Chasing Dreams
Tags: Fiction, Romance, Faith and Life, Writing, Mystery

James — At a nearby park, the following day

It’s a beautiful day when the sun cuts across the lawn and James looks up to the bright shining ball beyond. He wonders why life moves so quickly for others and so slowly for him. He takes his time in the park, his favorite place to be while waiting for the day to pass by a little more interestingly. There are a few people he recognizes, and of course the dancers who come at the same time every Friday to practice in the park.

Out of the blue a dog ran up to James, and he grinned at it and gave it a pet.

He was excited to see his friend ‘Max’ the schnauzer, who wagged its tail excitedly at the person he’s grown accustomed to. Max belonged to an elderly woman named Mable Lee who couldn’t take care of him that well and therefore didn’t know how to keep track of him at the park. The dog would run off and find James who would then return the dog to the kind woman who usually brought James a home cooked meal in Tupperware and utensils he could use.

After James grabbed the red ball out of the dog’s mouth and tossed it, Max ran like clockwork straight towards the direction of the ball. James then used that as an opportunity to scan for the kind elderly woman, Mable Lee.

“James, right?” He heard the familiar voice of Mable behind him.

He turned to her and smiled.

“I can’t confirm or deny that, ma’am, but that’s what Pastor Briggs said was on my fake driver’s license.”

It was the answer James usually gave to the woman as she would normally start their meeting with the same question.

She just wanted to check if he remembered anything new each time.

The first time that she met him she asked James what his name was and he said he wasn’t sure and that in reality he didn’t know for sure. He explained how he was found by a pastor in his car with a heavy concussion right by a river. He was taken to the hospital and when he came to he couldn’t remember anything about himself. The pastor who found him told him everything they found on him that they could read. Some of it was in code and others in Italian but the handwriting was nearly illegible at that point.

The two quickly became friends as well. James told her about his simple days, if he met anybody interesting and how much he made begging. She told him about her children who rarely visit her anymore and how she likes to go to the supermarket to see families shopping together — she misses her family. She was a single mother most of her life and never found another love. James was still hopeful for her, and she would laugh him off about it.

“How’s the week been?” She asked as the two of them walked naturally towards Max who was rolling in some grass now.

“It’s been different.” James admitted.

“How so?” She asked curiously, James hardly ever had anything new to report, except for when he fixed a kids bike one time.

“There’s this lady…” He drifts off and Mable is even more intrigued.

“Oh is there?” She asked with a small knowing smile.

James catches on.

“No, no, no — don’t mean anything by that…just that these two women they gave me things and talked to me! But it wasn’t even just that, Ms. Mable Lee, they actually looked at me. Especially one of them, I think her name’s Mira? She looked me straight in the eyes, and I don’t know, that just meant a lot to me. Never had someone around my age actually give me a second glance. Ya know?”

“Wow,” Ms. Lee said. She seemed just as stunned as James. “They must be some really great ladies then.” She added.

James shrugged.

“I wouldn’t know, but a part of me hopes that they aren’t afraid to talk to me again.”

“Especially this Mira?” Mable smiled.

James looked surprised,

“What? No — well, yes, but her friend too! They’re both great — or could be great.”

“Don’t worry James, you’ll find out soon enough, nice people don’t stay away too long. They’re always looking for another way to help.” She laid some wise words.

James nodded in agreement.

***

Mira — Later that day in the evening

Mira slammed the door of her apartment behind her as she got back in. A bad habit of being exhausted after a long day at work. This new case was going to be a fun one, but also it would take a lot of research. That Tuesday she spent time going through the recording with all the information and then she started researching into the company and any past lawsuits it had won or lost. That particular company has had five different copyright infringement lawsuits in only three years, minor things mostly which the company overthrew quickly before it ever went to court. Mira definitely kept note of this.

It seemed like the company was used to winning these and she could tell that the company probably tried to buy the clients before they could really go to court. However these clients were settling for much less than they would’ve gotten if they went to court. Mira didn’t want her client, a woman who worked so hard her whole life to take care of her kids — and literally got married to get money to make this happen — to lose this case. And after all, Mira truly believed her after hearing the whole story. Elouise was going to get her win. She was going to fight for her.

Mira discarded her suit piece by piece before changing to home clothes and landing on her couch with a sigh. Her home was quiet, just how she liked it. Peaceful sounds of nothing but her breath was what she wanted to come home to every night. At least that’s what she’s firmly convinced herself of.

