Alone

A homeless man slowly trudged through the streets of downtown Toronto on frozen feet. The temperature was well below freezing, and he was looking for a place to get out of the cold, and maybe to get something to eat. His cardboard box had blown away. All night, he'd had only an old blanket, two sweaters and a windbreaker to keep from freezing. He finally came across a coffee shop that looked warm and welcoming.

           He stepped inside and found a seat near the radiator. He took off his boots and gloves to warm his numb fingers and toes. After a few minutes, he to regained feeling, but he had also started to notice others beginning to stare and whisper.

         He knew how he looked to them. A man, cast out of his community, with no job, home, or a family to turn to. He wore mismatched and worn out clothes, and hadn't showered in almost three weeks. He'd lost weight and was full of dirt from his sleep in an abandoned alley. His nose and cheeks were red and numb, and dripping snot had frozen into his overgrown moustache. Worst of all he smelled, and the fact that his feet were exposed wasn't helping. He was a mess. Nothing like the arrogant businessman he had been just two months ago.

       A barista soon approached him. "Sir, I'm sorry but this table is reserved for customers. If you aren't going to buy anything, I am going to have to ask you to leave," she declared.

   "Please. I just need to warm up for a while. I have no money and I have nowhere else to go", he pleaded, his voice trembling. He caught his reflection on the shiny table in front of him. He hardly recognized himself. His hair was oily and overgrown, his face slimmed, his eyes wide and tired. Who was this pitiful man reflected before him? Who had he become?

      "I apologize sir, but we do not run a charity. You are clearly disturbing the customers, and if you do not leave I will call the authorities," she threatened.

        He hung his head as he gathered his things. "How did it come to this? How have I become someone who has to beg to sit quietly in the corner of a shop?" he asked himself, stumbling out of the shop. A small girl flinched as he brushed past her on his way out the door, her wide eyes filled with fear. He stepped onto the street, and soon he was chilled to the bone once again and his stomach was growling like the monster people feared he was.

        After he had walked a few blocks further, he came across a fast food restaurant. This looked like a place where he could get something to eat. He made his way through the crowd inside and stood near some full tables. Some days he would swipe leftover fries, and if he was lucky, a few bites of burger from the trays of people who had left. It wasn't very sanitary, but it was food. He eyed the trays of a young couple with two small children, whose meals were half untouched.

      He prepared to eat as he watched the family zip up their coats. Just as he was about to step in and clean up their trays, a cashier spotted him and escorted him out of the restaurant. He watched through the front window as his almost-a-meal was dumped into the trash. "What a waste", he thought to himself as he zipped up his windbreaker.

       He kept moving forward with no idea where he was headed. He ended up in the higher class part of the city. His whole body was soon numb from the cold, and he knew that if he couldn't warm up soon, he would end up freezing on the streets of Toronto. Time and time again he tried different stores, but he would always be asked to leave before he made it halfway through the doorway.

Feeling that he only had a few minutes left before he either froze or collapsed from exhaustion, he blindly stumbled into the next store he came across. He was instantly enveloped in an enticing fragrance that reminded him of a warm spring day. Everything around him was coloured in different shades of white and the overall effect was so bright he was blinded for a few seconds. "Am I in heaven?" he thought to himself.