Page 59 of Home With You

"But I have a lovely lady right here."

"Aren't you sweet?" Gladys says, and I picture her patting his arm.

"And I'm sure Raine would miss me if I didn't show up every night."

I roll my eyes, even though it might be a tiny bit true. I admit I'm getting used to Miles' nightly visits, maybe even looking forward to them, but they can't continue. And I'm sure they won't. He'll eventually make friends and have a social life and stop visiting the homeless old lady in the alley.

He'll probably go out with that girl. The one he was talking about. Why does hearing him talk about her make me so angry? I don't care if he dates her. I don't even know her. Maybe they'd be a perfect match. And she's not homeless, so she's a better choice than me.

"I'm getting tired," I hear Gladys say.

"Need some help?" Miles says.

"Yes. Thank you."

I hear Gladys walking toward the tent and unzip it for her.

"You going to sleep already?" I ask Gladys as she comes in the tent.

"It's been a long day. You go out and talk to Miles while I rest."

"I'm sure he's left by now. He has to work."

"I didn't leave," I hear him say.

I peek my head out of the tent and see him standing there. "Why haven't you left?"

He shrugs. "Wasn't ready to. Gladys and I usually talk longer. It's too early to go home."

"Don't you have stuff to do?"

"Yeah, but I don't want to do it. You want to come out here and keep me company?"

I feel a quick, but hard, push on my butt that practically launches me out of the tent. I look back and see Gladys smiling, her eyes closed.

"Gladys, did you just push me?"

She yawns. "Goodnight, dear."

She did! She totally pushed me!

Before she can do it again, I grab the box of pizza and my soda and crawl out of the tent.

"I should let her sleep," I say to Miles.

He zips the tent closed. "How do you like the pizza?"

"It's good, but you don't have to keep bringing us dinner." I sit on the milk crate, leaving Miles the lawn chair.

"It's better than eating alone," he says.

"But that's not why you're doing it." I flip open the pizza box and take a slice. I bite into it, slowly savoring it. A couple weeks ago, before Miles started giving us food, I would've inhaled this pizza without even tasting it. I was always starving and never got enough food from the trash to feed both Gladys and me. I'd give her most of it and tell her I'd already eaten, knowing she needed the food more than me.

Miles reaches to get his soda from the ground. "You seem to think you know a lot about me."

"I know you don't come here every night to talk to Gladys." I take another bite of pizza.

"Then why do I come here?"

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