Her Ride

Benji

Charlie gave me the impression that she didn’t smile often. Not around strangers at least. Her hardened exterior was probably in place for a reason and it reminded me of some of the kids in my shelter.

Kids like Luke.

The other night with him had been a shit show. Poor kid.

His mother had showed up out of the blue after being out of his life for months. Now, for some kids this would be a good thing. Their parent coming back to them was something they dreamed about. But for Luke it was a nightmare because whenever his mother came a calling it was because she wanted something.

And this time she wanted money. Straight up cash. As much as he could give her.

Luke had no money. That was why he was staying at my shelter. Sure, he probably had twenty bucks or something, but that was money he’d made from pan handling or playing his harmonica on a street corner with some of the other kids who had musical instruments. It was enough for him to keep himself fed and he didn’t have to worry ab