Love Without a Home. Shari Mong

some stray dog. So I told him that I would continue my work. And he said good and he would continue his work.”

      Elisa laughed hard. “Not only is he homeless, but he is a stubborn ass homeless man. What he would call work is not work; it is begging and taking advantage of us who do actually work for a living. He would not know what work was if it came and bit him in the ass. Maybe he is not really homeless, but he just does this to make people feel sorry for him. What a shame. What if he actually has a nice place somewhere here in Manhattan?”

      “That could be true,” Sissy said in response.

      “Well thank you anyway Sissy, I will be busy for the rest of the day so hold my calls. I am not going to leave the office for lunch so could you order me some Chinese from that Chinese place in Soho?” Elisa asked Sissy.

      “Sure Miss Drinnings. What time would you like me to order it?” Sissy had given Elisa back the one hundred dollar bill.

      “Order it about one o’clock Sissy.” Sissy was about ready to go. “Wait a minute Sissy,” Sissy turned back around to face Elisa.

      “Take this one hundred dollar bill that that stubborn pig on the sidewalk would not take and buy you some lunch too. Just give me back the change.” Elisa handed her back the money.

      “Oh thank you Miss Drinnings, I certainly will.” Sissy took the money, in all the time that Sissy had worked for Elisa; she could count the number of times on one hand that Elisa bought lunch for her workers.

      Sissy did not want to look a gift horse in the mouth. Sissy left the office. Elisa walked back over to the window to stare down at the man on the sidewalk. She could have sworn he was looking up at her. Elisa thought, What a loser, people do not know generosity when they see it. She went back to work.

      Kyle had looked up at Elisa from where he stood. He could have sworn she was the one who sent the curly blonde haired lady down to give him the money and ask him to leave the sidewalk. Well, he would not give her that benefit. It was just as much his sidewalk as hers. Even if she came down herself and tried to give him the money and asked him to leave, he would still refuse.

      He was not going to let some hot-headed, beautiful, high society woman wield her power over him. Someday he would show her. To him, she was as heartless as she was beautiful. The only question was, would that someday come when he could show her?

      CHAPTER 4

      Elisa was so engrossed in her reports, that she did not realize that it was late when she looked at her watch. She had gone over the quarterly reports until she could no longer see straight. According to the reports, the magazine was again doing well.

      She put the reports away and got up to leave. She walked over to the window and did not see the man on the sidewalk. Good she thought I do not have to see him or deal with him tonight. She was tired and she had called her cook Emilio to have her dinner ready when she got home. She told him that she did not know how late she would be working. Emilio told her that he would have her dinner ready for her and leave it warming for her.

      Cora said, when Elisa was ready, she would draw her a hot bubble bath. Elisa loved Emilio and Cora, they were good workers. Elisa had put an ad in the paper for a housekeeper and she had interviewed many different ones until she found Cora. She gave Cora a probation period and had been happy with Cora so she kept her on.

      Emilio and his family had immigrated to America when he was nine from Guatemala. His mother had taught him to cook as a young boy. He had been looking for work as a cook when he responded to an ad in the paper by Elisa. She had interviewed him and let him cook for her. He had made her many of his family’s recipe dishes. She loved them and hired him.

      She had given Emilio an offer that he could not refuse. She and Emilio had become good friends along with her and Cora. She gathered up her belongings and left her office. Elisa’s driver was outside waiting on her when she walked out. It was a beautiful night. She headed home after a long day.

      *****

      Kyle had gone back to his usual spot, feeding the birds. It had become a daily routine besides being on the streets collecting money to get him through another day. Mildred had given him his dinner and they talked for a little bit. He had left before the woman came out of her office. He tried not to think about the blonde haired lady trying to give him the hundred dollar bill or the woman who had ignored him the other day.

      It was just as much his sidewalk to be on as it was hers. He wanted so much to just walk into her office and give her a piece of his mind, but she wouldn’t listen and would have him thrown out of her office by security. I am sure she had security all over that place. He would stay on that sidewalk and if she confronted him he would be ready to give her a piece of his mind.

      He got up to walk back to his spot under the bridge. The sun was low in the sky and he wanted to get some sleep. He wished that he could work. He had spent several months in the hospital after his injury. The government basically told him good job and gave him a purple heart. He had tried to get disability and the government said they would see to it that he got it. Kyle kept after them and they said they would get to it. Kyle kept on them and hounding them. They gave him the same old story.

      He never got the money.

      “Sorry sir,” the lady said behind the counter. “We have no papers stating that you receive disability pay. There is nothing on file.”

      “I don’t understand,” Kyle said, “I served two tours in Afghanistan, watched my buddy die, I was shot in the head, underwent extensive surgery, and spent months in the hospital. I lost some of my vision! The physician gave me documents that I gave to the military putting me on permanent disability so I could receive my pay.” Kyle was furious.

      “Look sir, I appreciate your service to our country, but again, without the papers authorizing this, I cannot do anything else. My hands are tied.” The lady responded. “You will need to call the proper person or people to explain this to them, and when I get those papers; we can start the disability payments.”

      “I have tried profusely and they keep giving me the run around.” Kyle spat.

      “Again sir, I am sorry, there is nothing I can do.” The lady looked back to her computer. Kyle slammed his fist on the counter and walked away.

      Kyle was dumbfounded; the country he had served was treating him like crap. He remembers hearing about the Vietnam Veterans coming home to nothing, being spit on, called baby killers, and many becoming homeless. He remembers hearing this from his dad before his parents died. His father had gotten real sick years after he came back from Vietnam. Kyle was sure it had something to do with his father being in the war in Vietnam, but the government denied it.

      His mother died of a brain tumor before he graduated high school. He stayed with his grandparents. Kyle had received his parent’s life insurance and used much of that to put himself through Culinary School. He had a good job and married his high school sweetheart.

      After 9/11, he signed up for the Army, he went to basic training and after that, was shipped to Afghanistan. His wife Janice and his best friend saw him off, the money he had left over from the life insurance, he had put in Janice’s name with her being his wife. She had full access to their accounts.

      His best friend from high school, Jerry Lites, had been a Business Major and him and Kyle talked about opening up a restaurant in New York when Kyle got out of the military. Kyle would be the head chef and half owner of the restaurant and Jerry would be half owner as well.

      Kyle gave his best friend a hug; he held his wife and gave her a long and loving kiss before he headed to Afghanistan. He had served eighteen months, and then came home for three months. Janice did not like what was being reported over there and wanted him out.

      “I want you out.” Janice said to him. “I want to start a family and it is hard to do when you’re over there. We can only talk by email and a lot of times you cannot even tell me where you