Hello, everyone. I'm sorry for being 5 days late, but me & my twin sister turned 42 years old omthis past Monday. August 25, 2025. So, in honor of that, I will write a fiction short story.
I started this on August 30, 2025. It's now September 12, 2025.
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There was an old man, named Hal Henry. Mr. Hal is homeless. It's a hot summer day, & I so-happened to find him sitting in the shade underneath a Spanish moss tree. He was so tanned that everyone thought he was either Hispanic or Native American. But he assured everyone that he was Caucasian. He didn't have bed bugs, but he had sores on his skin that reminded me of the rich man & Lazarus in the Bible. Some people said that those were bed sores from when he was hospitalized for a while.
He held up a sign, saying, "Please help me survive another day. That's my dying wish." He felt so pessimistic & fearful about every day. He was always wondering if every day was going to be his last. With my OWN eyes, I witnessed people ignore him & shoo him away like a gnat. He was just trying to get something to eat for the day.
I walked up to him & read his sign. My eyes filled with tears. I said to myself, "That could be ANY of us!" His eyes filled with tears, also. He started sobbing profusely.
"Ahhhhhhh, hahahahaha! Please! Please don't pity me. I don't deserve it! I don't deserve it! Lord, take me home. Take me home, now!"
Come to find out, he had just got done doing a street interview with a social media influencer, nicknamed "Jackfruit Passionberry". The reason why they call him, "Jackfruit Passionberry" is because he's like a jackrabbit with hopping from 1 town to another, & he's very passionate about interviewing the less fortunate, in hopes that he can do his part in helping to improve lives. I don't know where the fruit & the berry come in at. 🤣😂
Jackfruit Passionberry unintentionally asked Mr. Hal some questions that brought back traumatic flashbacks. Mr. Hal was a Vietnam Veteran. He had a lot to say about Agent Orange poisoning. He said that he suffers severe PTSD & can't live indoors.
Mr. Hal felt like no one loved him. His family deserted him because they thought he was insane. It was my birthday, & he had no hope for anything to eat. He didn't even have a phone. So what I did was, I allowed him to pick out whatever of my birthday freebies that he wanted, & I let him feast like it was his OWN birthday! Once that offer came about, his eyes lit up! He was the happiest man in the world! The 1st thing he wanted was a "cuppa Joe". He got the free cuppa from Starbucks. He enjoyed every sip. He went into the establishment to use the restroom, & then once back outside, he drank the coffee.
I said, "Are you good, Mr. Hal?"
He said, "What else can I get?"
I showed him the options on my iPhone 17, & he said, "What? A whole free bucket of chicken from KFC? I dig it! I dig it! Let's go there next."
I said, "Ok, Sir. Your wish is my command."
We hit up KFC. I showed the cashier the freebie on my phone. The cashier's name was Talmage. Talmage whipped out a rare song from Chauncey Hannibal (Chauncey Black) from the music group, "BlackStreet", called, "Every Day Is Your Birthday". Even Mr. Hal was JAMMIN'. Everyone in KFC was dancing. Mr. Hal had a secret love for dancing, which was his pride & joy, even though he couldn't dance as good as he did when he was younger. Mr. Hal & everyone was dancing like they were at a nightclub while eating their lunch. They even had a lil' soul train line dance thing going on. Mr. Hal had everyone in the dining area twirling a chicken leg in the air like they didn't care. The employees & customers were sad to see me & Mr. Hal leave because Mr. Hal had a doctor's appointment at 2 PM. Just a regular checkup.
After the appointment, I asked Mr. Hal, "What other places do you wanna hit up?"
He raised both of his hands up & said, "No more! I had more than enough! I appreciate that, brother. He ran off to a nearby train station, picked up someone's unwanted, unexpired day pass from off the ground & then jumped into a train that was at stop. The train operator closed the doors, & Mr. Hal was sitting in his seat, smiling & waving at me.
Come to find out, there was a local church hosting a banquet for the homeless people, & those homeless people were about to see about getting raffle tickets to a church-sponsored housing voucher & also the keys to a brand new home in a freshly built apartment complex. Mr. Hal wanted to be 1 of those 10 lucky people.
I met up with Mr. Hal, & I also saw Jackfruit, Talmage & the other KFC employees there to support him. Mr. Hal was THE FIRST to win the raffle ticket prizes. He no longer felt hopeless or like a nobody again. He was given a gig opportunity as a paid dancer, & that kept him with a roof over his head. He no longer had to worry about where his next meal, shower or snooze were going to come from. & he finally felt comfortable living indoors & prayed with other church members to help him overcome his PTSD.
THE END
*Here's the YouTube video link to the actual song that I'm talking about.
https://youtu.be/FndWA0Kp8cQ?si=t1MAxcTOVIbNtTfa