A Helping Hand

“Oh, nice,” Emilia said, stopping some passerby who possessed, well, what Emilia considered truly impeccable fashion. “I like it. That’s one hell of an ensemble you got there. Where can I get what you’re wearing?”

A little adventure was never a bad thing, but Julian was always reluctant to break into his small collection of strange ties he had accumulated over the years. It’s not that they were necessarily terrible, but he tended to go for darker colors which meant the bright red was definitely not his usual attire. “This?” he asked, gesturing to his neck, “I am almost certain I acquired this before you were born. A vintage store perhaps?”

Mia’s life was filled with noise, a constant battle of what could possibly be the loudest. A household with four children, a wife constantly puttering around the place, and a gym filled with blasting music and people grunting tend to make it difficult for moments of silence to find Mia, making moments like this one very rare. And yet, as Mia sat on the bench listening to the wind blow around her, she found the lack of noise unnerving. She was almost grateful for the sound of footsteps as someone approached her spot. “What’s up?”

Something about today had been especially taxing. It was exceedingly rare that students were sent directly to him rather than up through the chain of command. When they did it meant that there was something truly wrong. He loved his job, but sometimes he couldn’t help that his heart broke a bit for the students sometimes. Seeing a familiar and friendly face was incredibly relieving. “Long day” he said as a matter of greeting, offering Mia a quick smile as he took a seat on the bench beside her, “What brings you to the park?”

The kitten could fit in one meaty hand, and of course if you wanted to make a habit – walking, brushing an animal’s teeth, crate training and the like – you start early. So he brought the little girl with him to do errands. She was too small to let her shove her head out the window like a dog, but maybe one day he could trust her.

At the ATM, she kept tangling herself in his feet and the feet of those around him. He was grateful she wasn’t skittish like most cats, it would mean lots of fun in the future. Gage put his wallet back in his pocket and pulled on her harness, but she was interested in someone’s shoes. Maybe they had a pet at home the Abyssian smelled. “Christ, sorry about her,” he said to the stranger. “She’s been feisty since day one. She really likes squid but I don’t think you’d have any in your pocket.”

For reasons completely unbeknownst to him Julian had yet to establish direct deposit, which meant that every single time he was paid he ventured down to the bank telling himself that he would make sure to set things up before next time but then never actually going through with and repeating the process all over again. He’d been standing in line waiting for an available terminal when he had felt something brushing against his ankles. His eyes widened slightly as he glanced downwards and spotted the kitten. It was admittedly a bit unusual, but people in this town tended to be at least a tad different. When what he assumed to be the owner spoke he glanced up, smiling in recognition of his friend, “I didn’t know you’d gotten a cat! Perhaps I’ll begin carrying a bit of squid with me now”

“I don’t normally drink alone, I swear,” she explained with a shrug. Her tone is lighthearted; there is honesty in Greco’s words. Usually on a Tuesday night she would be getting ready to unwind for the day. She enjoys spending time with her small family. Nevertheless her daughter was spending the night at a close friend’s and her husband was busy with his latest masterpiece. To give him some peace, she found sanctuary at the local pub. 

“Usually the bartender keeps me company,” the brunette continued, “he’s just pretending to be busy right now.” Purposely her words get a little louder, a slight jab at the barkeep. It is harmless though, she’s good friends with him after all. 

It wasn’t that Julian didn’t drink, he just didn’t do so all that often and when he did do so it was always in the safety of his own home. Bars were far from his scene and he definitely stuck out like a sore thumb. The only reason he was even here was because he was attempting to find his middle son. He’d not heard from him at all and was having trouble getting ahold of him. He wasn’t going to panic just yet, but it also didn’t hurt to look a couple of places. 

He’d taken an open seat at the bar and was waiting to catch the attention of the bartender so that he could inquire after the boy when the woman beside him spoke. Julian turned slightly in his seat so that he was facing her. “Are you asking for company?”

There were many things Leah hated about her job, but the top three were definitely customers that hit on her without her ever initiating the flirtation, customers who stole from the tip jar, and customers who threw up in the bathroom. But she liked the fact that she got one free drink per shift, and she was just settling down to enjoy her coffee (black) when someone’s shadow creeped onto the newspaper she’d been trying to read. “You know,” she said, pausing to take a long sip from her mug. “It’s rude to read over somebody’s shoulder.” 

Lunch break had just began, but unfortunately for Julian he was still full from an overly large breakfast and now had an hour to spare. He had planned to grab a muffin and some tea for himself and Allison and head over to the library to check on his daughter, but when he saw Leah he decided that it couldn’t hurt to say hello. “Sorry” he muttered, moving out of her light so that she could continue to read her paper, “I wanted to say hello and ask you how your day was going”