From Something to Nothing to Something

 

            Julius woke up beneath a pile of flattened cardboard boxes, slightly damp, painfully hungry and confused as to his location. He slid out from beneath his temporary protection from the elements to see other people in a similar state scattered around the alleyway. Still tired and disappointed in the tragic turn his life had taken several years prior, he thought back to his years at university, which was followed by a high paying job as a financial manager.

               “Ugh, this is ridiculous,” he grumbled. “I was earning six figures a year, had a wife and kids, lived in opulence, drove a Bentley and now I live in an alley and am hungry all the time. I guess that’s what happens when your best friend deceives you, fabricates stories about your ethics, and reports you to the police.”

               “Grocery store, get to a grocery store,” he muttered to himself. “There is always discarded food in the dumpsters behind the stores. Phew, I am so hungry. Looks like I have about a thirty-minute walk to the closest store.” He walked out of the alley, stopped at the corner and gave a few minutes of consideration of the shortest path to the grocery store. “I think I’ll cut through that neighborhood, that should save me about ten minutes.”

               As he shuffled past the largest and most beautiful homes in the city, he could see their occupants peeking through the curtains as he passed by. Seeing these homes, seeing these arrogant and selfish people stirred up memories of his former life, his own selfishness, and the deception that had been used against him to bring him to this place in life.

               Julius could see the grocery store sign hovering far overhead only a few blocks ahead of him. “Okay, let’s hope I can find something of some nutritional value and something to drink,” he muttered. He began walking faster, slipped into the alley and found several discarded boxes of doughnuts, a gallon jug of iced tea, and a bag of apples. “Yes, this is perfect,” he said. Slipping the items into his backpack, he left the alley, found a small park with benches and enjoyed his free meal while watching children and dogs play in the open space.

               After consuming six doughnuts, two apples, and almost half of the iced tea, he rose from the park bench to take a seat beneath a massive maple tree. As he waited and watched the activity in the park, he was approached by two police officers looking less than friendly or compassionate.

               “Excuse me, sir,” one of them said, “I need to see some identification and an explanation of why you are here.”

               Julius slowly rose to his feet, cautiously removed his wallet from his pocket, handed over his driver’s license and spoke with respect. “I’ve been in a bad place for several years,” he said. “I really wanted to get outside and enjoy the park setting while I ate my breakfast.”

               “We’ll need you to come with us,” the other officer said. “We have received reports that a questionable character was seen wandering through a local neighborhood and you perfectly match the description given to us. I’ll place your backpack in the trunk of the car, put your hands behind your back while we drive you to the station to be processed.”

               As Julius was confined in the small space of the police car, he immediately noticed just how horribly he smelled but he felt better after having plenty to eat. He was removed from the back of the police car and led inside the station to answer questions at a desk from a third officer. His name, where he lived, the details of his life, and the horrible path he had lived for the past several years.

               Shortly thereafter he was led to a jail cell to join four others who seemed to be in a similar position as himself. He watched the clock slowly crawl by as two hours passed until another officer opened the cell, called him out, and introduced him to a man who appeared to be a priest. Julius and the priest left the station, to learn that the priest had paid for his bail with the promise to get him back to a better place in life.

               “Hello Julius,” the priest said. “My name is Father Andrew and I hope I and the people at my church can help you get yourself back to a better place in life. We have a small apartment where you can stay, shower, sleep, and dress in untattered and clean clothes. I’ll take you there now and you can get settled in and comfortable.”

               The two men climbed into the priest’s car, drove a few blocks, parked and walked into a very small apartment. “I’ll be back in about three hours, which should give you enough time to clean up, relax, and get dressed. When I return, we can get some lunch, and I’ll introduce you to some other men from our church. We are all very interested in hearing about how we can help you, your past, and find you a new path to walk to improve yourself.”

               “Thank you so much, Father Andrew,” Julius said. “I truly appreciate your generosity and help. I’ll see you in about three hours.”

               He watched the priest leave the apartment, lock the door behind him, to then undress and drop his clothing into the garbage can in the kitchen. “Man, it has been a long time since I’ve had a good shower,” he said to himself. As the warm water washed over his body, he watched months of filth slither down the drain. “I should start at the top,” he said. “Wash my hair, my face and work my way down. Phew, this feels so much better.”