A knock on her door jolted her up in surprise.

Is that Will? She wondered. Sometimes her brother would just pay her a visit out of nowhere — which she hated, but she also secretly loved it, she didn’t mind company when it was her brother. However she was sure he had a class tonight.

She pulled on her robe and cleaned up her messy discarded clothes before heading to the door.

Out of habit, she checked the security cam screen linked to her door to see that it was one of her exes. She rolled her eyes.

Opening her door she crossed her arms at Phil Clark, he was a lawyer who worked in the previous firm she worked in. They had a relationship for several months but Mira broke it off. He looked worn out and his eyes were red, like he had been crying.

“They fired me.” He told her.

Mira’ stone cold face softened a bit at that.

“Sorry to hear that.” She admitted. He was a really good lawyer she remembered and he didn’t deserve that.

“Can I — can I come in?” He asked.

Mira looked at him for a moment further trying to decide in her mind if this was a wise idea. She then slowly nodded and stepped back so he could walk through her door. He closed the door behind himself and Mira led him to her kitchen area and grabbed some water for him. He sat on one of her high-chairs as she set the water before him and stood on the other side of the kitchen island table.

“You’re doing well for yourself.” He remarked as he drank.

Mira scoffed.

“Did you expect me to be begging on the streets after leaving?”

“You left one of the best firms in the city.”

“For an up and coming one that’s paying me more.”

Mira winked.

“Right, that’s pretty amazing.”

“So, what do you want to talk about Phil?” She asked.

“I want you back.” He stated. It was a statement. Vulnerability in his eyes.

Mira sighed.

“Getting fired emasculated you, I get it, but we’re not getting back together. I’m sorry.”

He looked shocked at her blunt response.

“Really Mira? I know you’re like this, but I thought what we had was special?”

“It was. It’s over now though. I’m happy being on my own and I wasn’t really all that happy with you. When I think back I remember feeling a lot of times like I was under your shadow. And considering you got promoted even though I was there longer than you and you didn’t vouch for me when you could’ve, I was right.”

“Mira -”

“If that’s really the only reason you came here, you’ve wasted your time. I’m good Phillip, you need to figure out what’s next for yourself.”

“But I lov-”

“Don’t say those three words, you’re not going to get it back.” Mira told him.

The man’s eyes started to water and Mira feeling a bit bad, took his hand in hers.

“Figure yourself out my friend. You’ve got skill, you’ve got talent. I know you care about me but I’m not interested anymore. Sorry. Also, the fact that it took you getting fired to come to me, that says a lot.” Mira told him.

He sighed and withdrew his hand from her.

As he got up and started walking away he turned back,

“I would’ve married you in a heartbeat, but I knew this day would come. How are you going to find love Mira if you never give anyone a real chance? I came to you straight after receiving the news, I was planning on working my way up there and hiring you back and hopefully…we’d have a future. My plans were cut short. I was thinking maybe you were wrong, that the system wasn’t rigged against you, but then I found out it was. I spoke up, got fired. You were on my mind the whole time after we broke up. But now I see all you think about is your success.”

Mira was speechless for the first time in a long time. Not everything he said was a justifiable excuse, but it did make sense.

She walked up to him apologetically.

“I’m sorry.” She uttered softly, tears in her eyes.

“Me too,” He said. “Hope you let yourself love someday Mira.” He told her.

She reached out to him, but he pulled himself away and left her home.

Mira didn’t know why but she felt tears slipping down her face as she just stared at the closed door before her.

“Dad, I miss you.” She whispered as the tears kept falling.

***

James — End of the following week, lunch time

James was eating a piece of bread he bought with some of the money he got while begging while he watched the regular lawyer lunch crew heading out of the building. He got used to knowing when their lunch time was because it was midday and they often headed out. Some of them, used to seeing him at this point, would start to regularly donate to him, and he was able to save some to figure out an eating schedule that made sense. That, being able to head to the church if he needed more, and Mable Lee’s food was keeping him going.

He hummed a tune to himself as he tapped his feet, hoping that today might be the day he sees the two ladies, and that they talk to him again. Since the previous week when he told Mable Lee about them, he hadn’t really seen them both together again and neither of them talked to him. Mira didn’t really go for lunch as much, and when she did, she avoided him obviously. Even so far as not crossing the street until walking further than where he was. She avoided looking at him, and barely acknowledged him. Mira’s friend, who he later learned was Lisa, ended up dropping a five dollar bill occasionally for that week, but then this week she’s been busy and not coming out for lunch either. Lisa also didn’t really make any conversation with him, her mind seemed elsewhere. So, he was back to square one, and he felt silly for even feeling hopeful that they might talk to him. He was, him, a homeless guy, and they were successful beautiful lawyers. Ridiculous.

