Helping The Lost (Closed)

[Mayu]

Twenty One bar owner Rose Carter was the kind of girl who really had it all, her father had owned a chain or bars that were highly successful and she was living the way she had always wanted to live. But that was not to be, she had lost everything in the blink of an eye. On her seventeenth birthday her home caught fire, no one knew how it happened. No one looked at Rose because everyone knew her, and knew it was nothing she had done. But that time she grew rather lonely.

Her parents both had life insurance polices giving her over five hundred thousand dollars for each parent. Which was a million for her, and she ended up having to hire someone who knew what he was doing to maintain all of the bars until her twenty first birthday. It was hard to start over again, but she knew what it meant to lose everything. And now that she was twenty one, the businesses were hers free and clear. She had no bills what so ever accept bills to restock and other things like that.

But then on the way out one night, it was really cold and it was easy to see your breath. She was walking toward her home, which even though she had money it was nice and simple. She saw a man sitting in the cold, a blanket that did not look very heavy. Rose looked around seeing no one else around, and knew she wanted to help the man. The city had opened up her eyes years ago to the cruel world, and walked over to him.

Kneeling down she looked at him with a kind smile, and silently sighs. "Hey would you like me to take you some place warm? It's suppose to get below zero tonight and I don't want you to freeze to death" She offered a warmth in her face, her eyes and even a warmth in her own voice. She knew how to talk to people, could get anything she wanted. But she never used people, more like a favor for a favor kind of deal she always had.

 

[BuilderStu]

Mikhail didn't hear her at first, or perhaps he assumed that she was not addressing him. Nobody had addressed him in a couple of years, with the exception of telling him to get the hell off their property, or tell him what a loser he was.

But he did not need reminding. His own fall had been dramatic. Since being ripped off, he found out who his real friends were. If only he had any......

Instinctively he staggered up onto his feet, his joints almost paralysed by the cold. He shuffled along, away from her and the doorway that was to be his dorm for the night. It took a few minutes for his mind to catch up and process what she had actually said, to bypass his assumptions....he must have misunderstood, or been delirious, it had been a couple of days since he had eaten.

He decided to keep on walking, he didn't want any trouble.

 

[Mayu]

Rose watched the man how he reacted, which he did not really. Just got up and started to walk away, but knew he would freeze to death tonight or perhaps just a cold. But she still worried that was the kind of girl she was, so walking after him she managed to catch up to him and smiled softly, it was getting colder by the second it felt like and was trying to think of something to say to him. Since he needed something and brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes and got in front to stop him.

"Hey I would like to give you a warm place to stay, its going to be below zero and I don't want you to freeze to death." She said with a soft sweet smile, making sure he knew that she was talking to him. She could tell he was very thin and could give him warm meals, that is what she wanted any way. Since she never ignored the problems the homeless had, wanting jobs most of the time. But with no clean clothing or anything, they would not get the job. Her eyes looked into his with curiosity.

 

[BuilderStu]

He raised his eyes from his worn boots, slowly moving them up over her body and catching her stare. She was really looking at him, not past him or through him, but at him. Catching a lump in his throat, still thinking that this might be some cruel joke.

He really wanted to trust her and heck, what did he have to lose? If he did end up getting jumped again at least he would get into hospital. That meant at least a couple of warm nights, meals and fresh clothes.

"Where do you want to take me?", he mumbled, "I am not going back to that hostel!". His pale blue eyes looked deep into hers, trying to understand her motivation.

 

[Mayu]

Rose could see his hesitation and his eyes were beautiful, smiling a little bit she motioned for him to follow her. Since she was only three blocks down, she grabbed her keys so they would be ready. She never trusted people in this world, people could be beyond cruel in her opinion. But she was happy to help him, by the look of him he is probably thinking a bout her like what she was up to. But perhaps it was all in her head she did not know. So she was thinking of what to tell him as they got to her place.

