Solitaire

Chapter 2

The stolen granola bar, stale and bland,

The expired fruit, old and canned,

Tattered cards sitting in her hand,

Wasn't supposed to, but not everything goes as planned.

-

A warm bed, a new pair of shoes, and the latest cell phone are all considered 'needs' in today's society. They're not, you don't need those things to survive, people could live without them; people have lived without them.

I could grab a nice jacket off a store rack and nobody would think twice but I could walk past somebody cold without one and not look twice. A simple 'need' like clothes on somebody's back is a privilege to have.

People don't understand that life itself is a privilege, not deserved or guaranteed. Like nobody deserves to die, nobody deserves to live.

"Here sweetheart." The older woman handed Kai two cans of peaches and a plastic spoon.

"Thanks Ms. Margret." She thanked the woman and scattered off to her usual spot.

She hit the can on the ground before the can lid popped off, spilling half of its contents on the cold concrete.

"Dammit." She muttered, salvaging whatever was left of the juicy fruit. She finished the can before walking over to the trash can, throwing the aluminum can in the garbage. She made her way back to the street corner, lying on the cold ground.

André walked to work, ignoring the little girl on the street corner. He couldn't help but glance at the girl. His heart practically broke as he watched the girl shiver, hugging herself as she was shaking. He couldn't ignore it anymore when she let out a breath, the cold air sending shivers down her spine.

He took off his suit jacket and walked over to her. She was too chilly to even notice the man walk up to her. He carefully laid the jacket over before she jumped up, scared to see the person that interrupted her sleep.

"What- what are you-you doing?" She gritted out, the coldness affecting her speech.

"You looked cold." He shrugged, handing her the navy blue jacket. She glared at the jacket, too stubborn to accept the help of the stranger.

"I- I'm not c-c-cold." She shivered out. André raised an amused eyebrow before placing the jacket by her side.

"You don't have to wear it but at least take it," She continued to glare at him, her grey eyes stunning but surprisingly terrifying. "Please." He begged. André stormed off and Kai almost laughed at his immature behavior. Keyword: Almost.

"Fine." She left the jacket at her side as he walked away. Once she thought he was out of view, she rapidly grabbed the jacket wrapping it around her shivering body, welcoming the new found warmth with open arms.

André did a double take as he watched Kaivalya snuggle up in the jacket. He walked back over to her, smiling at the girl.

"I told you you would need it." He said smugly. She playfully glared at him before mumbling something under her breath along the lines of 'shut up'. He laughed at her, feeling relieved he made some kind of breakthrough with the girl on the street corner.

Solitaire

"You didn't have to do that." She frowned as André handed her a brown throw blanket. After work, he went out to buy it for her. He felt it was the least he could do.

"It was either that or leave you out here freezing." He retorted, giving her a look. She handed back his jacket from earlier, the goosebumps on her arm immediately reappeared. She quickly covered herself in the blanket while André let out a deep chuckle.

"What's your name anyway?" He asked. She hesitated yet said her real name.

"Kaivalya, what's yours?" André had heard that name before but he shrugged it off and responded.

"André." His rich French accent was exposed.

"Frenchman, huh?" She playfully questioned.

"Oui, oui." He spoke in a thicker accent, her lips slightly twitched upwards which he noticed.

"Did you just smile?" He asked, jumping up and down. She playfully glared and threw her blanket. That made his smile reach his eyes.

They talked until the sun went down, mostly him laughing and joking while she listened.

The sun was beginning to fall, the streets increasingly getting darker. The sunset creating an orange glow over the city.

"Let me know if you need anything, Kai." He waved, walking back to his house. Kaivalya's brown eyebrows furrowed at the nickname.

"Kai?" She questioned, she's only had a nickname from her dad, her mood immediately faltered. André noticed and responded.

"I'm sorry. If you're not comfortable with it, I won't use it. I'm really sorry, I just thought-." He was cut off.

"Hey Dre?" She fake smiled. He whipped his head around at the interruption.

"Yes."

"Shut up, it's fine." His smile returned at her blunt response.

"Bye." He waved, practically skipping away from the encounter.

She sat in silence, setting up her tattered cards in seven piles, increasing the amount as she went along. She set the remaining pile faced down to the side. She played the game of solitaire.

As much as she hated to admit it, she missed the presence of her new-found friend.

And she would soon realize how much she meant to him.