*This story is 100% fictional and not for monetary purposes. Hope you enjoy!*
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I woke up feeling cold, damp, and stiff. My back and all of my joints ached, and my dirty clothes stuck to my skin.
I slowly rolled my neck and tried to sit up on the park bench I had fallen asleep on the night before. I had no real reason to get up from the bench I was holding down. Nobody else would want to sit on it because it was a cold foggy morning and everything was still soaked from last night's rain and this morning's dew. Or was it frost?
I laid on my bench shamelessly as squirrels ran around, birds sang in trees, and as the occasional jogger went by with or without a dog. Nobody paid me any mind, and I was frankly okay with that. I could go without their stares varying from disdainful to sympathetic.
As the morning burned on, the sun burned off the fog and I watched as moisture was slowly wisping from my clothes, and my joints began to creak and unlock. If the day got beautiful, I didn't know what I'd do with it.
As I slowly started to sit up for real, a jogger actually caught my eye. She stole my breath with her deep brown eyes, dark brown hair that was nearly black in the morning light. Her eyes were intelligent and curious, flitting this way and that along the jogging path instead of staring straight ahead as if she wore horse blinders.
Because she was taking in her surroundings, she noticed that I was part of her surroundings. She slowed her pace as she got closer to me, and a movie star caliber smile graced her pink lips.
"Good morning," she said with a warm, sweet voice."
"Good morning," I said back, flashing a half-real smile.
The woman stopped her run all together as she came to the bench. "I've been running for a while. Do you mind if I share your bench?" she asked, her smile still not faltering.
"Uh... sure," I said and sat all the way up, scooting to the arm to give her plenty of space.
"Thank you," she said, and somehow managed to turn up the watts her smile emitted. As she sat, she took off a tiny runner's backpack and set it on the wet grass by our feet.
I casually watched everything but this nice girl as she rummaged through the tiny bag, producing an apple, a banana, two Cliff bars, and a bottle of water.
"Are you hungry?" she asked, holding out a chocolate chip Cliff bar.
I looked at the bar, held in her soft hand with perfectly manicured and painted nails, and then I looked at my much bigger, rougher, dirty hands.
"No, it's okay," I said quietly. I wanted to take it. I was starving. But this girl was only being polite, and I didn't want to be a charity case. I didn't see her phone on her, so I didn't think she would take a picture or video of her "helping out a poor homeless guy" just for views and a pat on the back.
"Are you sure? I have two of them," she said, holding up an oatmeal raisin bar in her other hand.
"Okay, if you insist," I said weekly, and took her small offering.
"Apple or banana?" she asked, holding one in each hand.
"Mmm... apple, I guess." She smiled again and handed me the red-skinned fruit. "Thank you," I said as I slowly unwrapped the bar.
"Thank you for having breakfast with me," she said plainly as she peeled her banana. "It's a bit chilly this morning. I'm not used to running in long sleeves."
"It is chilly," I concurred, pulling at the cuff of my sweatshirt sleeve with my free hand. "I think it might rain later again today, too," I warned her. I was rarely wrong with my weather predictions.
"I wasn't sure, so I wore my hat," she said, tipping the brim of her black baseball cap before taking a little bite of her long yellow fruit. She even ate like a lady.
"So what made you stop by?" I asked her as I took the first bite of my apple.
She shrugged. "It looked like a good place to stop, there was a bench, and I had extra food because I didn't eat breakfast yesterday," she explained. "I just so happened to find someone to share it with," she said, nudging my knee with hers.
"Well thank you," I said again, taking another bite.
"I might be feeling a smoothie after this, too," she said, giving the cutest little pout.
"That does sound good. I haven't had a smoothie in a long time," I lamented without really thinking.
"Wanna come with? I know a great protein smoothie place nearby," she offered, pointing a thumb over her shoulder in the direction she came from.
"Oh my God, that did sound like I was trying to invite myself, didn't it?" I backpedalled immediately. "I'm sorry."
"Oh no, don't apologize. My friends are all busy today so I don't mind a bit of company. "And my name is Victoria, by the way," she told me, holding out her hand.
"I looked at hers and then I looked back to my hand again. I faltered, and she caught it.
"It's nude not to shake hands, and it's also rude not to give me your name," she teased.
Victoria didn't seem to care that my hand was filthy, and so I shook her hand, and she smiled. "I'm Nick. It's a pleasure to meet you, Victoria," I said with a nod of my head.
"Such manners!" she said with another beaming smile. "I like you, Nick. I would be happy if you joined me for a smoothie," she pushed the envelope again.
"That's really kind, but I think I have to decline. I have no cash," I explained without much detail, but I did turn out my pockets to prove it.
"Don't worry about it. I got you," she said and stood up, offering me her hand. "What's your favorite flavor?" she asked as I took her offered hand and she pretended to help pull me up. I was thinning out due to my circumstances, but I still had roughly 50 pounds on the girl. She did have a firm handshake, though.
"I think I have to say pineapple," I said, happy to keep this fluid conversation going. Victoria was so easy to talk to, so light hearted and seemingly genuine.
"Oooooh, that's a good one," she said, smiling fondly. "I think I have to say peach or mango. You'll love this place, I promise."
The smoothie place was nearby, as she had said, and we passed the walk in mostly silence, but it was still comfortable. We did get some very questioning glances, because she looked like she was out of a Nike magazine and I looked like I was out of a shelter.
Someone shot me a disbelieving look, like 'what was I doing with a girl like Victoria?' and I thought it was a great unspoken question. Victoria didn't, though, because she took my hand and tucked herself into my side like it was cold and she needed my body heat.
When we got to the smoothie place, it turned out to not be a place, per se, but a smoothie truck. She also kept a hold of my hand.
'Hi!" she said with a smile and a contagious giddiness. "Can I get a medium pineapple smoothie and a small... mango?" she decided.