"My apartment I have what you need there, can take a shower. And as for why I am helping you, it's because I know the hell you go through every damn day. It happened to me as well, so I do know how you feel. Struggling every day to just pass each day, it's terrible" She said and opened up the door of her apartment and showed him inside. She turned on the light in the bathroom and put out shampoo and soap for him putting it by the shower and smile. "Take your time, I have some cloths you can wear till I can get you clothing you like"

 

[BuilderStu]

Looking about the hallway of the apartment in wonderment, "How could someone like you possibly know how I feel? How it feels to have nothing.....no, to be nothing?".

His face tightened as some of those memories come flooding back, the particularly painful episodes of his downward spiral. As Rose shut the door, Mikhail was quick to lock it and instinctively root though all of the drawers and cupboards.

But he didn't find anything of interest, no uppers, no downers, no pain-killers, just an amenity kit from Continental. He remembers those jet-setting days as if they were in a bad movie, somebody else's life, someone successful.

A tear slowly ran down his cheek, "...where the hell did that come from?", he asked himself as he turned on the shower letting it run as he slowly undid his grubby buttons.

 

[Mayu]

She heard what he said about how she could know, crossing her arms she thought about her own time when they were in trouble. She watched as he locked the door and figured that he was probably seeing if there was anything he could steal, which she would not blame the guy. And silently sighed knowing that she would tell him her story. Thinking for a moment as everything just seemed to be shutting down. Smiling a little bit she leaned against the wall to think for a moment about what to say.

"You just enjoy yourself as for myself I will wait for you to get done, I have left clean clothing that I know will fit you right outside the door. We can talk once you are done, there is also a shaving kit and some scissors if you want to shave. We will talk and I will be able to explain myself better to you" Smiling a bit as she walked over to the couch and just cuddled up on the couch. Sighing softly everything was just rather nice. She felt for this man and really was grateful to be able to do something for someone.

 

[BuilderStu]

When he came back into view, he was visibly different. If anything he looked smaller, well skinnier, in those lounge pants and that white shirt that looked 3 sizes too big for him.

"Thank you", he whispered as he stood there in front of her, the scraggly beard replaced with a sharp angular face, the hair that had been so matted and knotted, now swept back off his face as it dries.

"I can't repay you, you know", he says, "But I won't rob you either. The name is Mikhail", he softens a little at last.

 

[Mayu]

Rose heard him and he looked rather good cleaned up she smiled happily at that. She heard what he said and smiled a little bit. She motioned for him to join her on the couch and looked into his eyes, she grew rather comfortable and not nervous at all. Like she had been earlier, she was not good with guys hence why she never had a boyfriend. Got so bad people thought she was a lesbian. She would have to make him understand much, and was not worried about what he could and could not do.

"I feel you deserve to know why I brought you up here to my home, but in order to tell you that. You need to understand where I come from, I honestly do know how you feel about your situation. I did not always have money Mikhail, when my parents were alive they struggled to put food on the table. My parents would not eat for days just so I did not get sick from not getting enough food. They struggled to keep a roof over my head, but on my seventeenth birthday everything was taken away from me.

There was a house fire and no one knew and still don't know what happened, I lost everything. I lost the house, my things but most importantly I lost my parents in that fire. Sure my parents had life insurance that could make me very comfortable, I still had to wait two months before they would give me the money. Because of how much the insurance for both parents were, they just wanted to make sure I had nothing to do with it. I spent some time on the streets, seeing how cruel people can be.

Being looked at like you are a bug to be rushed, looking at you like you are lazy and that's why you were homeless. I wanted to help you to honestly help you, and don't worry about paying me back. I wanted to do this for you, to give you a little peace. And frankly I could use the company since I live here alone, and I don't like it. I would rather have someone to keep me company, then have all the money in the world that means nothing to me" She said simply looking at him, hoping he understood.

