Sucker

A short story rough draft I am working on.

A man is awakened by the sound of an annoying alarm clock.  He can't face another day.  He glances over at his still sleeping wife.  They've been married for many years.  He's not sure if they even love each other anymore.  They hardly spend any time together.  With the demands of everyday life, they hardly know each other.  He laments having to let the dog out.  He never gets to play with it anymore.  As he walks down the hallway, past his children's bedrooms, the same thoughts tug at him.  The demands of his life weigh upon him.  Everything looks good but it doesn't feel good.

He barely has time to eat anything.  He chokes down remnants of last evenings leftovers.  In his expensive suit and tie, he grabs his briefcase and heads for the door of his house with the big mortgage.  He jumps in his car which he is still making payments on.  He has so many bills that he has set up automatic payment reminders.  

He fights his way through  snarled traffic as he white-knuckles the steering wheel.  He looks in the rear-view mirror in disbelief of how old he looks.  He finally makes it into the city and parks.  He worries if the car will still be there, intact, when it's time to  go back home.  He rushes to the office unaware of the beautiful day as his head hangs down.

As he nears the office, he spies someone out of the corner of his eye.  It is a homeless man in dirty clothes pushing a shopping cart toward him.  The man is humming, talking to himself and smiling. His head is held high as his face basks in the sunlight.   He even skips behind the cart.  This man roams about freely each day enjoying the weather, the passers-by and going down to the park where he congregates with other homeless people, laughing and chatting with them.  They look out for each other.  They are his 'family'.

They are both walking toward each other.  Getting closer.  Closer.  Closer.  As they finally pass by each other, the man in the suit and tie quickly looks over his shoulder at the homeless man.  The homeless man does they same.  They both smile coyly at each other and out of the corners of their mouths, whisper to themselves, "Sucker".

The man in the suit and tie rushes into his office as he's looking down,  frowning shamefully and nearly tripping, to start another day at a job he hates, working long hours for a boss he dislikes. The homeless man continues humming, skipping and smiling on his way to the park to be with his 'family';  his face proudly held up to the sunlight ...

Reviews

[Kathy Van Kurin]

Pete,
What an interesting contrast of characters. Just when a person thinks they have it made..........well life is not always what we planned. Such a story written here. Pause to think and redefine what we want from life. We may find the answer where we least expect- in the poor and the homeless. Thank you Kathy

[Pete]

thank you Kathy. excellent thought. my eyes have been opened to many things recently. i know you have a good heart. happy new year and god bless.

[wordman]

great write pete,and i`m sure corporate america
is always in a hustle bustle mode ,but the homeless man has no pressure,or so it seems but on the flip side he worries as much as the working man..

[Pete]

thanks wm. true. different worries but worries nonetheless. no one gets off scot-free. does that mean that we're all suckers?

[wordman]

oh i don1t think so pete,we are all in a test from God
and the other stuff we bring on our selves

[Pete]

good answer! the word does have answers for everything.