If you haven’t read part 1 to this story, written by Archery Owl, then please do so via the link below:
Several weeks prior, Jasper had gotten home from work later than usual. Working in IT, suited his personality well. He walked in the front door.
“Hello everyone. I’m home!”
He was greeted with quick glances from his two kids and then their eyes were back glued on their iPads.
His wife was happily jogging on the treadmill. Her ponytail bounced as if it was a mocking tongue of a snake.
“Dinner’s on the stove!”
She yelled from the home gym that she had set up a while ago. There was a pan of half eaten meat loaf on the stove with mashed potatoes and green peas. He heated the food in the microwave and sat down to eat it in silence. He looked through the kitchen to where the kids were and listened to the steady pace of his wife’s footsteps on the treadmill.
“Would they even notice if I didn’t come home?”
He muttered under his breath in between bites of dinner. For a second, he pretended he was more interesting… more something… a hero?
~~~~
Now, in the present moment, he looked at his photo on a flyer at a rest stop. It felt oddly thrilling to be “wanted” as a criminal. He ripped the flyer down, took a breath, wadded it up, and threw it in the trash can. He wore a hat and a dark sweater. Walking into the rest stop bathroom, he still held on to a backpack and the bag full of cash. Taking a minute to pee in a urinal, he noticed that the bathroom smelled horrible, like one of the toilets had been backed up for too long.
Leaving the bathroom, he saw a homeless man pushing a very full Walmart shopping cart, packed full of bags. The homeless man stopped and asked,
“Have any change? I could use a Coke.”
Jasper froze for a second. He half-smiled. Holding his duffle bag a bit tighter, he answered the homeless man.
“Yeah. Here, ya go.”
Jasper pulled out his wallet and handed the man a few one dollar bills. He couldn’t help but think about the best way to break some of his one hundred dollar bills in the duffle bag.
The homeless man parked his shopping cart next to the vending machine. He proceeded to feed the dollars into the machine. It took the dollars, made a grinding sound and no coke appeared. The man smacked the front of the vending machine. Nothing happened.
“Ahh… c’mon!”
He kicked the machine but still no soda appeared. The homeless man shouted dramatically. Looking at Jasper, he added,
“Just my luck in life!”
Jasper grimaced.
“I don’t have any more ones either… sorry… where are you originally from?”
The homeless man had a long stringy beard. He looked surprised that someone had actually asked him a question, but he answered with a far off look in his face.
“Born in Oklahoma. Was so sick of looking at endless wheat fields so I joined the military when I was young… but then got out… couldn’t figure out how to be a civilian so ended up on the streets…”
He trailed off.
“I take it you’re not homeless? You seem too clean…”
Jasper looked down at himself for a moment.
“In a way, I am homeless, I guess… got any tips? I’m new at this…”
The homeless man seemed slightly amused by learning this.
“Tips? Don’t trust nobody! Especially the people who frequent under the bridge. Although… there is this one nice man who brings everybody healthy food and jackets… if you need a jacket, he’ll probably have one to give you. He ain’t homeless though, just comes to help, ya know?”
“He does sound kind.”
“Wish you well… thanks anyway for the cash earlier, dumb machine…”
Jasper wished him a good night and walked off. Crunching on the gravel below him, he looked down and saw someone’s driver’s license. It looked like to had been run over a few times by a car. He wiped it off and looked closer at the photo.
“He looks close enough like me. Guess my new name is William Drake…”
He pulled the drawstring of his hoodie around his head and slipped the driver’s license into his wallet.
~~~~
Author’s Note:
To read the third, and final, part of this collaborative story, written by Archery Owl, follow the link below:
About the Creator
Rowan Finley
Father. Academic Advisor. Musician. Writer. My real name is Jesse Balogh.
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Comments (2)
I love the thick description here and the vivid picture it creates. I also like that we get to see a fragment of Jasper’s past, and we can start to understand some of his thinking. Awesome job
Ha, the moment with the Coke machine was hilarious and poignant. Also, “Her ponytail bounced as if it was a mocking tongue of a snake”? Got me rolling!! 🤣