by The_Trouvere
You opened the door to a number of romantic possibilities for story expansion when you introduced the pan-handler. Are you going to develop this story to a full blown and in depth exploration?
Your ending was the perfect introduction to the real story, the one you didn't write. All you needed to do was have Emily ask him, "What happened?" And then write the truest story you could. You had the chance to throw a 50-yard touchdown pass; instead, you threw the ball away.