Page 3 of Clash

We came to a stop by a big dumpster that was propped up behind an old building. There was a large cardboard box back there and a set of feet hanging out of it, covered by a tattered and ripped blanket.

“Mommy, I got us food!” the little boy shouted.

The feet began to stir, then the box started to move as a woman backed out, her mouth dropping when she saw me standing there with her son.

“Alex, what did you do?”

“Nothing, Mommy. I was hungry and this nice man bought us food. He got you coffee and your favorite muffin, and I got Skittles!”

The woman stared up at me with curious eyes, but it was hard to see her underneath the dirt and grime that was all over her face. Her hair was matted and dirty, and she seemed frightened, cold, and standoffish.

“Hi,” I said, handing her the coffee.

She eyed my cut and grimaced, but she took the coffee from me without hesitation.

“Thank you, but you really didn’t have to do that.”

“Actually, I did. Your son was about to shoplift if I didn’t step in.”

Her eyes widened. “Alex, what were you thinking? You know better than that!”

His smile faded into a frown. “I was hungry, Mommy. I’m sorry. I was going to pay the man back after I found enough pennies on the street.”

She frowned, looking up at me with nothing but guilt and shame in her eyes. Then she just broke down, clutching her son so tight, he could barely breathe.

“Don’t cry again, Mommy. It’ll be okay. Look at all this yummy food! We won’t have to eat from dumpsters today.”

The woman’s eyes were filled with despair and loss. She silently begged me not to judge her for their situation, but who was I to pass judgment on a single mom just trying to survive in this world?

“Thank you for the food,” she whispered. “That was a nice thing for you to do.”

I shrugged. “What can I say? I have a soft spot for kids with toothy grins andSpongeBobT-shirts.”

“It’s his favorite shirt.”

Alex laughed. “Mommy, it’s my only shirt.”

She went stark still as she warily looked back up at me, the shame returning, her shoulders slouching in defeat.

Everything from earlier quickly faded away, and something came over me that I couldn’t quite explain. It was a carnal need to protect and shelter them, to give them everything they needed to survive.

“Pack your things,” I demanded, giving the woman a stern look.

The woman’s tear-filled eyes met mine, and she suddenly looked very afraid.

“Excuse me?”

“It’s supposed to drop below freezing tonight, and there’s no way in hell I’m going to let the two of you stay out here in the cold. So, pack your things.”

The woman looked like a deer in headlights. “I don’t understand. I don’t even know who you are.”

“Look, lady, your son is cold and hungry, and you both look like you haven’t showered in weeks. I got a big loft with plenty of room, food, and a nice hot shower calling your name. So, take advantage of my hospitality, before I suddenly have a change of heart.”

“I don’t understand...” she said weakly. “Why are you helping us? You don’t even know who we are.”

I shrugged again. “Like I said before, I guess I have a soft spot for kids with toothy grins andSpongeBobT-shirts.”

She gave her son a look, then nodded. “Okay, but just for one night.”