 

[BuilderStu]

"Well....thank you, Rose", as she had spoken, he had felt her genuine warmth and relaxed through her comforting and understanding words. "Company is the one way that I can repay you, I am glad that currency is good". He smiled at her, for the first time in so long as he could remember.

Then he sat back into the couch, relaxing in comfort, his eyes exploring the face of his Samaritan and although minutes passed, the silence was far from uncomfortable.

 

[Mayu]

Rose smiled at him and stood up "Well why don't I make you a nice warm meal, anything in particular that you would like? I have a whole Kitchen full of anything you can think of" Rose said happily knowing that the silence could make both of them deaf that much was for sure. Looking at him she knew t hat she had done the right thing. She pulled her hair back in a pony tail as she turned and went into her refrigerator. "I have ham, beef, fish, eggs" She said just shooting out things she saw.

 

[BuilderStu]

He watched rose as she pulled her hair back from her face, noticing for the first time her innocent beauty.

"I am so hungry, I could eat anything. What is your speciality, Rose?", he asked as he watched her walk away from him.

He did not know how long this would last, but he felt, at least for the moment, safe. Safety was scarce these days. Safety with warmth and food, unheard of.

 

[Mayu]

Rose smiled at him happily and heard what he asked "Well I can make anything, but I will think of something really good for you." She said and grabbing some things she began first by getting the noodles ready, and she was making a white sauce. Humming a bit as she looked up at him, and could tell he was worried about this ending. "You can stay here as long as you like, I live here alone and company is something I adore" After thirty minutes she grabbed the pasta and mixed in the white cheese and put it on the table with a couple plates.

 

[BuilderStu]

He did not have to wait to be called to the table. When it had been so long since his last meal he was not afraid to dive in and serve himself the largest bowl of pasta Rose had ever seen.

In the following minutes, the silence was only broken by the slurping and scraping of cutlery on the bowl as Mikhail hungrily finished that first bowl. It was only then that he absorbed what Rose had said to him earlier.

"What do you mean, I can stay as long as I want?", he looked at her, his eyes welling up with a mixture of hope and fear.

 

[Mayu]

Rose watched him and could tell he was rather hungry, she never ate much but she also did not have to worry about where the next meal was coming from. She made sure to show him he could eat what he wanted, she just had that kind smile onto her face. One that showed she was young yes, but she was not stupid. She could read people very well, was something that she had to learn when in the business she was in.

Just the way he looked when she heard what he said to the comment she made, crossing one leg over the other. It almost looked like he wanted to cry which was rather sweet really, brushing her hand against the back of her neck. Though she did not know how they would get along, something told her they would get along just fine. Something deep down told her that one, all in all everything was going good so far. She sipped her soda and was thinking about how to say what she wanted.

"Well I live here alone having some company around here would be very nice for a change." She smiled honestly.

 

[BuilderStu]

His eyes felt so heavy, the onset of a food coma coupled with his persistent lack of sleep for longer than he remember catching up with him rapidly. He caught himself as his head nodded forward, reality hitting him fast before he made a fool out of himself.

He excused himself from the table and stumbled over to the couch, laying back into it's comforting embrace. He allowed his eyes to close for just a second, it was so warm in here and he had not felt this full and, well, satisfied in as long as he can remember.

His mind went back to a ski trip. They had just had sex and were wrapped in a fur blanket on the floor in front of a roaring fire. They had eaten and drunk there fill and were so happy.......but that was a lifetime ago.


Sleep caught him gently as he fell and held him safely.

 

[Mayu]

Rose smiled at him with a kind look and could see him getting tired all of a sudden, she watched him go to the couch and she finished up. Putting the food in the refrigerator and cleaned up the dishes and was glad she could do this for him, he seemed to be rather happy. Perhaps thinking of the things that he lost, she did not know exactly. Sighing softly as she brushed a strand of her hair out of her eyes. And looking at him fast asleep, she went into her bedroom to grab her warm throw and came back.

