The Windfall
by sgking123
Rummaging his pockets he simply dug deep. Aha! Here was the cent he was looking for. There were few more coins underneath it neatly piled and ensconced tight in a corner. These coins had been really hard to get, he remembered. He had been at the subway for so long in the morning but the cold had kept commuters away and his collections had been poor.
He sighed and shrugged his dirty hair as if to get the blood moving in this freezing cold. Last body wash he had, was about a week back. He simply did not have time for it.Nah! More than time he had no interest in that activity. Night was drawing in and he must hurry up to his shelter or else his place would be occupied and he would have to look out for another one or even shack alongside street posts.
He hurried and ran.Voila! What he had feared had turned true. There was this burly Latin American sprawled across his territory and getting into the groove for a snoring party. He could not risk argument with this man. He had done once and he still could relive the bleeding nose he had thereafter. He hurried along. Now in an urgent and worried search. He turned a little frantic as first flakes of snow began descending down. He knew the snowfall was likely to be full, bitter and biting if he remained out. His searching eyes looked at familiar places but season had taken its toll. Wherever he looked there was somebody resting and quite unwilling to share. He began to curse himself, why did he waste so much time bargaining a few cents out of the hamburger kiosk? He could have spent the night on an empty stomach like he had done for several nights. At least he would have been safely in for the night. Now the hamburger had sentenced him to streets.
The city clock chimed 11 in the night and he was tired having walked for about three hours at stretch. He looked at his location. He was at the outskirts of his outer bound. Across the street, he stood on now, began the most expensive and opulent housing estate of the city. He had never ever ventured in this locality for fear of being picked up for attempted theft or burglary. He gingerly walked across the street and found confidence in white desolation.
The snowfall had begun in right earnest and he had not felt it thus far warmed by his immediate worries. Suddenly there was gale intensity wind which lashed bound in cruel snow. He almost had a fall due to the strong wind. His bones shivered and blood froze. Panicky his legs involuntarily broke in a dash. He must have run for about 100 yards and he knew not in which direction. For one, he was sure that he had breached in the posh locality entirely and had grasped for his first breath underneath a huge car portico of a sprawling bungalow. He screwed his eyes to adjust to dim lights that were abound outside the bungalow. Stairs lead to the front reception of the bungalow. The inside was very brightly lit and inhabitants were talking. He could hear from the portico. Suddenly he saw a vapor lamp near the top of the stairs but away from the main door. In order to get some heat he slithered on tip toe keeping himself in dark shadows and found a corner very near the lamp. He crouched there carefully surprised that no one seems to bother about his presence. Soon he relaxed stretching his legs. Now he was in a comfortable position and no! it cannot be true he had the full view inside the house through thin wire gauzed windows which were door sizes. Voices of inhabitants chatter was floating to him through these windows. He felt drowsy soon enough.Therefater, he was oblivious of his surroundings and in deep slumber.
When he woke up he felt a little strange. He felt very soft and snuggled-a feeling he had almost forgotten. He opened his eyes full and found himself in a large room with mind boggling luxury. A central heating system was keeping the room warm as the snowfall was raging outside even now. He was in a plush antique bed post and he had a very expensive night gown on. He thought he had died of cold and landed a snug place in heavens. It was simply unbelievable that he should find himself like that. What on the earth could have got him where he was? As he was lost deep in thoughts, suddenly there was a knock on the door. He looked up and before he could utter a word a uniformed man walked in and said in a flat tone," Good Morning! Mr. Jennings we were expecting you tomorrow and certainly not in this condition."Mr.Jennings, who the hell was he anyway? Why was this man addressing him thus? He got more perplexed and his lips were sealed. Uniformed man politely spoke again," Sir, perhaps you would like to be up with wash before presiding the morning spread?" He nodded feeling hungry. He was now enjoying the game. At the end, as worst eventuality, he could be either beaten or kicked out or handed over to police. However, before, that he would have enjoyed the life that he had always dreamt about and never got even miles near to it.
Like a faithful friend he walked the alleyway to rest rooms. On his walk he was startled .On both sides of alleyways there were large sized clear portraits -perhaps of bungalow owners. The freshest of them had startled him. There were two-one of a man quite clean shaven and other that of the same man quite bearded and hairy. The latter one presented a spectacle for him-it was like facing a mirror for him. The man in portrait looked exactly like him. Everything fell in place. He hastened pace to restrooms. He had the most luxurious clean up of his life time thus far, followed by a rich and sumptuous breakfast spread. He was made, thereafter, to retire in this study room where he played poker with himself. His eyes were glued to the door expecting uniformed men to barge in angrily and lift him bodily for a nice thrashing and summary dismissal from the High Lander territory. Nothing happened till evening. He had an enjoyable dinner and went to sleep with recurring nightmares about immediate future. Morning came and went.
He waited thus for 15 years and nothing happened. Original Mr. Jennings had vanished. He had picked up the simple business of Mr. Jennings through his business managers. He had gathered Mr. Jennings had restrained all staff from venturing his private territories ever.Mr Jennings was all alone in this cruel world before disappearing. He was now Mr.Jennings.He wrote this piece in the local paper 16 years after assuming responsibilities of Mr.Jennings.Mr. Jennings has not returned as yet. The fall in the wind of that fateful night turned out to be wind fall for him. Each anniversary of his arrival in this house he still enacts the fortunate ritual of walking up from the subway and crouching near door asking his servants to draw him in the house while he is still asleep.
Did the house staff ever notice the change? Listen to what one of them was saying to a new recruit," Koby, Jennings has stabilized quite a lot. After the bitter seven year long separation from his only son he was so happy having traced him down town. But the condition of penury of his son and his death from tuberculosis immediately after his discovery broke Jennings down completely. We have to suffer in silence as he repents having given pain and death to his son by enacting his penury starting from subway and ending to his house almost every alternate day."
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© by sgking123
Posted
Monday, July 03 @ 03:51:30 EST - viewed 497 times
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Copyright
© by sgking123
This content in whole or in part cannot be copied or used anywhere without
written permission.
Posted
Monday, July 03 @ 03:51:30 EST - viewed 497 times
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