she did to be there. He told her about the clothes she wore; she had a driver, and was beautiful.
When Kyle was done, Mildred said, “People like her Kyle, with their high society ways, their money, and exuberant life also have to deal with life’s hard problems. They may not have it as easy as you think. Not even with all the money in the world can those people cheat death or be free from hardships of life that we all face.” Mildred got up. “Don’t let her get to you Kyle; she is as human as you are.”
“Yeah with a place to live, nice things, she doesn’t have to sleep under a bridge, beg for money, and wonder where her next meal is going to come from or if she is going to have one,” Kyle said angrily.
“Those are just material things Kyle; they are not the most important things in life.” Mildred patted his arm and got back to work. Kyle sat thinking about Mildred’s words.
She was wise. Her parents had lived through the great depression. She had no other family. She never married and yet she always seemed to not let life bring her down. He wishes that he could be more like Mildred. He got up and walked out the door.
*****
It was Friday afternoon, the day that Elisa had anticipated. Elisa had left the office early to pack. Guy would be there in two hours to pick her up. She was going through her things packing. She figured she needed this time away. It would do her some good and she had never been to the Greek Isles. Hell, she had hardly ever given herself a vacation.
She had given Cora and Emilio the weekend off. She would not be here to eat and Emilio had wanted to go and spend time with his family for the weekend. Cora lived with her sister. She put on a pair of brown dress slacks, a cream colored silk blouse, and her jewelry to match that Guy had of course gotten her, a cream colored silk scarf to match the blouse, and her Prada shoes to match, and a handbag to match.
She was finishing packing when the doorbell rang. She looked at her watch, he is early she thought. She went downstairs to answer it; she opened the door and stood there in total shock. It wasn’t who she was expecting. Standing in her doorway was the man from the sidewalk. “What in the hell are you doing here and how did you get my address?” Elisa said angrily.
“Well ma’am, umm you had lost this and I was just returning it.” Kyle pulled out her pocketbook. She realized that her ID was in it and that was how he knew where she lived. She snatched it from his hands. She had not even realized that she had lost it. She had become so inundated with trying to get things together for this trip and making sure that everything was in order before she left the office. She started to look through it. “It is all there ma’am,” Kyle said unaffected by it.
“I just want to make sure, I never know with you people. Your kind may try and do nice things while at the same time steal from us hard working people of society.” Kyle just remained silent. She looked through it and everything was there. “You’re lucky; I would have had to call the law on you.” Elisa seethed.
“How did you get here anyway?” she asked him.
“I took a taxi here ma’am.”
“I am surprised that you could afford one.” She saw the taxi waiting outside her townhouse.
“This sure is a nice neighborhood.” Kyle remarked.
“And it certainly has no room for the likes of you,” Elisa spat. “Here,” Elisa threw some money at him to pay for the taxi fare back to wherever it is he came from. “I do not want to see you here again. Now that you know where I live, I do not want you to be stalking me. You will take this money, pay for your fare, and never return here.
If you do, I will have you arrested.” She slammed the door in his face.
Kyle just stood there looking down at the money and uttered under his breath, “you can be sure I will not be back here you ungrateful excuse for a human being who doesn’t deserve what she has.”
Kyle left the money there where Elisa had thrown it and walked back to the taxi. He looked back and saw her. I guess she wanted to make sure he left. He got into the taxi and headed back to what he called his home.
Elisa watched the taxi leave. When it was out of sight, she opened the door and saw the money that she had thrown at him earlier. She picked it up and held it in her hand staring at it. She shrugged her shoulders and shut the door. That was twice now he had refused her money when she offered it to him. For a homeless man, a man that was down on his luck, she could not understand it. Oh well, she thought. I am not going to stand here and ponder on it. I have a wonderful weekend planned. She went back upstairs to grab her things. She just hoped that he would not be back.
*****
Kyle on the ride home sat and thought about the events tonight. She was just as beautiful when he saw her tonight as she was the first time he saw her. She had a heart of ice but a beautiful face. He did not get even so much as a thank you tonight and then the audacity of her throwing that money at him like she was doing him a favor.
He would take the sleeping under the bridge over anything she offered. He told himself that he would not be back there. He had done a good deed and that was that. He remembered what Mildred had said just days before, that not all those things the rich has is important. They are just material things.
But sometimes, he wondered how it would feel to live in that world.
CHAPTER 7
Elisa had all of her things downstairs when she heard the doorbell again. She wondered if it was that wretched soul of a man again. This time before opening it, she peeked through the hole, it was Guy Drakes. Elisa breathed a sigh of relief. She opened the door and hugged him hard.
“Oh my Cherie, wow, I am so happy to see you too. I have missed you. How about I leave again and come back.” Elisa released him and laughed. They kissed long and hard. “I am all packed and ready to go.”
Guy looked at her things. “With all your stuff you would think that we were going for a month.” Guy started grabbing her things to take out to the waiting limousine.
“A woman can never have too much stuff.” Elisa smiled and grabbed her purse and another bag and they headed out. They got into the limousine and Guy opened a bottle of wine and poured each of them a glass.
“I did not tell you my Mon Cherie how beautiful you look, but then again, you always look beautiful even with no clothes on.” Elisa threw her head back and put her hand on her chest and laughed that supercilious laugh.
They clinked their glasses together and drank their wine. Elisa did not even think about the man who came to her townhouse and she never mentioned it to Guy as they drove to where his private plane was to head off to the Greek Isles.
*****
They pulled up to where Guy’s plane was. Elisa got out of the limousine and looked at the jet. It was impressive. Her and Guy had been seeing each other since last fall at the fall showing in London, but they would get together for dinners and shows, but with the demands of her career, she never took the time to let Guy take her anywhere on his plane.
Now standing here, she was amazed at it and felt a twinge of pain at not letting herself indulge