               Scrubbing away months of dirt and stink, he stood motionless in the warm water, realized his fingernails and toenails were ridiculously long and dirty, to then turn off the water, and dry himself as he stood on the bath mat. He looked through the bathroom to find clippers, scissors, a comb and a razor. “I guess I have to cut my own hair, trim this beard short, and shave in order to look civilized.”

               Feeling like a completely different person, he wandered through the apartment to find a set of clothes that fit him and he waited for the three hours to pass when Father Andrew would return. “I could really go for a good, warm lunch right now,” he said. “Let’s see how this plays out.” The priest arrived, they left the apartment, drove to a local diner to meet three other men, where he was informed he could order anything he wanted from the menu.

               The five men spent the next hour talking about Julius’ early life, his years at university, his job in financial management, the deception of someone he believed was his friend, his loss of wife and children, and his abilities in many different fields. As they finished their meals, he was offered the opportunity to stay at the apartment for as long as he needed, with an offer to find him work to save up enough money to find his own residence.

               After returning to the apartment, Julius spent the next four days submitting applications to jobs in the financial management field. He received a job offer from his third application which he quickly accepted. He then placed a phone call to Father Andrew to inform him of his new job, his plan to save enough money for the next three months to then find his own home. “I cannot thank you and the other men enough,” he said. “You all have made great sacrifices for me and helped me get back on the right path.”

               “Of course,” Father Andrew said. “This is what life is supposed to be like. We’ll reconnect after three months once you find your new home. Yes, we’ll stay in contact during that time and I hope you continue making good decisions. This is a new opportunity for you. Talk to you soon.”

               Julius made a habit of visiting different churches each Sunday morning, starting of course with the Orthodox church led by Father Andrew. This was followed by a visit to a Baptist church, a Presbyterian church, a Roman church, and a non-denominational church. After each service he was disappointed to find that with the exception of the Orthodox church, all the other churches were cold, distant, and uninterested in genuine interaction.

               Three months passed, and he placed a call to Father Andrew, informing him that he now had enough money to secure his own home. “I’ll be visiting your parish next week,” he said, “so I can return the keys, offer my genuine thanks and have a final interaction with all of you.”

               Because he had not yet enough money to purchase a car, Julius walked to the Orthodox church to be warmly welcomed and enjoyed the beauty and stillness of the service. When the service was over, he joined the entire congregation for a meal afterwards, where he interacted with several others he had not yet previously known. He accepted an offer for a ride to the apartment to gather his few things, and a subsequent ride to his new home.

               Julius stood on the front step of the duplex, waved goodbye to Father Andrew as he drove away. As he stood in the sunshine enjoying the warmth, he was approached by his neighbor to receive a friendly introduction. The two men exchanged names, phone numbers, and shared a brief history of their lives.

               “It was nice meeting you, Harold,” Julius said. “I wanted to let you know that I will be receiving a lot of deliveries over the next few weeks.  Can I leave you my garage code so that when deliveries are made, if you are home, you can let them in to place the parcels in the garage?”

               “Yes, of course,” Harold said. “Package theft isn’t really much of a problem in our neighborhood but having them out of sight would be a good idea. I’m glad to see that someone responsible and intelligent is moving in next door. Let’s stay in contact as you get settled in. I know a lot of people who could make good use of your financial advice. Have a good day, Julius.”

               The two men shook hands, Julius watched Harold walk back into his duplex, to then walk into his own empty duplex. “Wow, I need to get some food in this fridge,” he grumbled. “The table, chairs, and bed are supposed to be here today. With that in mind, I need to walk down to the mall and pick up the few essentials to keep myself moving forward. Oh shoot, I need to give my garage code to Harold before I leave.”

               He knocked on Harold’s door, handed him a slip of paper with the garage code, informed him of his walk to the mall to pick up a few things. Upon hearing this Harold immediately offered to drive him there and back. “We can use my truck so you don’t have to carry your things such a long distance. I would like to help as much as I can,” he said. “There is nothing better than having a good neighbor. Did you want to go right now?”

               “Yes, that would be great, thank you,” Julius said.