Penny Saved

Readers:

This is a fictional story told in the first person, although there's nothing fictional about treating others with dignity and respect.

It's also longer than most of my stories. It takes time to understand the characters. Although there is some sex and a lot of nudity involved, it's not a quick-jerkoff piece. There are some very talented writers on here that can give you that. I only say this to save you time.

Again, although this account is fictional, I have personally helped the homeless in my life, although not to the extent of the main character in this account. I do believe there are some very decent people out there that simply need the right kind of help and motivation. They're the very small minority, to be sure, but they do exist.

*****

I'm Ted Archer. I'm 55, a former oilfield worker that was placed on physical disability leave when I was 50 because of a back injury caused by a work accident.

I have been a widower since I was 48. My dearly departed wife, Mandi, and I had just celebrated 25 years of marriage when a brain aneurysm took her life suddenly and unexpectedly.

I received a large settlement from my employer because of the accident. The accident was caused by two employees that were goofing off...and drunk...while working.

The company was found negligent because these same two employees had shown up to work drunk in the past and no action was taken. The company completely disregarded their own policies and procedures which would have been immediate termination for the two.

Because of their neglect, I was in the crossfire of their drunken games and ended up with a heavy bolt landing directly on my lower back.

Today, I am ambulatory but walk slower than before and with the slightest limp. That is permanent. After two surgeries, the pain is now bearable. There's been a heated swimming pool in my back yard for nearly 20 years. That was mine and Mandi's favorite hangout during the evenings.

Water aerobics has been a great way to rehab. Although I'm recovered as much as I'll ever be, the pool is still my source of exercise and relaxation. The physical therapists that have so patiently and tirelessly worked with me have told me that continuing the exercises would provide long-term benefits for my back as well.

Now, I work from home as a contributing writer for our local paper as well as an aspiring short story writer. My weekly articles focus on life around town; my experiences, both good and bad, are told in the first person with touches of humor and nostalgia.

Three years ago, I met a young man at a gas station that had been down on his luck. He asked me if I could go inside and buy him a couple of hot dogs and a bottled water.

I took him inside with me, bought him lunch, then stood outside and talked to him as he ate.

He wasn't the stereotypical homeless person. He appeared to be more educated than I had expected. He didn't appear to be a drug addict and he was completely sober.

His story? He was divorced. It was his fault. He cheated on his wife and she dumped him. Eventually, he lost his home then lost his job. He was too proud to ask for help, yet not too proud to ask for handouts. Living on the streets was somehow preferable to taking advantage of legitimate agencies in town that will help those that help themselves.

He was tired of making bad decisions. He was ready to make a change.

He had been on the street for three weeks, living off handouts of food and money. He had contributed to a problem that still exists around our town of 200,000 people...squatters.

They find homes that have been abandoned and/or for sale. They make their way inside and stay there. They are protected from the extreme heat and cold as well as a place to take showers and wash their clothes in the sinks.

As a manager for many years at work, I relied so heavily on my instincts rather than just the simple facts. My instincts told me to trust this young man in his early 30s.

I took Pete Alaniz home and let him use one of the spare bedrooms. He had his own room and bathroom. He lived rent-free for nearly a year. I furnished him with clothes and two suits for job interviews. My instincts about him were perfect. He just needed a little help.

He got a real estate company to give him a chance. They took care of his schooling while he prepared to pass the test to get his license. Within 4 months of getting his license, he was able to move out and make it on his own. With the money he made working part-time while living with me, he bought a used car.

He has taken advantage of the help I gave him and become successful in his field. I hear from him frequently. Each time he tells me how much he loves me and appreciates what I did. That's all the repayment I'll ever need.

When I see his face in the various real estate ads in the newspaper and the free magazines in stores and restaurants, I beam with pride.

A year ago, I met a lady outside a convenience store. She appeared to be in her mid-40s. Like Pete, all she wanted was some food and water. I asked her to come in with me, so she could choose what she wanted.

"They won't let me in there," she said. "Somebody earlier gave me 5 dollars and I went in to buy something, but they made it clear that they don't want bums in there. I'll give you the 5 dollars if you'll just get some potato chips and a couple bottles of water."

