Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: Dead End (02/06/14)
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TITLE: A Message to Share | Previous Challenge Entry
By Steve McClure
02/12/14 -
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“Uh, I’m in between addresses, right now.” The disheveled, scraggly-bearded, unwashed man seated beside the desk looked old beyond his years. He ran a bony hand through his long, stringy hair and licked his dry, chapped lips which scarcely hid his yellowing teeth.
“Well, what was your last address,” pressed the man, loosening his tie further and recoiling from the stench of body odor and stale liquor.
“I really don’t remember,” came the somewhat slurred response. Apprehensive, the scraggly man glanced around the room full of desks and people having similar conversations. His interviewer poked a keyboard with two fingers, entering the answer.
“Job?”
“Uh, no.” More poking.
“Relatives…friends in the area?”
“Wore out my welcome long ago.”
“Is there anyone I can call to come and get you?”
“No. No one. Don’t call anyone.”
“Well, what are we going to do with you? I can’t let you out there to go breaking things and stealing more stuff.”
Scraggly rocked in his chair, glancing around. “Just don’t call anybody.”
“Well, I gotta do something.” He picked up the phone and punched some numbers.
“McCluskey, this is Sergeant Williams. I got another one.” He hung up the phone and stared at his guest, shaking his head. “I don’t want to put you in the can.”
Jay McCluskey, clean shaven, dressed in shirt and tie, made his way through the maze of desks toward Williams.
“This is Sam,” said Williams. “Get him outta here.”
Jay motioned for Sam to follow, then weaved his way out of the room to a small, out of the way cubicle.
“Sit down, Sam. You a user?”
“No. Don’t touch that stuff. Could use a drink, though.” He resumed his anxious glancing around.
“Um-hm. How long you been like this?”
“Too long. Don’t remember things any more. Hardly remember yesterday. They say I broke a window and took some stuff.”
“That used to be a fine suit you’re wearing. What happened?”
“Dunno. Just happened. Lost everything.”
“Do you remember what you used to do?”
Sam paused to look at Jay directly. “Wall Street.”
“Wall Street’s doing pretty good, now.”
“Is it?”
“You probably could get back in there, if you cleaned up a bit.”
Sam thought for a minute, trying to clear the cobwebs from his mind. “Dunno ‘bout that. Why should you care, anyway?”
Jay stared into Sam’s bloodshot eyes and slowly intoned, “Because I’m like you.”
“Like me!?” he said incredulously. “What do you mean by that?”
“I’m an alcoholic,” Jay responded matter-of-factly. “But unlike you, I’m recovering.”
“I’ve heard this before. Maybe I don’t want to recover.”
“Oh, I think you do. You just don’t know how to go about it.”
Sam glared at Jay for a moment, then resumed his anxious fidgeting.
“You’re beginning to wonder how you got to this point.”
Sam looked at Jay again. “What’d you do?”
“I found a friend. Rather, He found me. He found me through someone who bothered to care.”
“Drove all my friends away.” Sam hung his head.
“Well, this friend’s a little different; He’s looking for you…waiting for you.”
“Looking for me?”
“Yep. So, why don’t we get you cleaned up.”
Sam thought. He shook his head. “I need a drink.”
“Could you wait an hour?”
“An hour? I don’t want to.”
“But you could.”
Sam thought. “I s’pose.”
“Do it, then. Just an hour.”
“Then what?”
“That’s up to you, Sam. You could decide to wait one more hour.”
“Ahhh, I don’t know.”
“The friend I’m telling you about could help you.”
“What’ll I do for two hours?”
“It’s only one hour, Sam, one hour. One hour at a time.”
“So, what do I do for an hour?”
“Well, how about we get you cleaned up. C’mon, I know a place. And I’d like to tell you more about my friend.”
---------------------------------------------
“Hey, McCluskey,” shouted Sergeant Williams from across the room. “You remember the drunk named Sam?”
“Yeah, I remember. Haven’t seen him for a long time. I’m afraid he’s back on the streets.”
“Well, he was. Found him dead this morning. Exposure.”
“I’m really sorry to hear that,” Jay said solemnly.
“Yeah. Sad end. Don’t know how you do it, McCluskey.”
“Got to. The good Lord pulled me from that mire; I’ve got to share that with them.”
“But so few come around.”
“Yeah, I know. I’m just looking for the ones who will hear the message.”
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God bless~
Well done. Thanks for sharing.