SHORT STORIES

HOPE

Aagghhhh...

God, who the f**k created alarm clocks? Whoever it is, should be left alone in a room full of his own creation.

But, motherfucker created it and we idiots use it to get up and start our pathetic lives.

Yes, I am no sunshine with a happy face and all praises to the Lord who gave me a life. 

Fuck, if I could. I would sue my parents for giving me life. 

I must have been conceived after some serious angry s*x after a huge close to killing eachother fight. 

Cause f**k I am angry all the time. Especially now.

Why?

First, let me introduce myself.

I am a Jazz Smith. I am almost 40. 

I was married for 15 years to a gorgeous girl, Emma who I loved to death. 

Ten years back we made peace that I can't make a baby. Emma was okay with it and decided to never have children. I wanted to have children but she insisted we don't. I wanted to adopt but she really didn't want one. 

She said "if it's not you and me making a baby. I don't want that baby"

I loved her and agreed to her decision which I didn't have a say in.

Do you know what broke my heart?

On our 15th anniversary while we were having dinner she told me that she was pregnant. 

For a minute I got excited till she told me it was not my baby but of my best friends. 

Of course, I divorced her and they had a baby girl together and live together in the house I once called our house.

I had a small business in my hometown which I sold for a good price and moved away from Oklahoma to a small town in Texas.

My Emma... no, wait. Not mine anymore.

Emma was not a gold digger and she didn't take any money from me after divorce but I gave her my house for her to stay with her new family.

I got some dough to live my life with ease but for a man who has been working all my life, I couldn't stay home. So, I took up a small job as a mechanic in a bike assembling workshop.

I love bikes. I am what you call a biked dude. And my tattoos complete my look.

So now you know why I hate to exist. I have no one to live for and have no actual reason to exist.

Guess, I should live till I die.

It's my first day on my job and why not, it so-called fun.

I love machines and the guys here are not that bad. 

There was an unlimited supply of beer and snacks. What's else do I want?

I roll my eyes at myself.

There was a small diner in front of the workshop where you can take a take-away or dine inside. I chose the take-away. 

I bought a club sandwich which had four slices and diet coke with chips.

I took that and sat down behind the diner. There was a small pond behind the diner which looked very peaceful.

I picked a sandwich and started eating it. I looked up and saw a cute little girl holding a stuffed rabbit walking towards me.

She could be around 4yrs old. 

She approached me and sits on the bench I was seated on. 

There was my food between us now.

She looks at the food and I hear her stomach grumble.

"You want one?" I offer her a sandwich.

She looks at me and nods.

I give her one and we eat our food in silence.

She only eats one piece of sandwich and I eat two. One more was left and I asked her if she wanted one more. She nodded and closes the container and stands up from her place holding the sandwich box in her hand with her stuffed rabbit.

She approaches me and pulls my hand with the coke and takes a big sip of the drink.

She then looks at me and smiles at me and says "thank you for the food, my angel. I was very hungry. Tell God, thank you too. Tell God I'll again pray tonight for tomorrow's food. Bye" and waves and walks away.

What's happening here?

"Hey, what's your name?" I ask.

She turns and smiles at me and says "Hope"

..............................

Little Hope was standing behind the curtains of the living room in her house looking at her Mom and her boyfriend take injections. 

Hope had seen her Mom do a lot of things which a little girl should not.

Hope's mother usually would forget Hope was in the house when she was high on drugs.

Hope had tears in her eyes not because her mother was passed out on the floor and her boyfriend passed out on the couch but because she knew she would have no food to eat tonight.

Hope slowly walks to her mother's unconscious body and shakes her and says "mummy I am hungry. Mummy, please get up" 

But little Hope's cries were for vain as she would not get up for a while.

She stood up and walked to the kitchen and looked around. She opened the fridge and always found the stinky juice (alcohol) that her mother and boyfriend drank.

There was nothing in the fridge.

Hope drank some water from the tap and went to her bed.

She couldn't sleep with hunger so she prayed "God, please send an angel with food for me" and cried herself to sleep.

Next day she woke up and cleaned herself like every day and saw her mother and boyfriend still passed out in the living room.

She walked out of the house with her stuffed rabbit to the small pound near her house.

No one cared that a little girl like her was near the pond alone. No one ever cared. There were people who knew Hope and would offer her some food sometimes. 

When Hope's mother came to know about it. She would fight with those people saying Hope was not some beggar.

Those few people almost all the time avoided Hope to not get into a fight with her mother.

Hope was seated on the edge of a small bridge in the afternoon still hungry and praying. That's when she saw a huge man with many drawing on his body seated on the bench near the pond.

Hope approached him and he offered her food.

Hope was happy to finally eat. 

He even offered another sandwich which she took with her for dinner.

God had finally sent an angel for her. And he looked strong too. And only God knew that little Hope definitely needed protection. Especially from her mother's boyfriend.

.......................

I couldn't stop thinking of that little girl I met today. She had the most innocent smile ever.

I bet if I had a daughter she would smile at me like that. 

The thought bought a smile on my face. But soon it was wiped out when I thought of that never happening.

Today at lunch I buy a large burger with fries for myself and a medium-size burger for the little girl if she plans to show up again.