"Keep your 5 dollars. They don't deserve my business either, then. I'll go somewhere else and bring you back plenty of food."

"Thank you so much, sir. I'll stay right here."

Before leaving, I began to talk to her. Although clad in a heavy sweatshirt, with a hoodie, and baggy sweatpants, she still appeared to be extremely thin.

She wasn't too attractive. Her thin face was flanked on both sides by her long red hair that didn't appear to be washed in at least a week.

Other than possibly being a little underweight, she appeared to be healthy. She had healthy teeth. She wasn't a tweaker, a meth head. Again, using my instincts, I sensed that her story was interesting. I also sensed that she hadn't been on the street for a long time.

She only had a backpack and a white trash bag full of possessions.

"Sir, it's my fault. Nobody else's. First, I'm a recovering alcoholic. I've been clean for nearly 4 years. However, that problem cost me a good marriage to a very good man."

"My son is in the Army. He's now in his 8th year and he's making it a career. He hasn't said much to me since he blames me for the family falling apart. He's right. I can't fix that. I've apologized to everyone I've hurt, including my ex-husband's new wife. I'm not sure what else I can do but go on with my life."

"I was in an apartment, barely making it and working as a cashier and stock clerk at the Walmart just down the street from where we're standing. Out of desperation to pay my rent and have a few groceries in the cabinet, I stole 100 dollars from the register. Cameras caught me. I was terminated immediately."

"I'm just grateful they didn't press charges. I'm still banned from that store. I'm still sober, though. That's about the only good decision I've made."

"What about the homeless shelter?" I asked.

"I thought about that until I met Meg on the streets. I guess one of the supervisors tried getting inside of her pants and she ran like hell to get out of there."

"I've done some shit I'm not proud of, but I'm not going to have sex with some stranger just for a place to sleep and eat."

"It's bad enough to flash guys and let them feel me up for money, but I have to draw the line somewhere."

Either she was an outstanding actress, or she was telling the truth.

I was truly convinced that she was being truthful with me. I acted on that intuition.

I proposed that she go home with me. I had plenty of food, a bedroom and bath all her own, and all the privacy that she could need.

She gave me an unmistakably disbelieving look. "Sorry, sir, but I'm not going to bang some guy just for a place to sleep and eat. I just told you that a minute ago."

I was patient. I answered her objective honestly and forcibly.

"First of all, this has nothing to do with sex or trying to get any kind of sexual favors from you. Not ANY kind of favors. I had a young man in my house for nearly a year that came off the streets just like you. I assure you that there was no expectation for sexual payback. I'm an extremely straight guy."

She looked at me and I could discern that she still didn't believe me.

"What's in it for you, then?"

I smiled at her. I wasn't sure if that made her more uneasy or angry, but I knew my answer was the God-honest truth from the bottom of my heart.

"In return? I replied? "Just like Pete, your success will be my reward. Every time I see or talk to Pete and know that he's turned things around and is successful, that repays me each time."

"Define success?" she asked, a little less defiant.

"What kind of work have you done in the past?"

"Well, before the booze kicked my ass, I was a damn good secretary. In many ways, I was the lead person in the office; the manager's confidante. I lost that job for the same reason I lost my marriage."

"You know, sir, I've had a lot of chances to have some booze out here on the streets. Some of these guys are alcoholics. Many are messed up on drugs. I may be down on my luck, but I know that if I go back to drinking, I'll probably get raped and left out for dead by the canal over there."

She began sobbing. I stopped talking and let her have some time. After she cleared her eyes, she apologized for her spontaneous sobbing.

"Maybe I should trust you. My name is Penny. Penny Langley. I'm not sure what you can do to help, but even a night or two with some real food would be a lot of help."

I introduced myself. I explained that I was a widower that still deeply missed the love of my life.

Mandi had been active with her church in helping those in need. She always served Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas meals to the less fortunate.

She was also in charge of her church's food pantry that they kept for giving to families needing groceries.

