The air whispered in the quiet night.
Standing distant from eachother, as the two stared at eachother in the silence of the night with talking faces, Suxes holding a wary gaze at the stranger Kevin, who was hesitant to approach him where he was; urging himself to avoid any form of interaction with humans again, the silent night was pressure that got them to bond.
All of a sudden, Kevin's stomach growled loudly, announcing a hunger case. Instantly Suxes spoke in a small voice with chuckles when he heard the growl.
"I knew it."
He turned down in the garbage can, fished out a triangular piece of pizza and raised it in the air for the stranger Kevin to be attracted.
On a jolly face, Suxes added, telling Kevin out loud:
"Of course I can remember the parable of a good Samaritan so well. Come foward before it gets colder!"
But, all Kevin could do was to blink ignorantly as he watched a human, Suxes, like a clown.
Suxes had no idea that the hungry young man was not a human being as he expected him to be. Still holding a pizza piece up, With a great desire to share his eats, once again, on jokey gestures, he said to Kevin who wasn't moving a foot forward:
"Trust me, when this yummy chicken pizza melts in your mouth and goes down throat, your stomach won't even notice it's from a garbage can!"
But Suxes had lived all his years in Capricon city _ well conversant with human behaviors in this city. Now, his memory woke up to the reality and suddenly his face fall downcast, sighed to himself in a quiet voice about what he thought of this an uncooperative stranger Kevin Moore.
"At least a haggard looking person without shoes on their feet, dressed in cheap clothes, with a thick beard that needs an urgent treat like him has healthy choices. Not like me who can only access my food from garbage, yet I'm nicely dressed in this elegant three piece black suit with leather shoes on my feet."
As he sorrowfully compared himself to Kevin, at a distance where the two were standing from eachother, Kevin could hear clearly well, the silent sad words from a human's soul.
After all, his highly functioning senses were a unique gift any normal human could spend his life saving to have.
Of course in a place where everyone is not just rich but overly satisfied with enough to waste, it is very difficult to come across a hungry person. And in such a city of egoistic picky people, wealthy with wide tables containing fully pouring cups and largely filled plates that held all kinds of eats based on someone's desire, it took no sweat for a wise fourty years old Suxes to put his hand down, giving up on sharing his food with a stranger who probably had much on his plate according to Suxes' thought.
And now, since Kevin Moore was showing no interest in the food he was offered, even on a clearly proved hungry stomach, he got Suxes thinking:
"It's more likely his pet ran away from home and he is sadly trying to find it...!"
Shrugging, he added:
"Or, maybe the pet died and then he decided to mourn it by starving himself: I don't know till when, then walk around late night dressed like a pauper...!"
Relaxing from concerning himself with another man's business, Suxes gazed at the piece of pizza in his hand .... brought it to the mouth and took a really heavy bite, chewing it deliciously, leaving the stranger watching from a distance. And before he turned back to the garbage can to enjoy the rest of the pieces, he made sure the stranger is aware that he meant no harm.
"My name is Suxes, the only hobo in this city..."
Unknowingly, announcing his name raised Kevin's curiosity. Kevin lifed his head straight and his eyes grew wider in response.
Mentally he said:
"Suxes? Why would he tell me his name? My mom told me when I was still a little merman that a name is for family alone. Does he mean I am his family now _ not selfish like the rest of humans?"
Since no human had introduced their name to him, Kevin had to convince himself to have a little trust for this human. Hesitantly then, his bearfoot, started moving foward coming towards Suxes.
After all, the human had food to prevent hunger from sweeping him off his feet.
As soon as Kevin got close, Suxes fished another pizza piece for him to grab....
Hesitantly, Kevin collected it and carefully took it to his nose and sniffed it distrustingly. It was the same pleasant aroma he perceived a while ago from a distance. Seeming to like it, he then brought the piece to the mouth and took a tiny taste bite.
Suxes was watching quietly with eagerness on his face.
Immediately after the taste bite, in only three heavy bites, the whole piece was packed in Kevin Moore's mouth. Suxes smiled it off. Taking it for granted, in the garbage can were more big pizza slices held inside a paper bag. He delve a hand and fished the whole paper bag out. He turned to kevin. And before his hand stretched enough to forward it, in a blink of an eye, Kevin had snatched it away from him.
With hunger greed including how yummy the pizza tasted, Kevin Moore placed the scrap computer down on the ground first. The aroma was still the same when he sniffed the package..., and straight away, he started with the paper bag to bite.
This was complicated under Suxes' watch. He frowned and immediately called him to order:
"Hey hey hey! Easy dude! I don't know how long you've starved yourself but at least eat the substance inside first and eat the paper later if hunger persists!"
Kevin posed from chewing the paper and followed the instructions. He delved into the paper bag and picked a piece. His salivating mouth couldn't allow him enjoy it gently. Chomping one piece after the other, it was fun eating such delicious human food.
Chuckling at the stranger's big appetite, Suxes said:
"Easy homie, else you're going to choke!"
Suxes had never seen this kind of appetite in his entire life before, more so in Capricon city. In his natural talkative ways, Suxes started a conversation to bond well with a stranger Kevin Moore.
"You know, the chef in that restaurant across the street is my good friend. He usually fixes something in the garbage can for me not to sleep on an empty stomach."
Smiling calmly, he added:
"Call me Suxes, that's my name..."
As the last quarter vanished from Kevin's mouth, after leaking his fingers cleared:
"My mother named me Kevin, then Moore to keep the memory of my father; just knew that recently."
"Obviously, just like mine, your father went to meet his ancestors..."
Kevin frowned wondering:
"You mean you know where my father is...?"
Smiling with excitement Kevin added:
See, I came all the way here to find him. If at all you can take me where he is, I will be so grateful..."
Confoundedly, Suxes kept a fix gaze at Kevin Moore. As for Kevin, he could not understand why Suxes was giving him such a judgmental eye.
"You just said that my father went to meet his ancestors just like yours. Can you please take me where those ancestors are? I need to bring him home with me to meet mother!"
Gazing into eachother's eyes, Suxes chanted and said:
"I was eight when I buried off my father."
Kevin had never had this kind of thing before, so he had to dig a little deeper for clarity.
"I don't understand! Are humans so heartless to that extent?! Why would you put your father under the soils?"
With the kind of questions Suxes was asked, what came to his mind was:
"Obviously hunger nearly got this young man mad. He needs medical attention."
And again, when Suxes looked him over and considered his haggard appearance _ the thick untrimmed beard, cheap clothes and the feet which had no shoes on _ swollen and wounded, all proved Suxes right.
Then he sighed:
"Alright, I'm going to take you to your father."
"Really?"
Suxes nodded and asked:
"So, you said you came all the way here to find him... Where did you come from?"
"Water."
"Water? You mean... rain water?"
"Yeah, water!"
"Oh, alright. Now tell me, when a relative or a friend dies, I mean looses their life, where do you keep the body?"
"You mean when a soul is tired?"
"Is that what you call it?"
"Yes... it leaves the physical body and joins other souls in a place called paradise. My mother used to take me to paradise to watch these souls enjoy their next life. However, much as we can see them, they can't see us."