I was seated on the same bench I sat yesterday and was feeling a little disappointed that she was not here.

But then I hear a little giggle from behind me and I know it's her.

I look behind and yes she was behind me.

She comes upfront and takes her seat. She looks at the food and I smile at her and offer her the burger.

She eats half of it and says "I'll have the rest for dinner." 

"Where are your parents?" I ask.

"Mummy is sleeping and I don't have a daddy." She says.

"Where do you stay?" I ask.

"In my house," she says and giggles.

She is so innocent. 

She leaves with half of her sandwich and I watch her till she leaves.

What's her story?

I was looking forward to meeting her the third day but she didn't show up. She didn't come the fourth day too.

On the fifth day, she comes and I had the widest smile but soon I was so angry that I swear I could have killed an elephant with my bare hands.

Hope stands in front of me and smiles with a swollen lip and bruised cheek.

"What happened?" I ask.

"Mummy didn't like that I took food from you. And her boyfriend hit me and called me beggar. I don't mind being a beggar if I get to eat" she says.

I pull her for a hug and shed tears.

Why am I crying?

She breaks the hugs and looks at me and wipes my tears and says "it doesn't hurt. I promise" and smiles.

I nod and offer her a slice of the pizza I got today.

She looks at the pizza and looks around the place. It was like she was confirming that no one was watching.

She tells me to pick the pizza box.

I pick it up and she drags me to a tree and we sit behind it and she sits on my lap and eats a slice.

She looks at me and says "you are not eating" and feeds me her slice.

I eat the food she offers.

How can anyone hit a child so sweet and young?

I make up my mind to return the favour of hitting this innocent child to the man who hit her.

After we are done eating she refuses to take the leftover slice and leaves after waving me goodbye.

This time I follow her. I can't stop adoring her skipping to her house.

I stand at a distance from her house and watch her get inside.

This place looks like s**t. The whole f*****g place around looks like s**t.

I walk towards her house and look inside through the window and see a guy seated and talking to Hope. Hope seemed scared and before he could catch her, she runs away and this piece of s**t laughs scaring a little girl.

I will show you what real fear is, you f*****g asshole.

I wait for him outside the house at a distance. It was night now and I see a girl who doesn't seem more than the age of 20 or 21 walks inside. 

She must be Hope's mother.

Great, that explains a lot. She must be a teenage mom who doesn't know what the f**k to do.

I shake my head in disbelief.

I hear a loud argument coming from inside the house and that piece of the s**t storm out of the house and walks off. 

He lit his cigarette and starts walking away. I follow him.

I cover my face with a bandana and wear my hoodie.

He walks to a slightly secluded area and I catch him and beat the s**t out of him.

"Why are you hitting me, dude?" He asks.

"I want you to feel pain. You bloody son of a b***h. Next time you hit someone. I swear I'll kill you" I say and leave him lying on the floor.

I was about to leave when he starts laughing.

"So, you are that b***h's new guy, huh?" he says and continues "she's long gone, man. I'll give it a week that she will live. Anyone of this day she will overdose and die" and coughs and goes unconscious.

He was talking about Hope's mother.

I think about what that guy said. 

If it's true, that Hope's mother won't make it and is a gone case, then Hope will be put to foster care. 

And for some reason, I wanted to take care of that little girl. 

I mean, I f*****g hit a random guy who hit her. 

I decide to meet Hope's mother first and after meeting her I am even more determined to adopt Hope.

I talked to the lawyer and he gets the adoption papers ready for me.

I was super excited. There was strange happiness inside of me to have Hope in my life.

But that useless guy came back to Hope's mother and she decided to not give up Hope for adoption.

I tried to convince her for a few days and one day I say "here are the adoption papers. And my address. If you change your mind just..." I take a deep breath and continue "look, I promise to give Hope a stable home where she will be taken cared of and fed in time. Please think about it. I mean, look at yourself. You may die any moment and what after that? I swear I'll take care of her like my own child" 

But that dumb b***h didn't agree.

I leave the papers and my address in her home and leave disappointed.

After a week of not seeing Hope near the lake and not getting any response from Hope's mother. My own hope of becoming a father starts fading away.

One night I was just seated on my couch watchong some news, when someone knocked on my door and I opened the door to see Hope with a female police officer.

Hope was holding some papers in her hand with her bunny and was shedding tears.

"Do you know her?" The officer asks.

"Yes, I do. What's going on?" I ask.

"Her mother passed away with overdose with her boyfriend and we found this girl holding some papers which she refuses to give us. But she gave us your address." Says the officer.

I pick Hope in my arms and take her inside my house. The officer follows me in.

I take the papers and breath out in relief seeing Hope's mother's signature. Her mother signed the papers of adoption and now Hope was mine.

The officer nods seeing the papers and tells me to take care of Hope.

"Daddy" calls Hope.

"What did you say?" I ask.

"Mummy said you are my daddy," she says with tears in her eyes.

I hug her tight to my chest and cry my heart out.

"Yes, I am your daddy. And you are my hope to live" I say.

"I love you, daddy," she says and cries on my chest.

"I love you to my little girl. And I promise you, I will love you and live for you. My hope" I say and I finally found my true hope to live.

My daughter. 

..........................................................

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