Part of what I did for Pete and what I was offering to do for her was in part a way to continue to honor Mandi's memory. Mandi would have been proud of Pete.

Also, there was no alcohol of any kind in our house. That temptation would not be there for her. I seldom had a drink and never bought it for the home. Mandi completely abstained from any alcohol.

The more Penny listened, the more her face changed. It was early on a Friday afternoon. I had an idea.

"Penny, my daughter lives about two hours north of here. She had planned on coming down tomorrow morning, but I'm sure I could have her come down as soon as she's off work at 3:30."

"She could take you shopping and get you at least 3 changes of clothes, some undies, along with socks and shoes."

"Uh, Ted? Just a place to sleep and food is a lot of help. I don't expect much more."

"Penny, I can afford it, okay? I'm not rich, but I have enough to get you some clothes. Besides, I think you'll like my daughter, Roni. She is so much like her mother and she's married to an awesome guy as well. He works a lot of weekends, so she comes down here for a few hours to visit her old man. She can just stay the night instead. I guarantee you that she will enjoy doing this. I know my baby girl too well."

That seemed to put her at ease. She finally cracked a slight smile, and she became more agreeable. I took her home, although she insisted on riding in the back seat of my Toyota Highlander. I assumed there was still a slight trust issue. I understood.

I gave her a quick tour of the house. I showed her to her room and the guest bathroom. It was Roni's room when she was growing up and going to college. It would now be Penny's room.

I called Roni and told her about our guest.

"I'll be right there, daddy."

I thought she meant after she got off work. I found out later that she took off early, went home and got a change of clothes, and came straight to her childhood home.

All of Penny's clothes were dirty and some were torn. I went to my closet and got a robe.

I assured her that if she wanted to get a good hot shower and wash her clothes, I would give her all the privacy she needed, and she could wear my robe while her clothes went through the laundry.

She initially hesitated, but finally agreed. I showed her where everything was located. The bathroom was well stocked on soap, shampoo, conditioner, a blow dryer, shaving cream, disposable razors, and packaged toothbrushes in the top cabinet drawer.

It was always prepared for guests. Sometimes my sister and brother-in-law would spend a few days with me. Sometimes, although rarely, did Roni stay overnight. She usually made a trip up and back in one day.

Penny took the robe and turned on the shower water. I walked back down the hallway and towards my dining area.

It was impossible not to notice that she hadn't completely closed the bathroom door. The door had a lock on it, but she had left the door ajar about 2 inches.

She must have trusted me. I had no desire to do anything physically to her. The last thing she needed was for some guy to take advantage of her vulnerable situation. She needed a friend, not a bed partner.

Also, she didn't necessarily appeal to me physically. I truly saw a person in need. The gender wasn't relevant.

She did have a stench to her. She last took a shower a week prior at a home that she and five others had stayed at. It had been vacated and they were regularly able to bathe for the four days they lived there. Finally, the police came and forced them to leave.

She spent at least a half hour in the shower. I fixed some grilled ham and cheese sandwiches for our lunch as well as some deli-bought potato salad.

I could hear the blow dryer from the kitchen. I could only imagine how that shower must have felt like after a week.

She finally came back to the kitchen wearing my thick, white robe. She had a bag full of dirty clothes. I pointed her to the laundry room and let her help herself to the washer, dryer, soaps, and softeners.

"Do you have a scale, Ted?" she asked sweetly.

I pointed her to the master bath adjacent to my room. Less than a minute later, she came out shaking her head.

"108 pounds! I haven't been this weight since I was in high school. I really need to get back to 120-125 to look and feel healthier."

She was 5/7. With the robe on, it was difficult to discern how skinny she really was, but from looking at her calves and ankles, they appeared undersized.

As we ate, she asked what I expected from her. I had already placed a call to Pete. He was going to come over the next night (Saturday) and share what he had done. Penny seemed excited to meet and listen.

Every comment and even her mannerisms told a tale of someone looking to truly get back on their feet.

She shared more stories of her time on the street. I already imagined that she and Pete could possibly go on all night about their experiences.