He was continually humming when he saw the woman he saw almost two weeks ago now, with that same cleaning lady uniform, she saw him this time, and walked up to him.

“What you doing out here begging like this? Do you need a job son?” She asked him. She seemed like a genuinely nice person.

He remembered what Mira told him.

‘You should get a job.’

“What kind of job?” He asked, smiling at the woman.

“My name’s Elouise dear, I can find you a simple little job you can do once or twice a week for about fifty bucks. That’ll help you save up a bit, won’t it?”

James nodded.

“Well then, what’s your name?”

“James ma’am.” He replied.

“Nice to meet you James, you ready to get paid, let’s shake on it!” She extended her hand to James. This was the first time anyone’s offered to shake his hand like this. He’s gotten hugs and warm contact before, but this meant something different, this was respect.

James grinned at the woman, and got up from his sitting position. She looked up at him and smiled as well. They shook hands.

“Well, aren’t you a tall one.” She laughed.

“So is he.” James said, looking behind her to the tall man scowling at him.

“Oh him?” Elouise turned back to see him.

“He’s Markie. His real name is Thomas though. But I call him Markie. He doesn’t like it so much.” She laughed.

“Nice to meet you Markie.” James said, mirth in his eyes. The man scowled even more.

“Let’s go Elouise, you can’t keep talking to every stranger you see.” He told her, but James heard the concern in his voice and smiled knowingly.

“Nice to meet you ma’am. And thank you for offering the job.” James said.

The woman nodded.

“I’ll come back to find you later and we’ll get you all set up!” She told him.

“It’s not dangerous is it?”

“No, you just gotta know how to fix stuff.”

James grinned.

“That, I can do.”

***

Mira — Moments later in the office

Mira watched the newly married couple bicker all the way to her office door and then straighten themselves up as if she couldn’t see them with the all glass layout of the offices.

She tried not to laugh as Mrs. Grayson fixed her husband’s tie. They were so staying married.

Then they knocked and she told them to please come in.

They entered and sat down. Since their first meeting they’ve had a few others and the three of them were getting a lot more comfortable with each other.

Mira offered them water she had already gotten for them beforehand, and they thanked her for it.

“So,” Mira began, “we’ve got some progress. Essentially since the company you work for is a clothing store, and you said that what your son drew was a design that literally they’re going to start printing soon. I say let’s let them print it first. See how well it does it in the market in just the first opening weeks and then we drop them with the case.”

“Brilliant!”

“Nope!”

Thomas and Elouise said at the same time.

Mira looked at them both.

“Which one is it?” She asked.

They looked at each other.

“It’s a no from me, and I’m the kid’s mother so -”

“Elouise, you don’t understand, this case is pretty impossible to win without stakes — and right now we have no stakes, none.”

“I don’t want this company to profit off of my son’s idea!”

“We understand that ma’am, but the problem is if they don’t profit off of it, we don’t have a case and it looks like they really will, based on what I’ve seen. They’ve profited heavily off of all their other copyright infringement cases, but this time we’re going to catch them — they might profit at first, but if you want to catch them, you’ve got to let them think they’ve won.”

Elouise thought about it for a moment.

“Two weeks.” She stated.

“We’re putting the case out two weeks after they drop the shirts.”

Mira smiled.

“Sounds good. Seems like we’ve got a case! I’ve got a track record of what they’re going to try to do after we drop the case, so brace yourself for any intimidation or any amount their going to offer you. Also we’ll discuss the other copies of your son’s drawings. We need at least a few to prove he’s been at this for a while.”

“Great. Can do.” Elouise said.

“Alrighty, you two, let’s go over a few more details.”

An hour or so later Elouise and Markie were heading out of Mira’ office after saying their goodbyes and she was going back to her work, but she overheard something that shocked her,

“Why were you talking to that homeless guy even?”

“We’re not going back to that topic Markie, let’s go, I’ve got another shift and you need to help me pick Sam up from basketball practice at school.”

They said this to themselves but Mira picked it up. She pretended to keep on working as they left her office and their voices drifted away.

Once she couldn’t see them anymore she sighed and leaned back in her chair.

“Which homeless guy? The one with the kind eyes?” She muttered to herself.