Date: Fri, 25 Dec 2020 22:51:23 +0200
From: Ryan White <liciousryan@gmail.com>
Subject: Slender Beggar Chapter 2

HOLA PEEPS!!

You asked and here it is. I hope you enjoy this one as must as you did the
first.

As always, I'm up for a chat, so shoot me a line at liciousryan@gmail.com

Stay safe,
Ryan

SLENDER BEGGAR
CHAPTER TWO

With both hands on the steering wheel I tried my level best to comprehend
what his...very handsome man next to me just divulged to me.

"Slender? That's your name? You sure about that, man?"

The homeless beggar that was currently inside my car, only this time
without the sickening smell or should I say, stench, that he had clinging
to him a week or so ago, solidly threw his head back and choked back an
almighty laugh.

"It's true! That's what I've been called ever since I can remember. I've
always been tall and scrawny like you see me here now. Like I said, Maria
and I have never known our real parents. We were literally dumped at a
garage toilet, they obviously didn't have the means to look after us. We've
been on the streets our whole lives."

There was a moment of awkward silence in the car, as I continued to drive
to the hospital as fast as I possibly could, to see if Phil was okay. Last
chapter, after we were both just coming out of our local pub having
celebrating pulling in the mother of all advertising deals for our company
that we co-owned, Slender's fellow beggars decided to thoroughly assault
said pub with bricks and other tools...I didn't even wanna know what else
they had used...but as luck would have had it, Phil got struck with a brick
on the side of his head and it was Slender who came to our rescue after my
buddy had a seizure as a result.

Slender, the very same beggar that I had given a massive R200 to when I had
met him at an intersection about a week ago, and the very same beggar who
was currently beside me in my very expensive BMW. On paper he should have
been feeling more out of place than a fart inside a bloody perfume factory.

He had demanded to come with me to hospital to see if Phil was okay, since
he believed it was partly his fault that the attack had happened in the
first place.

Lets just say those beggars didn't take it too well given the fact that the
owner of said pub had given Slender and his sister Maria jobs as security
guards, but in the same breath, made the BIG mistake of chasing the rest of
them away when they also wanted employment. They searched for and got their
revenge unfortunately, good and proper with my fucking best friend getting
hurt in the process.

"You must have a good job to afford things like this..." Slender said once
more, looking around the car like a small boy would inside a candy store.

"Me and Phil are co-owners of a advertising agency. I've known him
for...wow, my entire life. We have known each other since kindergarten. Oh,
here we are..." I replied before turning into the parking lot at the
nearest hospital where ambulance and paramedics on duty had taken Phil.

It was a private hospital and I really shuddered to think that even with
Ribbed now confirmed as our new permanent clients, what the bill for all of
this was going to be.

Slender got out of my BMW and I had to smile as I saw how careful he was
not to somehow hurt the car door as he closed it. I wasn't sure if the
hospital security was actually gonna allow him inside, looking like he was,
with his hand me down ripped jeans and his dirty t-shirt he was
wearing...not to mention the fact that he was skinny as hell with overgrown
blond hair hanging over his face...but I decided to cross that bridge as we
got to it.

"He's with me," I said emphatically to the dark skinned guard before he
scanned me for possible weapons and then, it seemed, he took his time with
Slender, ordering him to empty his pockets, scanning him several times and
asking his questions in a threatening manner...but what infuriated me the
most, was that he called Slender a "mlungu" which even I knew was a very,
very degrading word that black South Africans called the Caucasian folk
living in the country.

I didn't fancy getting arrested for obstruction of justice or some shit
like that, so I just kept quiet, but I sure as hell felt the sheer
crappiest that I have done in a bloody long time. When Slender finally
joined me, he just shrugged his shoulders, as if he was sadly used to this
sort of treatment from others and walked with me towards the nurses
station.

They told me that Phil was in Intensive care and they didn't even want me
to see him without me being a blood relation or a family member. I actually
lied and told them that he was my brother. Slender nodded, in conformation,
wanting to assist.

We were only really able to see Phil through the window in the ICU unit,
which as the nurse explained, meant he was stable, yet critical. I pressed
my hand palm against that window and as things were when someone you know
and love were in grave danger, all those times that we had spent together,
from the very day we had met when we were a mere five years old, shooting
our shit in primary school, learning all about the harsh reality of this
world in our high school days, being there for each other as we were
mercilessly bullied by the jocks of said high school...before we finally
managed to get out of that town, that era, that stigma...and eventually got
our University degrees, and started this company that we now co-owned.

