Mike explained that he did not see himself as homeless any more than he saw himself as a beggar. As far as he was concerned, he was just a man without a job looking to get back on his feet. He took any work that was offered to him. The only problem was that not many people wanted to hire a man his age, especially for the manual labor jobs that were most widely available to people in his particular situation. For Mike, asking for favors was only a back-up when temporary work, pawning off possessions or collecting plastic bottles had failed. He was a proud sort of man. It was a trait that his daughter, Ciarra, had inherited. And part of that pride was evident in his decision to help raise his grandson Aston, despite having next to no experience in childcare himself.

Taylor was uncharacteristically silent that morning. Aria could tell by how slowly he was sipping his coffee that he, too, was drinking it out of courtesy.

Two men approached the tent. Mike greeted them submissively and, obviously wanting to make them feel welcome, motioned to them to sit down on two foldable camping stools. They said hello and waved at Taylor and Aria without introducing themselves, and began to talk as if the young people weren’t there.

“You wouldn’t believe the line down at JWC yesterday,” one of them told Mike. He was an older man, whose toothless mouth was drawn into a smile that paled in comparison to the smile of his eyes. They gleamed with pleasure under the gray whiskers serving as eyebrows. His nose was bulbous and far too big for his face. But it made him all the more endearing to look at. Silver stubble covered his chin and what was left of his hair was wafted into Einstein-like tufts on top of his head. Even though she had only just met him and had not yet even been introduced, Aria knew she could love this man. She had an image in her head of a grandpa bouncing his two grandkids on his knee with a Christmas tree glittering in the background. This man looked like he had come straight out of that vision and into real life. The instant affection that she felt for him made her all the more shy toward him.

Mike became uncomfortable with Aria and Taylor’s exclusion from the conversation. “Hey, let me introduce you to these guys.” He pointed first at the less vocal of the two of them. “This is Darren, and this is Bob.”

“Robert, but you can call me Bob,” the older man corrected him with a humble wave in Aria’s general direction. Darren just nodded his head, obviously leery of the youngsters’ sudden presence in a spot that was clearly a ritual meeting place for them. Despite the introduction, Darren and Bob resumed the conversation purely with Mike.