Moonlight Magic

“I hear you’ve met John Henderson.” Said Sarah’s boss, Derek White, to her as he stood from his desk and walked towards the kitchen area where she was making her coffee. Kitchen area…if you can call a beige coloured work top sat on a double unit with nothing but a bread bin, toaster and a kettle, a kitchen area. If you wanted to fill the kettle you had to use the tap in the toilet down the corridor.

It was a Monday morning and that meant it was Sarah’s day to be in the office.

“John Henderson?” Sarah replied with a puzzled look on her face.

“Yes. He lives on Tanner Row…in a large pile of cardboard boxes.” He said trying to jog her memory.

“Ohh. Yes…Yes.” She replied turning her face away as she stirred her coffee with the only office spoon, a little embarrassed that he knew what had happened.

“I can see from your expression that he made an impression on you Sarah.”

“Yes…he did.” She replied, trying to not make eye contact with him.

“Listen…don’t worry. We all make mistakes. The important thing is that you’ve learnt from your experience…and next time you won’t go alone. Yes?”

“Yes Derek.” She answered quietly.

“Good…Luckily, as much as he frightened you, John has never hurt anyone. He’s a very troubled person and has had some bad cards dealt him in life. Do you know much about him?”

“No.” Replied Sarah turning to face him and leaning against the worktop holding her coffee mug with both hands.

“Well…John’s parents abandoned him when he was a small boy about the age of seven, leaving him to fend for himself. Social services didn’t find out for months after they had abandoned him, by which time John had become a very wild child. Stealing money and food to feed himself. He was put into various care homes until he was sixteen when the system decided he was too old and he ended up on the street. He joined the army and served in the first and second Gulf war becoming a decorated soldier. I forget what for, but it was something to do with saving the lives of his fellow soldiers, anyway, he was discharged when his time was up and ended up back on the streets again. Where he has been ever since. In the early days he would get attacked by the local people as they left the pubs thinking it was a laugh to make fun of him and drag him around, sometimes setting fire to his boxes, not realizing that they were burning his house down…or maybe they did. Anyway, that’s why he has learnt to not come out when people call him and if they pester him he immediately reacts by jumping out and threatening them…it’s his way of defending himself and staying alive.”

Sarah felt a tear come to her eyes as she listened to his story.

“I…I didn’t realise…he…” She stuttered.

“Don’t worry Sarah. It’s not your fault. You weren’t to know. Mandy told me you were going to report him to the police…did you?”

Sarah took a mouthful of coffee before answering.

“No…I was going to…but I couldn’t.”

“Well done Sarah.” Replied Derek smiling at her and placing his hand on her forearm. “Well done…you see first impressions are not always right.”

She smiled at him as he turned to go back to his desk and she felt a little more at ease about what had happened that day…and with Derek.

Derek sat down and began to do some work on his computer as Sarah’s brain started to work overtime. She walked the few steps over to his desk and stood at the opposite side as he typed away.

Derek suddenly stopped.

“What is it Sarah?” he said leaning back in his chair.

“I…I have something to ask you.”

“Well…what is it? You know you don’t have to ask.”

“I know.” She replied tying her fingers in knots nervously.

“Sarah. Sit down.” He gestured towards the solitary wooden, hard-backed chair opposite his desk.

“Thank you.” She said taking hold of the chair and sitting.

”Well?…”

“I…there’s an old man at the district hospital that I’ve met recently on my visit there. He was brought in last week with hyperthermia and he’s lost his memory. The hospital staff thought he was your normal homeless person with a drink problem…but I don’t think so.”

“Not homeless or doesn’t have a drink problem?” Asked Derek leaning forward onto his elbows.

“Neither really. But I’m not sure…I might be wrong…I’ve spoken to him and he just doesn’t fit the normal stereotype. His clothes and shoes are old but good quality and he certainly doesn’t strike me as a drunk in anyway.”

“So what are you asking Sarah?”

“I’m asking…what should I do?”

“Well…first and foremost we are a charity for the homeless Sarah. That is our prime directive. To help as best we can, anyone who might be homeless.”

“I know Derek…and that is my dilemma. I’m not sure if he’s homeless.”

“Ahh…I see…do the hospital have an address for him?”

“No.” She replied straightening herself in the rather uncomfortable chair.

“Does the old man know or remember where he lives?” Said Derek looking straight at her.

“No. He’s only just remembered his name…Charlie.”

“So…as far as the he and the hospital are concerned, he doesn’t have anywhere to live at the moment.”

“No…I mean yes.” Sarah replied brightly.

“So there you are. At the moment he’s homeless.” Said Derek with a very cheeky grin on his face.

“Excellent. Ok.” Said Sarah smiling back.

“So. What do you know about this...Charlie was it?”

“Very little. Only that he was admitted last week and his name is Charlie.”

“Well Sarah if I were you, I would try and find the ambulance guys or paramedics that took him into the hospital so you could find out a bit more…like where he was found…what had happened to him…stuff like that.”

“Yes…Yes you’re right.” Said Sarah almost jumping to her feet in excitement. “Ok…I’ll go now…thank you…thank you.”

“Go on…off you go…but be careful this time…take Mandy with you if you’re going to go roaming the streets again…now go…shoo.”

“Yes…yes…of course.” She said already walking towards the kitchen area where her bag was on the floor. She picked it up and turned to look back at Derek who was already deeply engrossed in typing something on his keypad.

“I’m off.” She called and he replied by waving his hand in the air with one word. “Bye.”