Page 34 of Home With You

"All lawyers are like that."

"A lot of them are, but some really do want to fight for what's right."

"So what are you going to do?"

"Keep working there and hope it gets better. Today was just a shitty day." He smiles. "Until I saw you."

"Yeah, right. That was the worst part of my day. I didn't want you to find out that way. Actually, I didn't want you finding out at all but I figured you would if you worked around there."

I look down at my pocket knife, running my fingers up and down the smooth case. I'm relieved to have it back. It's the only thing I have for protection.

"Do people ever bother you here?" Miles asks, watching my fingers move across the knife.

"In the alley? No. We're pretty much on our own here, which is why we like it."

"How about during the day, when you're on the streets? Do people bother you?"

"Not really. For the most part, people ignore me. If they talk to me, it's to tell me to get a job."

"I meant are you safe? Big cities can be dangerous, especially at night."

"I haven't had any problems. Sometimes a guy will harass me but that happened even before I was homeless."

He's quiet a moment, then says, "How did it happen?"

"What?" I slip the knife in my pocket.

"How'd you end up here?"

"Long story."

"You don't want to tell me?"

"No." I feel my muscles tense and my throat go dry as the memories come back. I quickly shut them down. "I really don't."

He nods. "Understood."

I look to the side, then back at him. "What happened to your dad?"

He looks confused. "What?"

"Your dad. You said you never knew him. Did something happen to him?"

"He knocked up my mom and left town."

"Had they dated long?"

"Maybe a few weeks? I'm not really sure. My mom doesn't like to talk about it."

"So you know nothing about him?"

"No. And I never want to meet him. I'm better off without him. How about you? You mentioned your dad but not your mom. Did something happened to her?"

"She's an addict. Took off one day and we never saw her again. For all I know she's dead. I was so young when she left I don't even remember her."

"Did your dad do drugs too?"

"Not that I know of. I'm not even sure where he is anymore. He moves around a lot. Has a hard time keeping a job. He's a drinker. And a gambler." I half smile. "My family has a problem stopping once we start. It's a Brockton trait."

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