A New Beginning

Chapter 31: A Sign

Chapter 31: A Sign

Jack sits on a bench in Central Park, pencil in hand, drawing two children splashing in puddles nearby. He's trying his hand at sketching moving images, much as Emma did. He slightly envies Emma's patience to capture a subject at the moment, he's so used to having his subjects pose for long periods of time, to capture every detail, especially the hands, those were always the most difficult and required a lot of attention.

He watches as the young children's parents eventually come and take them away, leaving Jack with an unfinished portrait. He sighs and looks for something else to draw. He sees a young couple walking along one of the paths by the garden. He sighs, fighting back a few tears. He opens a fresh page and tries to capture their likeness on paper. He had bought a new sketchbook and used his drawing to distract himself from his rather depressing and fruitless search for Rose.

He missed Rose, a lot. Ever since he got out of the hospital, he's been trying to find her. It has not been easy. He is basically back where he started from when he was 15, alone, no money, no hopes or dreams. At least when he was in Europe, he was with Fabrizio, a friend he could trust and travel with, someone to share his fears and problems with. He has tried finding some of her connections, looking for her name somewhere, even trying to find any friends she might be in New York. However, he only knew so much about her so his search was rather limited. He went from neighbourhood to neighbourhood, looking for odd jobs to make a little money for himself. Busting tables, some construction, drawing for ten cents when he was desperate; anything that paid even a little bit. Most of what he made went towards food and room and board. He never stayed in one place for a few days before trying to find someplace else to find work.

He sighs as the couple he was drawing begin to walk off into the distance.

Why did Rose even fall for me in the first place? I have nothing to offer her... and if she was here, we'd probably be cold, hungry and sleeping under some bridge. Maybe Cal was right, I am just a gutter rat...

He closes up his new sketchbook and begins walking. He has only a few cents in his pocket. He offered to draw people, but no one seemed interested.

"I guess I can forget about a bed tonight..." he sighs.

His stomach growls, and he heads towards an area where he might be able to get a drink and something to eat. He finds a small pub and sits inside. He orders a sandwich and a cup of whiskey. He drinks the bitter liquid, hoping its strength will take his mind off the fact he doesn't have a place to spend the night.

He eats his sandwich as other patrons mingle about around him. Several men are playing billiards in the corner, laughing and drinking heavily. He sees a woman sitting in the corner, chatting up a gruff looking man. She is dressed provocatively so Jack knows she's negotiating for sex. Another few men are smoking big cigars in the centre of the room, devouring ribs off a large platter. The bartender is polishing his glasses and wiping down the counter.

"Refill ole sport?" he asks in a thick Jersey accent.

"No thank you, I don't have enough to pay for it," Jack mutters.

"Alright then..." the bartender says, before going back into the kitchen. Jack finishes his food and looks down at the counter. He finishes his drink, trying to numb the feelings of worry about where he was going to sleep tonight. So far he had been lucky and found rather sheltered places to sleep but not this time. It was also unusually cold for the end of April and it rained a lot. Tonight, he was without money and without shelter.

Jack pays for his meal and heads outside. He pulls a cigarette from his pocket, one of his last and lights it up. He takes in a deep drag and looks up at the greying sky. It is definitely going to rain. Jack starts wondering if there was a bridge nearby that he could sleep under.