Page 36 of Home With You

"You make no sense."

"Neither do you." He keeps the smile going. "So how about tomorrow night?"

"What about it?"

"You want to have dinner with me?"

I study his face to see if he's kidding but I don't think he is. I think he's serious. "You want to have dinner with me?"

"Isn't that what I just asked?"

"Well, yeah, but I don't understand. I'm homeless. And a former drug addict."

"Yeah." He nods. "I got all that. I'm a very good listener."

"And knowing that, you still want to go out with me?"

"I do. Do you want to go out with ME?"

Do I? I'm not sure. I mean, I do, but I feel like it's a trick. Like he's got a motive or this is all some big joke. Why would he want to go out with me?

"No," I answer.

"Why not?"

"Because it doesn't make sense. Lawyers don't date homeless people."

"And you polled every lawyer on the planet in order to know this?"

"I don't need to. I just know it to be fact."

"A fact you made up. Not an actual fact."

"That doesn't change my answer. I can't date you."

"What if it's not a date? What if we're just having dinner? I'll even let you pick the place."

An actual dinner? With food that didn't come from the garbage? I'd love that, but what about Gladys? I can't leave her all alone eating scraps while I'm having dinner at a restaurant.

"Only if Gladys can come," I say.

"Great! I'll get to meet her. So what time? Six? Or maybe six-thirty in case I have to work late."

"You're really taking us to dinner?"

"If you both agree to it. It'll be my first dinner with friends since I moved here."

Friends? He thinks we're friends? We barely know each other.

"It'll depend if Gladys is feeling okay," I say. "She's had a bad cough so I'll have to wait and see."

"I'll come by at six-thirty tomorrow. If you go, great. If not, we'll reschedule. Does that work?"

"Yeah." I reach over and unzip the tent. "I should go check on Gladys. She's probably wondering where I am." I get out of the tent. "So I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

I wish he didn't have to go but I'm sure he'd rather be home than sitting in a tent in the alley.

"Are you kicking me out?" he asks.

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