All the times that I could have confided in my best buddy that I was in
fact gay...that I was living a lie with marrying Jane, that I
ached... yearned for a male body in my arms at night.

All the times I wanted to come clean and I didn't.. and now, right then at
least, I didn't know if I would ever get another change to be honest with
him.

I felt a hand on my shoulder.

For a moment I was so lost in my morbid thoughts that I didn't quite
realize where I was and therefore I spinned around and bumped straight into
Slender. If it wasn't for his tall posture and lanky arms to stop me and my
turbulence, I would have solidly fallen on top of him.

For just a moment...a single split second...

My god. His eyes. They were blue. Royal blue.

Jesus.

"I'm sorry. Damn, did I hurt you?" I asked, slurring my words slightly.

What just happened? There was a little twinge earlier in the car as well
when we were talking and he looked me straight in the eyes...even then,
even more so, with the afternoon sun reflecting inside them...his
eyes...they were so.. so beautiful.

Slender chuckled and held me upright before placing me back into my normal
standing position.

"It's gonna take a lot more than a little bump to hurt me," he said and
once more...his entire face lightened up as he smiled.

I had to get out of there.

Fast.

But no...I couldn't leave before I knew for sure, a full one hundred
percent at that, that Phil was gonna be okay.

And since I had driven Slender here with me it was after all only fair that
I gave him a ride home, wherever that was, for him and his twin sister,
Maria.

Sigh...it was gonna be a long few hours...

**

"Jane! You came!"

My darling wife came running out of the elevator about an hour after me and
Slender had arrived in the first place and she about threw herself in my
arms. Poor Slender stood aside with a slight smile on his dirty face as
Jane demanded to know if Phil was going to be okay and what exactly had
happened in the first place.

Before I could tell her exactly what had happened with the beggars and all,
her eyes fell on Slender, who was still watching us.

"Max...who is...that?" Jane whispered and I felt a shudder go through her
as she spoke those words.

I gently released her from the hug and motioned for Slender to come a
little closer.

"Max! He might be dangerous!" Jane shamefully hissed before I could even
stop her.

That wasn't even the worst. Slender had heard her. The look on his face had
said it all. Those eyes...those beautiful blue eyes that I had gotten lost
in before was now suddenly a grayish green.

"Don't worry, Mam. I'll just go."

Something inside me broke. No...

"Slender...look, Jane, lets just all chill for a second. Jane, he was the
guy who helped us rescue Phil from the intruders. He's on our side. He just
wanted to come with me to see of Phil was gonna be okay. Nothing more,
nothing less.

Best not to tell Jane that it was Slender's acquaintances who had trashed
the pub...

Slender smiled shyly and looked towards the elevator before looking back at
me.

"It's okay, Sir. Don't worry, I'll be on my way. I know that Mister Phil is
in good hands here. Good night, Sir. Good night, Mam."

Why did I wanna stop him so badly? Why did my heart ache when I saw him
leave, step by step, eventually reaching said elevator and then him finally
getting inside...was the security guards going to be giving him yet another
hard time...was he gonna be okay getting back to the pub and back to his
sister...?

"Jane, wait here. I can't just let him go like this..." I whispered and
stormed after Slender.

Somewhere in the back of my mind a small voice was asking me what the
fucking hell I was doing, what I was playing at, leaving my wife behind to
run after a beggar...

When I reached the ground floor I saw that he was way ahead of me, already
heading out of the hospital, his hands buried inside his pockets. It was
nearly early evening, and it was getting colder and colder the more later
it got. You wanna tell me he's gonna walk all the way back the way we had
come with my car...NO!

"Slender, wait up!"

I saw him turn around and once more, his eyes lit up immediately as he saw
me running towards him. I was exhausted the moment that I reached him...I
keep telling myself I'll go to the gym one of these days but I just never
can find the time.

"Sir...?"

"Okay...you gotta stop calling me that. My name is Max. Look, I can't let
you walk all the way back. I'll go drop you off and then get back to the
hospital. Come on, dude, it's the least I can fucking do."

