Post by Edward Reed on Jun 9, 2009 14:21:44 GMT -8
Time: 11:30 am
Date: September 5th
Place: Queens, local cafe
Status: Currently closed to Riley and Edward but could open up a little later on.
He had left before the morning started, the streetlight were still buzzing when he slipped from her door, making sure it was locked, wooden sign in hand. The night had been good but steady and the acidic smell of smoke still clung to his pores from nights ago. He had refused the initial offer to wash his clothes but he had simply stared at his partner before turning back to carefully put his uniform away. She suggested food and a place to rest his head like always and he stayed, the weak man that he was. However sleep was not so forgiving and he had spent the hours sitting on Annabel’s couch, his feet firmly planted beneath him and his head rested wearily in open hands. The rhythmic tick of the living room clock became a thundering mantra until the man rose to his feet and left.
The brief brush of curtains and the gray silhouette of Danny was his farewell as he buttoned the one remained button on his coat and settled the sign into the grove of his shoulder. His feet touched the sidewalk and he felt the coldness through the threadbare heels and he walked. He walked past buildings and trees, past people and signs and wound up on a corner somewhere in Queens. The Bronx was his usual stomping grounds but he was in no way tied to it and he knew how much time he had before Annabel would return from the guise of her day job.
Two elderly women had passed him earlier, stopped and took in his disheveled state. The one that wore jewels and furs sneered at him while her friend smiled and pulled change from his purse and offered it. He stared back until the woman’s friend tugged her away from him, whispering burning insults that made him frown. The crisp morning air had faded into a dull warmth, warming the man a little as he walked towards the end of the street. He had decided the corner end was a good place to stand and speak briefly with those few that braved the glares and smell and asked about his sign. His miniscule tirades of government conspiracies of chemicals in the water to subdue the nation usually sent them scurrying away.
The tight ache of his stomach demanded it to be filled but he simply reasoned it away, that eating too much would slow him down and he had eaten a good portion yesterday. The smell of baking bread and coffee wafted in correlation as people exited the café behind him and he shifted his stance to allow himself one good deep breath of it. He caught the reflection of himself in the large window and it was for a moment startling. As a man who didn’t look at himself that often except to take a straight razor to his stubble, it was all to easy to forget the uneven blank canvas stretched too tightly over his frame. Edward narrowed his gaze and his reflection imitated him in mock. The skin he was born in never made sense and how easy it was to change to the elements of neglect. The patrons on the other side of the window stared back uneasily at the homeless man before quickly hurrying to finish their meals.
Date: September 5th
Place: Queens, local cafe
Status: Currently closed to Riley and Edward but could open up a little later on.
He had left before the morning started, the streetlight were still buzzing when he slipped from her door, making sure it was locked, wooden sign in hand. The night had been good but steady and the acidic smell of smoke still clung to his pores from nights ago. He had refused the initial offer to wash his clothes but he had simply stared at his partner before turning back to carefully put his uniform away. She suggested food and a place to rest his head like always and he stayed, the weak man that he was. However sleep was not so forgiving and he had spent the hours sitting on Annabel’s couch, his feet firmly planted beneath him and his head rested wearily in open hands. The rhythmic tick of the living room clock became a thundering mantra until the man rose to his feet and left.
The brief brush of curtains and the gray silhouette of Danny was his farewell as he buttoned the one remained button on his coat and settled the sign into the grove of his shoulder. His feet touched the sidewalk and he felt the coldness through the threadbare heels and he walked. He walked past buildings and trees, past people and signs and wound up on a corner somewhere in Queens. The Bronx was his usual stomping grounds but he was in no way tied to it and he knew how much time he had before Annabel would return from the guise of her day job.
Two elderly women had passed him earlier, stopped and took in his disheveled state. The one that wore jewels and furs sneered at him while her friend smiled and pulled change from his purse and offered it. He stared back until the woman’s friend tugged her away from him, whispering burning insults that made him frown. The crisp morning air had faded into a dull warmth, warming the man a little as he walked towards the end of the street. He had decided the corner end was a good place to stand and speak briefly with those few that braved the glares and smell and asked about his sign. His miniscule tirades of government conspiracies of chemicals in the water to subdue the nation usually sent them scurrying away.
The tight ache of his stomach demanded it to be filled but he simply reasoned it away, that eating too much would slow him down and he had eaten a good portion yesterday. The smell of baking bread and coffee wafted in correlation as people exited the café behind him and he shifted his stance to allow himself one good deep breath of it. He caught the reflection of himself in the large window and it was for a moment startling. As a man who didn’t look at himself that often except to take a straight razor to his stubble, it was all to easy to forget the uneven blank canvas stretched too tightly over his frame. Edward narrowed his gaze and his reflection imitated him in mock. The skin he was born in never made sense and how easy it was to change to the elements of neglect. The patrons on the other side of the window stared back uneasily at the homeless man before quickly hurrying to finish their meals.
