Page 38 of A Future To Remember

He took a bite of the cereal, and the sound of his muffled crunches filled the space between us.

I swirled milk over my Raisin Bran. “What were you doing outside in the alley?”

He shrugged, as if he’d been expecting that question. “Thought I’d show up early.”

I glanced at the clock on the back wall above the cash register. Four a.m.

“Show up early and stand in the cold for an hour?”

He shrugged again. “I couldn’t sleep.”

I stared at him for a long time, and there were things I suddenly knew about him that I didn’t really know how I knew, but I was certain he was coming off a recent heartbreak. And that he’d obviously been treated cruelly by his family. I could also see hints of depression, as well as his wish to leave this town and never come back.

And I also knew without a doubt that Levi was homeless.

For a long time, we simply sat there in silence, eating our breakfast. He waited for me to take the last bite before getting up to take our bowls around the corner to dump them into the bus bin on the shelf out of view.

I got up too and brought my coffee with me while I motioned toward him and said, “Come with me.”

He followed dutifully behind, and we headed back into the hallway, then up the stairs to the loft, which was still dimly lit by the light from the bathroom.

Pointing to the couch, I said, “You’re staying here tonight.” I then motioned to the bathroom. “Now, go take a hot shower. I’ll be downstairs setting up for the breakfast crowd, and you can help me when you’re through.”

“Wait…what?” he asked, but I’d already turned away.

“I’m going to head to the church donation store this afternoon to see if I can score another blanket and pillow. The blanket you came in wearing wouldn’t keep you warm in July, let alone April. I’ll also take a run to the grocery store and get us some toiletries like soap, a toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, and conditioner. What color toothbrush did you want?”

“Maddy, I-I-I can’t—”

“Blue? Good. I may go with green. We’ll see what they have, but they’ve likely got one in blue for sure.”

“No, I can’t stay up here with you.”

“Oh, trust me, Levi, you can and you will. If you don’t, you’ll freeze to death, so this discussion is at an end.”

I began to walk past him on my way to the stairs when he caught my arm.

“Maddy, you don’t understand. I can’t. And you can’t let me. We’d both get fired and kicked out.”

I covered the hand he’d lightly rested on my arm with my own, then I cocked an eyebrow. “Who’s gonna know?”

He didn’t have a ready answer and settled for simply shaking his head.

“Listen,” I said, lowering the eyebrow, “here’s how this is gonna work. You’re gonna leave out the back door each night at closing time, wave goodbye to Wanda, then walk down the block until Wanda’s car has left the parking lot. I’m assuming she drives here each day, right?”

Levi nodded.

“Good. So, wait until she leaves, then come to the back door and I’ll let you in. Do you have a phone?”

He nodded, holding up a battered old iPhone.

“Perfect. We’ll set the alarm for four a.m., get up, head downstairs, and start setting up the restaurant. I’ll just tell Wanda that I let you in early when she comes to find us both here.”

Levi still appeared hesitant.

Pointing toward the window, I tried to seal the deal. “Was that fun for you last night, Levi? Did you enjoy being out there in the freezing cold with nothing but your coat, a threadbare blanket, and a hoodie? Do you want to do that every night? Because, trust me, being cold and on the verge of hypothermia night after ni—”

A ghost of a memory flittered across my mind. I remembered being cold to the bone, hugging my torso, curled into the smallest ball I could form to conserve body heat, all while knowing it was hours before dawn.