Slender took a deep breath, his eyes riveting fleetingly upwards to where
Jane was still waiting with Phil in the ICU area...and then back at me.

"Your wife...she's not gonna like this..." he said slowly, before blowing
his breath on both of his hands in the form of a fist, for extra warmth
from the cold.

How do I explain to him...she might be my wife, but at that moment and time
I was more attracted to him...to a mere beggar who until recently, lived on
the streets...than I was to Jane? Granted I had been gay long before I had
met either of them...but still.

"Look, I'm dropping you off. I brought you here and I'm taking you back," I
hissed full of determination, and walked to my car, not bothering to look
if Slender was actually following me.

I knew that he did eventually, as I heard him behind me. I sent Jane a
quick text to say that I was taking Slender back to where I had found him,
and that I would be back at the hospital as soon as I can. By the time I
had Slender in the car and I had turned the car key into the exhaust, Jane
still hadn't replied.

End of story.

**

"The wife...she's a looker, I have to say. You did well, Sir...I mean,
Max."

I heard laughter in Slender's voice as he spoke. He was once more staring
out of the window, sort of as if he was savoring every second he had left
inside my BMW.

"You think so? I bet you have loads of girlfriends all after you as well,"
I joked back enthusiastically.

It was just so easy to talk to him, a virtual stranger who I had given
money to at a busy intersection, our paths crossing yet again through
tragedy. It literally felt as if I had known him for years.

Slender was suddenly quiet.

Way too quiet.

It took me a fair few seconds to realize that he wasn't responding to what
I had said.

"You okay? Hey...talk to me," I urged as he got nearer and nearer to what
was left of the pub. The rooms at the back of the small rooms where Slender
and Maria was staying was, too my knowledge, unharmed and they should thus
still have a place at least to sleep safely for the night at least.

Slender sniffed and then he turned towards me. I saw a tear rolling down
his cheek.

It was like an avalanche had disintegrated my heart.

"Fuck sake...dude...I didn't...I mean..."

"Don't worry. It wasn't your fault after all. It happens when you live on
the streets."

His whole demeanor had changed. Gone was the friendly, smiling man I had
gotten to know all afternoon, and in his place was this shivering, sad
human being.

"What happened? Please tell me..." I said softly, as if I was talking to a
child.

Slender turned fully towards me and it seemed like he was seeing and
relieving painful memories inside his mind's eye. Something, some dark
moments that only he could divulge into.

"Max, your wife is waiting for you..."

"I don't give a shit, please tell me."

His eyes flickered.

Alarmingly.

Only I realised just what I had uttered.

Fuck. Fuck!

What was he thinking of me right now? After THAT?

Oh, he's gonna steer well clear of me now that was for damn sure. The
fucking weirdo with the BMW and the sexy wife. Yeah...well done, Max.

But then, he licked his lips, he hovered...before...

"I told him not to get involved with them. I told him, over and over and
OVER. Ricco just didn't wanna listen. He just kept going back..."

Again, he stopped. He spoke almost like... mechanically. As if he wanted to
be sure of EVERY detail.

But who was he talking about?

Deep breath, and I did the only thing I could think of. I placed my hand on
his shoulder. He shook with emotion. Whatever he was going through,
whatever he was seeing in his mind...it was causing him unbearable pain.

"Who is Ricco?" I dared to ask.

Slender cleared his throat and coughed once.

"My...my boyfriend..."

**

"I told him. I told him, I said, stay away from Rambo and his drug
dealers. We were happy, even times when we had nothing to eat at nights,
before Rambo got his claws into him. He was never the same after
that. Seeing you and Mister Phil this afternoon, him just laying there and
not opening his eyes...it brought everything back. Ricco overdosed on
meth. He simply couldn't take this life anymore and I nearly damn well
joined him. His parents threw him out for being gay, years before and he
could never get over that, no matter how happy we were or how hard he had
tried. Rambo...well, Ricco thought that he could help us, financially, if
he did Rambo's dirty work. In the end, it killed him. Nothing is ever free
in Rambo's world. The meth had to be tested before selling it. And guess
who was the guinea pig? Got him hooked on the stuff, the worthless piece of
shit."

I knew I had problems in my life with my company and me being gay, and now
with Phil being in hospital...but that was NOTHING compared, in fact, it
was jelly tots in comparison to what Slender had gone through in his short
life.

