do you mean?” the young lawyer asked with an innocent expression, hoping to reveal as little information as possible.
“You let a homeless man into the apartment downstairs. I saw you,” Max responded in an exasperated tone. It was the first time Melanie had seen her fiancé behave in this manner. He was extremely well behaved prior to this and part of Melanie felt guilty for being the cause of his frustration. “Your Mother rang me about fifteen minutes ago. She said that Mrs Huppert saw you outside a shopping mall with him. She’s worried about you. What’s going on Melanie?”
“I met him before and thought he deserved a second chance that’s all,” Melanie declared. The young Lawyer was reluctant to have an argument about it
“Men like that have umpteen chances in life and they don’t take them. They’ll just keep letting you down, again and again. He’s only going to take advantage of you. If you let him in to the apartment he’ll just wreck the place and who’s going to pay for that then? Neither of us are zillionaires Melanie.”
There was tension in his eyes as he spoke. While Melanie felt in some way culpable for Max’s behaviour, she wasn’t going to walk away from the decision that she made.
“Me. It’s my responsibility.”
“You still haven’t told me what would make you do a thing like this. He’s not your responsibility. He’s not related to you, is he?”
“Darling, we’re not even married yet. This is the first time we’ve had a disagreement and in three months we’ll be walking down the aisle,” Melanie replied in an attempt to offer an olive branch. “Just give him a month. If he doesn’t tow the line after a month or so we can kick him out. Agreed?”
Melanie probably wouldn’t have helped Todd if she thought of all the repercussions that might happen. Initially she just wanted to do something good, but to a certain extent she questioned what she was doing. Was it worth damaging her relationship with her parents, her fiancé and her friends for the sake of helping a homeless guy who would more than likely let her down? It was too late to back down now.
“Ok, so what are we going to do about dinner, then baby?” Max asked in an attempt to win over her affection once again.
“I was thinking that the three of us could go out for a meal,” Melanie responded as she put her right hand affectionately on his left shoulder.
“Are you serious?” Max responded incredulously. “What restaurant would let a man like him in?”
“He’ll be all cleaned up. You’ll see,” the young Lawyer responded as she kissed him on the cheek.
“And who’s paying for all of that?”
“Humour me.”
An hour later Melanie, accompanied by her Fiance, pressed the doorbell to the downstairs apartment. She was wearing her favourite Saatchi dress with red and blue flowers. Several seconds passed by before Max quipped, “he’s probably drinking. We shouldn’t disturb him.”
After almost a minute, the door finally opened. Todd stood in front of them. He still looked quite tired from a lack of proper sleep but the transformation was almost complete. He was clean-shaven, was wearing new clothes and his hair no longer looked greasy. The alcoholic was wearing a white shirt and grey suit with black shoes. If Melanie was twenty years older she would probably be smitten.
Apart from his tired looking eyes, his teeth were the other feature that indicated his past. There were several gaps in his mouth and those teeth that remained were predominantly yellow in colour. No amount of toothpaste or mouthwash could undo the damage.
“We’d like to take you out to dinner,” Melanie declared with a smile on her face.
“Oh ok,” Todd replied, “I am actually quite hungry.”
“Todd, this is Max, my Fiance.” Todd offered a hand of friendship and Max briefly accepted it. It was clear that Max was unimpressed and had a lack of respect for Melanie’s new project.
“We’d better go before we’re too late,” the young Lawyer responded, a little disappointed with Max’s reaction.
All three of them climbed into Max’s BMW SUV. They had just pulled out of the driveway and onto the street when Max started to question their guest.
“So, Todd what do you do?”
Immediately Melanie responded, “Honey you know that he is currently looking for work.”
“What I mean is,” Max replied, “What used you do?”
“I had a number of jobs,” Todd replied, “I worked in a Kitchen, I worked as a waiter, I served in the army for a few years. I worked a load of different jobs.”
“Do you have any qualifications?”
“Aside from finishing school? No.” the male passenger replied with his head hung low.
“Oh,” Max replied sarcastically.
Melanie looked across at her fiancé but didn’t say anything. She hoped that he would be more pleasant and that they could all get along but she didn’t think that now was the right time to say so.
Todd also felt quite awkward. Part of him wanted to repay the faith that Melanie had shown in him but he detected a lack of cohesion between the young couple. He didn’t feel part of the group but knew he couldn’t just leave.
When they arrived at the Italian Restaurant called Nando’s, a waiter approached them.
“How many?” he asked politely.
“Table for three,” Melanie replied.
The waiter looked Todd up and down but said nothing. He lead them to a table with four chairs. As they made their way to the table, several heads turned around to observe Todd. A part of Melanie felt self-conscious. She hoped that none of the clientele would recognise him. A part of her wanted to be invisible at that time.
The waiter handed them the menus. “The specials are on the board” he said pointing to a board on the wall beside them.
“Do you need help reading?” Max asked their middle-aged guest in the grey suit.
“Don’t worry, I mastered the alphabet in Kindergarten,” Todd said with a chuckle.
Melanie reached out and patted Max’s left hand, in an effort to encourage him to be nice.