It is a horrible life. Humiliating. Dangerous. The saddest part, at least to me, was learning that so many of them PREFERRED to live that way rather than try to assimilate into society and be responsible for rent, mortgage, and other requisite bills that we all have.

Penny admitted she had flashed her breasts for as little as 5 dollars. She had let a guy feel her up for 20 dollars.

She wasn't proud of it, but that little bit of cash kept her with a minimal amount of food and water.

I had fixed an extra sandwich and I'm glad I did. She was hungry. Two grilled ham and cheese sandwiches and two helpings of potato salad were finished off in little time.

"Real food," Penny said gratefully. Beats the hell out of convenience store food and greasy hamburgers."

She beamed when I explained that a roast was in the crock pot for dinner. I encouraged her to eat all she wanted. I may have enjoyed watching her eat as much as she enjoyed a regular meal again.

That was something that Penny couldn't understand. Giving to her was a privilege to me. Knowing that she was sated and enjoyed her food also gave me great satisfaction. I was hoping that she'd continue to let me help her.

She moved her load of laundry to the dryer and joined me in the living room as I watched the 5pm news.

The normal stuff. Local politics, human interest stories, crimes, weather, etc. During the second half of the news hour, there had been an arrest made at the local homeless shelter. Quincy Scott, the assistant manager of the shelter, had been arrested on 5 counts of sexual assault and battery, and two counts of rape.

"That son of a bitch!" Penny screamed at the TV. Meg, her homeless friend, was right. That was the guy she was talking about.

"I wonder if she is one of the girls that came forward? Sure glad I didn't go there."

I looked at her. I had to ask.

"You're welcome to stay here, Penny, but if you feel safer now at the shelter, I'll give you a ride."

"Oh, no. I trust you Ted. I don't understand why you're doing all of this, but I trust you. I want to stay if it's okay."

"Sure. I'm glad you do."

About as soon as we finished that conversation, Roni showed up.

I was amazed. Roni immediately hugged her. It caught Penny by surprise, but she quickly returned the greeting. She almost forgot to give me a hug.

"Ready for some shopping?" Roni asked enthusiastically.

"Not just wearing a robe with nothing under it...no," Penny said laughing. That was the first time I'd heard her laugh.

In fact, with a fresh shower, her hair washed, blown-dried, and her hair pulled back in a ponytail, she looked much more attractive than my initial assessment of her. She truly had a nice face. A smile and a laugh made it even more appealing.

After dinner, Roni took my debit card and went shopping with Penny. Three hours passed by before they came through the front door laughing and giggling like a couple of teenage girls.

Penny was practically giddy showing off a few new blouses, pants, shoes, and socks that she now owned.

"You're daughter's pretty cool, Ted. I haven't had this much fun in years. Seriously."

"Yeah," Roni agreed. "Penny's a good woman. We've talked a lot while she tried on a few clothes. We also talked about Pete. Daddy, I think you found a good person to help."

That meant a lot coming from Roni. Both she, and her husband Devon, had become friends with Pete. This was Roni's way of telling me that she believed my instincts about Penny were right.

Roni got a call from Devon while they were shopping. His assignment got cancelled for the weekend and he would be home instead. She went right back home that same night.

The first hint of something unusual was when she took her shower and didn't completely close the bathroom door. The second happened the next morning.

I was up before 7am. I had planned on taking Penny to breakfast at my favorite hangout, Big J's House. Big J and his wife, Molly, had owned the diner for over 20 years. They served meals from 6am to 9pm daily; closed Sunday.

I waited until 8:30. She had left the door to her bedroom half open. I worried that she might have snuck out of the house during the night hours and ran away. Instead, I looked into her room and she was laying on her stomach with the sheet pulled up to her waist. She was wearing nothing above the waist.

Being on her stomach, I didn't see anything that would be considered private, but I did think it was odd that she'd sleep at least topless with her door open enough for a person to easily look in an see her.

I went back to the patio and worked on the crossword puzzle. Shortly before 9am, Penny emerged from her slumber and joined me on the patio. She was wearing a powder-blue terry cloth gown that had been purchased the night before.