Standing before him she carefully put the throw on him making sure not to wake him, she bent down and whispered. "Your safe now my friend" Smiling as she let him be, she dimmed the light she had and sat down on the chair that was close by the couch, she was reading something and did not know exactly what was going to happen. But now she knew she had done something, something very good. She was enjoying her book, as things began to fill her head about what more she could do for him.

 

[BuilderStu]

Mikhail awoke before daybreak, habit more than anything else. It took him a few seconds to remember that he was not in his penthouse apartment. His mind then went over the last couple of years....why wasn't he cold and uncomfortable and hungry.

Then he remembered Rose, the only person to recognise that he existed. He must have fallen asleep. He wandered off towards one the doors, and opening it saw the high bed in the middle of the room.

She lay there, the twilight lighting her face. In her sleep she had pushed her covers from her body. Her t-shirt tight against her body. He stood there, watching her sleep, so content.

 

[Mayu]

She had gone to bed since she figured he would sleep the night away, she did not even remember falling asleep. But then she slowly started to stir and slowly opened up her eyes she saw he was staring at her but she smiled a little. She did not mind it, she was fully awake and extended her hand out for him to join her. This was not necessary a sexual type move but figured that he had not been in a bed in a year or more. She just wanted to make him hungry, she was not the easy kind of girl but wanted to bring him peace.

"It's okay if you want to lay with me" She said softly.

 

[BuilderStu]

He slid gently in to the bed alongside her, pulling the covers up over himself. Her warmth and fragrance making him feel so comfortable he dare not touch her....just inches away, looking so smooth and soft.

Everything was purged from his mind and although he did not know it, a gentle smile graced his newly shaven face.

 

[Mayu]

Rose watched him as he walked to her and got onto the bed and under the covers, she pulled the covers over herself as well. It was easy to see what he wanted, afraid to however. Though she did understand that since his life had been so bitter hours ago. Smiling a little bit as she silently sighed and decided to just go ahead, so she moved in close. Resting her head against his shoulder, and looked at him for a moment. She was actually very happy, and it was something she enjoyed when she could.

 

[BuilderStu]

Without thinking, he nuzzled down into her hair, drinking in her fragrance as he leaned over and pulled her close to him. Her warmth against him was so comfortable, so natural.

He carefully placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, his fingers tracing down the length of her arm, barely touching her.

 

[Mayu]

She watched the way he cuddled up to her, so afraid she would do something, figuring he was afraid to be himself afraid of being tossed out. Smiling she felt his fingers against her arm, watching him she was honestly happy. Stroking his cheek she could not help but enjoy the thought of having a man staying here with her. Closing her eyes as she cuddled up to him herself, and silently sighed a bit. She was happy and everything was as it should be, all in all everything was just fine.

 

[BuilderStu]

He awoke the next day what must have been quite late in the morning. There was sunlight streaming in from the tall windows at the foot of the bed.

He rolled over to find the bed empty beside him.....then his breath shortened and he felt his chest constrict. He remembered how he usually wakes up...where was he...and why?

But that was quickly overcome by memories of holding her last night, the first person to pay him any attention, make him feel comfortable and not ask anything in return.

This was probably too good to be true......but if that were the case, he was more than willing to go along with it for as long as he could.

 

[Mayu]

Rose had gotten up to turn on the heat, since sometimes in this place it was possible. It was a nice place to live all in all, but when Rose got back in her room a black robe against her body she smiled seeing her guest awake. Walking to her side of the bed as she laid down, watching him rather closely. Hoping that everything was going to be okay, all in all she had hoped that he would feel safe and at peace here.

Soon she began to think about what to say to him, but she was far from afraid in that moment. "Well I hope you feel better, you were out like a light. Guess you have lived such a hard life, and being in a warm place. Having all your needs met, must seem like a vacation to you. But you can stay here as long as you like, and you can be open to me as well. You can ask me anything, and pretty much do what you like. Since I am not the kind of person to offer something, then take it away in time"