• The following link is a link to a prior chapter of this story:

    http://www.gaiaonline.com/arena/writing/fiction/vote/?entry_id=101030791#title






    Jimmy wasn't sure why guilt was weighing down on his conscious. It had never been that way. He had always ridiculed people all his life, and after doing so, he always got a surge of blissfull contentment. And, yet, it wasn't that way this time. This time, he almost felt sorry.

    Why? Why did he feel sorry? He didn't know, but it was nagging at him like an annoying misquitoe, buzzing around your ear until you finally took action.

    So, it was like an inner battle of emotion vs. reputation inside of him. And in the end, he forced himself to walk up to Charlie's apartment door (he had been secretly spying on them, like the mischievous type of fellow he was, if you were wondering how he knew where it was), and reluctantly ring the doorbell.

    There was an instant reaction in the room, and the familiar voice of the protective mother rang in Jimmy's ears,

    "I'm coming...I'm coming..." She opened the door, and all Jimmy could catch of her was an astonished, infuriated face before she slammed the door on him. Jimmy was not the one to give up, though, and persistantly he rung the doorbell again.

    "What?!" was the irritated question of the mother, who had cracked open the door and poked her head through it.

    "I came...I came here to apollogize...about yesterday...," was the forced answer. The look on the mother's face softened.

    "Apollogy accepted." She paused for a moment, and continued, "I DID get a little cross with you, didn't I? I'm sorry about that." Jimmy attempted a weak smile, but it was a failed attempt.

    "Would you like to come in?" the mother asked, continuing the conversation.

    "N-no, I'm busy..." Jimmy said, although it was a blatant lie. Jimmy was anything BUT busy. And he knew far too well that eating inside the warm enviorment of an apartment beat scrounging together a few scraps. But it was against his policy. No...apollogizing was already going too far. Going into somebody's house for a meal and a nice chit-chat...that was a HUGE no-no.

    "Oh, it's just for a second," continued the mother. "You can't be that busy." And, although everything in his body told him not to, his legs kept walking, and before he knew it, he was forced to a chair and eating the most delicious thing he had tasted since the day he was abandoned; a simple meal of McDonalds. And next came a long, refreshing 10 minute shower, and a long, 10 minute shave. He then obtained a plad shirt and leather jacket, along with a non-ripped pair of jeans and your typical Sunday shoes. And as he looked in the mirror at his brand new self, he wondered why he had done this. But then he shook all those thoughts out of his head. The new feeling of joy and real contentment was enough to convince HIM the HE had been wrong all these years.

    Gone was the flaky haired street monster. Gone was the prideful and pessimistic attitude. Jimmy had stepped into the apartment as a bum, and he came out of it as a new-found man.

    But good things never last forever...