Several minutes later they made their orders and the waiter departed.
“So, Todd, how long were you homeless?” Max asked aloud.
Instantly Melanie went red with embarrassment. She thought that even the handful of customers who had gone outside for a cigarette could have heard what Max had just asked.
“Almost seven years,” Todd responded.
“And how long have you had an alcohol problem?” Max asked as if he was the lawyer among the group and smelling blood in a vulnerable witness.
“Thirteen years,” Todd responded in a downbeat tone.
“And how long is it since your last drink?” the BMW owner asked in a somewhat aggressive manner.
“Five hours,” the guest answered in a timid manner.
“Are you sure you don’t want a glass of wine? I’m driving after all.”
“Honey, can’t we change the subject,” Melanie interrupted. “Todd is from Boston. You had nothing but good things to say about Boston. Isn’t that right? It’s a beautiful city isn’t it?”
“It sure is. I’d definitely go back there one day,” the older man declared.
“What made you leave?” Max asked
“Like I said. I’ve had many jobs. My last one was in the city but then there’s my wife and kid who still live in Boston. He’s not such a kid any more but I don’t think it would do him any good to see his own Father hanging around begging for money.”
Melanie observed Todd’s behaviour. On the outside he seemed unflappable no matter how much Todd tried to get under his skin. It was what was underneath that Melanie was worried about. She wondered if beneath the calm exterior, Todd was dreading the next question and feeling tempted to sleep under the night sky once more with no responsibilities and nobody acting superior to him.
“Were you there for him?” Max probed the stranger once again.
“Up until he was eight years old we got on fine. He liked baseball and some other sports to an extent. I took him to one game a year for about three years. We played catch a number of times, but then the drinking happened and the marriage broke down. I lost my job…”
Todd gave the impression to Melanie that he cared about his son and was ashamed of letting him down. His voice became slower and more faded and his eyes were averted downwards.
“What triggered the drinking? What made it start? Were you always a wino?”
Melanie hated the way that Max seemed to be broadcasting every question to the entire room. Suddenly Max was revealing his shallow side to her and she didn’t like it. She desperately hoped that this was an aberration or a personality clash. She didn’t want to throw away all the perfect nights with Max simply because he didn’t get on with one specific person.
“I guess everybody who is an alcoholic has it in their blood. Once you start you can’t stop. I was laid off before Christmas. Times were difficult for the two of us. We both had to work hard and hold down jobs. We both had to provide for young Taylor but I guess I cracked and once I started … well things really went downhill.”
“So, his name is Taylor?” Melanie interrupted, “how old is he now?”
“I’m not sure. Sixteen maybe,” Todd responded timidly.
“You’re not sure how old your own son is?” Max replied in a condescending tone. “Do you even know his birthday?”
“26th July. I remember that much.”
“Why did your marriage break down?” Melanie’s fiancé probed the alcoholic again.
“Max! That is enough,” the young lawyer interrupted once more. “Todd you don’t have to answer that question.”
“When I lost my job and turned to alcohol,” Todd replied sheepishly, “the rows became more frequent. I suspected that for the last two or three years she was seeing someone else, but anyway she kicked me out two months after I lost the job. I don’t blame you for questioning me. It’s better than being called a bum, a wino or a junkie.”
“Actually I think Max has used one of those labels,” Melanie interrupted. “He’s not normally like this. He’s normally quite nice. Until today I didn’t think he had the slightest fault.”
Melanie was genuinely concerned that the progress Todd had made in such a short space of time could be shattered by Max’s insensitive behaviour. It was like as if her fiancé had taken a sledgehammer to everything she and Todd were trying to develop and build. It was however as if Melanie was standing in front of Todd taking blow after blow and sniping comment after sniping comment. The young Lawyer wanted Todd to be strong and keep making great strides but she was afraid to say this to him openly.
“I’m just looking out for you darling,” Max replied with less cynicism in his voice. “Todd is a stranger, who we don’t know very well. Most people would be careful about who they trust. Until today I thought you had more common sense. Suddenly you seem to see yourself as Mother Teresa. Play with fire and you’ll get burned eventually.”
“Mother Teresa devoted an entire life to the underprivileged,” Melanie responded. “I’ve only spent a couple of hours helping Todd. Anyway, can we talk about something else? Can’t you be pleasant? Tell us one of your funny anecdotes.”
Suddenly Max became rather quiet and a trifle embarrassed. He wasn’t in the mood for telling one of his stories.
“Come on Max. What about the time you went to India, got the runs and didn’t notice the toilet was short on toilet roll? What about the time you got drunk and kept asking the police officer for a ride home? Or the time you played soccer, stood in a wall and received two pile-drivers into your privates in the same game? I’m sure you have some that you haven’t told us about.”
Suddenly there was a smile on Melanie’s face while Todd was reluctant to extract pleasure from the BMW driver’s own misfortune. Max became more and more embarrassed. He was reluctant to say anything further. Above anything else, he didn’t want Todd to know any of his most discomforting moments. He preferred to make Todd feel inferior to him.