Oh Holy Night…the magic of Christmas.
He has been there for hours. But time has no meaning when there’s nowhere else to be. No home to go to.
The trees which line the busy high street are silhouetted against the darkening sky. Their thin branches like witches clawed fingers. So he just waits. For what? And he watches.
Shoppers wrapped up in their warm little worlds while he shivers in his, the doorway to a boarded-up shop. Beside him is Barney, whose tail stopped wagging many weeks ago. His fur is thin and matted and his breathing is shallow. He covers his faithful companion with a grubby sleeping bag someone left behind. But Barney doesn’t stir. Please God, don’t let him die.
Inviting smells from the nearby fish and chip shop remind him that the last time he ate was yesterday. Half a sandwich which someone tossed at his feet as they passed by. His stomach aches with hunger and emotion. Sadness, loss, grief, confusion, shame and fear.
No one makes eye contact. It’s as if he doesn’t exist except inside his own head. What happened to the life he thought he had? It’s gone. He drank it away, and now that he is sober, there is no one left to care. A guy in the AA meeting was once on the streets, and now he’s turned his life around. His kids have reconnected with him. Ah, but that wouldn’t happen to him, would it?
