and the way she
dealt with a man most people, including himself, ignored, or gave little
thought to, made Charlie wonder why she was with him; she deserved better, in
his opinion, she deserved someone as loving and compassion as she was.
After a minute or so Tess stood
and turned away from the man, a sad smile on her face. "Sorry, honey. I
can't stand to see him sitting there like that in the snow, especially when
it's so cold," she told Charlie, who couldn't quite meet her gaze, when
she caught up with him. "Sorry I kept you waiting; I gave him three
pounds, it's all I had in my purse, and told him to go find shelter in a
pedestrian tunnel where he'll be out of the worst of the weather. He'll be
sheltered from the wind and the snow there.
"I told him things would get
better as well. They did for me. Look where I started and where I am now. He
didn't smell of dope or booze. He smelled of fear and sadness. I kissed him on
the forehead and told him it would all be okay."
When she reached a hand to her eye
Charlie thought she was brushing away a tear, he reached up to stop her, taking
her hand in his and bringing it to his lips so he could kiss it.
"I told him to use the money
to get a hot chocolate," Tess said with a sad smile. "I wish there was
more I could do to help him."
"I love you, honey,"
Charlie told her suddenly.
Tess was surprised by the sudden
statement. "What made you say that?"
He smiled an uncertain smile.
"Because I love you and because you're a better person than you believe
yourself to be. You're not the bitch you're always saying you are," he
said.
"I am , I'm a bitch; everyone says so."
"They're wrong, and they're
idiots if they think that. You're a wonderful person."
"No I'm not," Tess said
with a shake of her head. She didn't have a clue how he could possibly think
that, she considered herself far from wonderful.
He took her face in his hands and
pulled her to him so he could kiss her tenderly. "Yes you are, just look
at what you did back there," he gestured back to the shivering homeless
man. "You didn't just give him money, you spoke to him; you treated him
like a person. That's more than everyone else who passed him, including me. I
can't deal with things like that; I hate that I can't but I'm so uncomfortable
with people and situations like this.
"Not you though; you're
probably the only person to have spoken to him like that all day, perhaps even
all week. I'm sure it made him feel so much better."
Tess dismissed his words with a
shake of her head. "I've been where he is. I know he didn't believe me,
not looking the way I do now, but I had to tell him, I wanted to give him hope.
Things got better for me, they can get better for him as well; all it takes is
a bit of luck and a desire not to give up. I even gave him a kiss on the
forehead; I wanted to do something to help him feel better."
Charlie kissed her again.
"You really are wonderful. I know you don't believe it but you are."
"When we were on the bench that
night, near all those boats, I thought we'd never find a home. All I could
hear, all night long, was the clanging of metal on metal as the boats moved
with the waves. It was a bad time, but the very next night we had a place to
stay.
"For two weeks his aunt put
us up, before her husband got fed up of it and threw us out and we ended up
sleeping in the car."
Charlie hugged her tight, wanting
to reassure her and take away the memories of such a bad time. He wanted her to
remember only the good things, and to ensure that in the future she never had
to worry about anything of the sort she had in the past.
"Genie," Tess wasn't
sure if she had ever told him that they had called their car Genie,
"looked after us for three months; three terrifying, uninsured, lacking in
MOT months. We were lucky she was an estate, so we could stretch out in the
back alongside our belongings, when we put the seats down, and at least attempt
to get some proper kip.
"We were in that car for so
long that
dealt with a man most people, including himself, ignored, or gave little
thought to, made Charlie wonder why she was with him; she deserved better, in
his opinion, she deserved someone as loving and compassion as she was.
After a minute or so Tess stood
and turned away from the man, a sad smile on her face. "Sorry, honey. I
can't stand to see him sitting there like that in the snow, especially when
it's so cold," she told Charlie, who couldn't quite meet her gaze, when
she caught up with him. "Sorry I kept you waiting; I gave him three
pounds, it's all I had in my purse, and told him to go find shelter in a
pedestrian tunnel where he'll be out of the worst of the weather. He'll be
sheltered from the wind and the snow there.
"I told him things would get
better as well. They did for me. Look where I started and where I am now. He
didn't smell of dope or booze. He smelled of fear and sadness. I kissed him on
the forehead and told him it would all be okay."
When she reached a hand to her eye
Charlie thought she was brushing away a tear, he reached up to stop her, taking
her hand in his and bringing it to his lips so he could kiss it.
"I told him to use the money
to get a hot chocolate," Tess said with a sad smile. "I wish there was
more I could do to help him."
"I love you, honey,"
Charlie told her suddenly.
Tess was surprised by the sudden
statement. "What made you say that?"
He smiled an uncertain smile.
"Because I love you and because you're a better person than you believe
yourself to be. You're not the bitch you're always saying you are," he
said.
"I am , I'm a bitch; everyone says so."
"They're wrong, and they're
idiots if they think that. You're a wonderful person."
"No I'm not," Tess said
with a shake of her head. She didn't have a clue how he could possibly think
that, she considered herself far from wonderful.
He took her face in his hands and
pulled her to him so he could kiss her tenderly. "Yes you are, just look
at what you did back there," he gestured back to the shivering homeless
man. "You didn't just give him money, you spoke to him; you treated him
like a person. That's more than everyone else who passed him, including me. I
can't deal with things like that; I hate that I can't but I'm so uncomfortable
with people and situations like this.
"Not you though; you're
probably the only person to have spoken to him like that all day, perhaps even
all week. I'm sure it made him feel so much better."
Tess dismissed his words with a
shake of her head. "I've been where he is. I know he didn't believe me,
not looking the way I do now, but I had to tell him, I wanted to give him hope.
Things got better for me, they can get better for him as well; all it takes is
a bit of luck and a desire not to give up. I even gave him a kiss on the
forehead; I wanted to do something to help him feel better."
Charlie kissed her again.
"You really are wonderful. I know you don't believe it but you are."
"When we were on the bench that
night, near all those boats, I thought we'd never find a home. All I could
hear, all night long, was the clanging of metal on metal as the boats moved
with the waves. It was a bad time, but the very next night we had a place to
stay.
"For two weeks his aunt put
us up, before her husband got fed up of it and threw us out and we ended up
sleeping in the car."
Charlie hugged her tight, wanting
to reassure her and take away the memories of such a bad time. He wanted her to
remember only the good things, and to ensure that in the future she never had
to worry about anything of the sort she had in the past.
"Genie," Tess wasn't
sure if she had ever told him that they had called their car Genie,
"looked after us for three months; three terrifying, uninsured, lacking in
MOT months. We were lucky she was an estate, so we could stretch out in the
back alongside our belongings, when we put the seats down, and at least attempt
to get some proper kip.
"We were in that car for so
long that
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