I took my hand from his shoulder and together, we sat in my car in front of
the virtually destroyed pub and grill, in the dark.

Just us.

Neither of us made any moves to actually get out of the car or to leave the
other.

"You gonna be okay?" I whispered, so softly that at first I wasn't sure if
Slender had heard me.

He sighed, before patting my leg with his hand.

"I have to be. Maria and the kids need me. Hey, life's not all bad! We have
a place to sleep tonight and we have a little money to keep us going. Don't
even think about giving me some..." Slender warned, his angelic voice
rising a few notes as he saw me reaching for my wallet in my jacket pocket.

How did he know...of course. It was in the exact same place where I had
taken it out that fateful day I gave him a R200 cash when I had nothing
else on me.

"Not even a R50? At least?" I genuinely asked, and he even more genuinely
shook his head as no, one more time.

"Keep it. You work hard for it. Well, I guess I gotta go. Hey..."

There they were again. His eyes. His beautiful...beautiful blue eyes. They
were sparkling in the moonlight. Or so I thought.  Who cared? And it was
then that I once more thought...what was he doing on the streets?

He was the most...handsome man I had EVER seen...unfortunately poverty
didn't worry about your looks, when it came around in life.

"Yeah?" I answered.

I hoped and prayed he didn't see right through me. Confusion was busy
fucking with my brain and heavily so. If you told me one day long ago I'd
be attracted to a homeless guy...I'd have fucked you up good and proper.

Slender looked down and for a moment...I would seriously have thought he
was leaning in to kiss me and god knows I WOULD have kissed him back...

...but no. He smiled and got out of the car.

"Better get a shower in whilst the water is still hot. You never know with
these places. I'll see ya!" he said before carefully closing the door and
quickly jogging off towards the back of the pub where he and his sister was
staying.

With the pub trashed...who knew for how long they would be allowed to stay
here?

Jesus.

All I could think about as I spent some ten or so minutes simply existing
their in the darkness, and I was flabbergasted at how one person can come
into your life and simply mess with everything you thought you knew.

I didn't even know how this happened. I'm sorry but when you think of sexy,
virile and hot men to sleep with...I mean, homeless beggars simply didn't
form part of that equation!

I felt like shit.

I grabbed my wallet yet again and checked inside. I had two R50 notes
stuffed between numerous credit card receipts. Like I had said in the
previous chapter, I really didn't like to actually have cash on me, as Cape
Town did unfortunately have a huge crime rate. But...call me selfish, call
me weird. Call me nosy.

I honestly just meant to help.

Before I knew what I was doing I got out of my car. I didn't actually give
Jane a second thought. With the money squeezed tightly in my hand...I kinda
planned on leaving it on the inside of the back room where they were
sleeping in, or at the very least, give the cash to Maria, Slender's twin
sister, if he refused to take it.

Don't ask me what was going through my head, all I knew was that I HAD TO
DO SOMETHING. I hated, HATED just driving away from here when I could have
helped them.

**

As I carefully entered the room, I once more saw that although it was very,
very small, that everything was neat and clean. I wondered where Maria and
her two children was...they had to be in here somewhere...it was freezing
out side.

Well, this was going great, wasn't it?

Screw this, I'd simply place the money on the table next to their small
kettle. They were bound to find it there. Coffee was essential.

The moment I had placed the two R50 notes down...

...was the exact same moment that Slender appeared from the inside.

Lord almighty.

He was only wearing a towel.

His chest...it was ripped beyond belief. His six pack abs were fully on
display as he had probably just come out of the shower. His thick blond
hair was dashed across his head, leaving his face open and clean. His
biceps were muscular and firm. He smelled like soap...the most amazing
aroma that can elicit from another man. His chest was hairless and each and
every one of those six blocks that formed part of his stomach was quite
literally BEGGING to be touched and even tasted...

"Fuck..."

The word was out before I could stop myself.

Slender looked down at his body, and then back at me...and suddenly it was
like a light had been switched on inside his brain.

It was the way his eyes widened and especially the way he slowly
swallowed...probably in sheer disbelief.

Oh god...oh god...he knew.

He KNEW!!

WHAT THE FUCK DO I DO NOW??

**

THANKS FOR READING!!

Please shoot me a line if you enjoyed it and especially if you want more
lol!!

liciousryan@gmail.com