The Pink Haired Samaritan
The Pink Haired Samaritan
Even if he was alive, he probably would not have wanted to see his son in such a way.
Today was the funeral of Gregory Tovey, he was known as a kind man to many, but unfortunately, that impression went away when he had a drink, as he was also an alcoholic. Ever since Gregory's wife, the mother of their child, Nathan, had left him when Nathan was only two, Gregory had turned to drink for everything. A relief when he was stressed, something to calm his nerves, or, more often than not, a beverage for after work, which he consumed in abundance, as if it was water.
Sometimes the drink would affect him too much, and he would lash out at the nearest person, as his son could attest to. It was Nathan who had found his father several days ago, face down in his own vomit, and not breathing. That image, will haunt him forever. Now Nathan was alone in the world, as his father had no living relatives, and his mother had severed all contact when she left.
Nathan was the spitting image of his father, same blue eyes, same ginger fur and build, short, yet slightly stocky, making it easier to stand up for oneself in a fight. And just like the drunken cat that was his father, Nathan had trouble holding his alcohol.
Nathan had just turned 18, and finished High School, yet had decided against going to college. His father hadn't taken too kindly to that, and once the alcohol had set in, he summoned Nathan for a talk, yet let the alcohol talk for him, as was the norm. Some of his fathers friends didn't believe Nathan when he said his dad was a violent drunk, but after the chat about college, Nathan had proof, a large black and blue bruise around his right eye, where his father had punched him in a fit of drunken rage. Nathan had noticed many of his father friends staring at it, all the while throwing them glances which said "Believe me now?"
Since his fathers death, things have only gotten worse for Nathan. He was still unemployed, searching for a job, and as his father was the only one bringing in the cash to pay the bills and the rent on their house, Nathan was evicted. He had been staying at a youth hostel for the past two days, yet he did not want to go back. That place was full of thuggish youths, all intent on seeing how far they could push the new guy, before he snapped. Yet the hostel owners always turned a blind eye to it, saying that the other youths were 'underprivileged' and therefore have a right to express themselves how they see fit.
Inside the church, the priest gave his sermon about the sanctity of life, and how death follows, yet we should be happy as the deceased has now been taken into the arms of the Maker. Nathan was invited up to say a few words, but as he began to speak, he found he was unable to. He wanted to lie and say what a great man his father was, yet the memories he held prevented him from telling anything but the truth. His voice cracked, and the onlookers in the church simply assumed he was distraught over his fathers death. Nathan really did not want to be here.
"I...I'm sorry" He said, his voice trembling, "I can't do this." He jumped down from the altar and ran out of the church, not stopping for anyone. His legs carried him as fast as they could, out of the double doors and the surrounding cemetery, past the local stores and street corners, and the thugs waiting on them, some of whom he would inevitably encounter back at the hostel. Nathan kept running until he reached the City Centre, and having ran non stop for almost 25 minutes, in a full black suit for the funeral no less, he stopped, sitting down at a bus stop, clutching at a painful stitch at his side, one so bad he would be in agony for the next few minutes.
Nathan sat for the best part of an hour, his head in his hands, trying to capture a thought, any thought, that had the potential to take his mind off of how miserably the world was treating him. "Why me..." Nathan thought to himself. "What did I do to deserve all of this?"
As Nathan sat, a bus pulled up to the stop and opened its doors, allowing its passengers to disembark. Of them, a particular passenger caught his eye, a German Shepard, tall, slim, his hair brushed into a simple style, with his fringe, which had been dyed pink, covering one eye. His dress style seemed to reflect how Nathan was feeling, dark, colorless, devoid of anything. Only the pink fringe seemed to add a little whismy to his style. Yet something about him was attractive to Nathan, the way he moved, as if he did not have a care in the world.
Nathan was gay, he was more than happy to admit that, but he had not dared to tell his father, fearing his reaction, even more so, once he had succumbed to a drunken stupor.
As the sheppie walked past, he stopped when he saw Nathan glancing at him from the bus stop, and then looking away, embarrassed. To the sheppie, the cat at the bus stop looked rather cute, all dressed up like he had somewhere to go, but he could tell that there was something else. Something had happened to this cat, and being curious, and genuinely wanting to help, the sheppie could not stop himself.
"Had a rough day?" He asked.
Nathan looked up, he wasn't expecting the sheppie to even notice him, let alone engage him in a conversation. Yet seeing the sheppie here in front of him, smiling at him... it made him feel, just a little bit better. But even so, he was in no mood to have a conversation with a total stranger, not today.
"You really have no idea" Nathan replied, a little colder than he intended. "Sorry, I just wanna be alone".
The sheppie looked at him, with the same concerned expression Nathan had seen on the faces of all those at the funeral. The sheppie eyes could not help but linger over the black eye this cat was sporting. He really looked like his life was a total misery.
"Well... if you wanna talk, I work at the bar down the road, just ask for Amos." And with that, the sheppie walked off, throwing a backwards glance at Nathan, feeling both worried for him, and also pity, for the stranger whose life was only getting worse.
Nathan continued his lone vigil at the bus stop, feelings of self loathing and disgust coursing through him. He could have stopped it, he could have gotten rid of all of his fathers alcohol, tried his hardest to make his father see sense, and seek help. Yet he kept to himself, and let him father drink himself to death. And now, it seemed, that life was going to make him pay for it.
"This is my fault..."Nathan began to think, "I put myself in this position...I could of stopped him... now he's gone..."
Nathan looked at his watch, it was almost 10pm, he had wasted a lot of time at the bus stop. He looked around him, seeing that many of the bars and clubs had opened, and a few of the general stores were still open for business.
Returning his head to his hands, an idea struck Nathan, one that repulsed him, but it would work. He wanted to forget everything that had happened to him, and just wake up without a care, start again. Nathan could follow one route to forgetting everything. One he knew all too well. Alcohol. Surely, if he drank enough of it in one go, he would pass out, lose himself, and wake up, without memories. He had money with him, but perhaps not enough to buy a few drinks at a bar. No, the general stores were probably his best bet.
Nathan stood up, disgusted with himself for wanting to do this, but he didn't care. His father had always said that he wanted Nathan to follow in his footsteps, and he was doing just that.
Wandering across the road and over to the nearest general store, 'Booze Buster', shining bright above the doorway in bright neon yellow. Before entering, Nathan paused, and took a deep breath, he didn't want to do this, every fiber of his being was telling him to turn back, to go back to the hostel, and while away the rest of the evening doing something more constructive, instead of getting completely plastered. Yet, Nathan ignored it, and pushed open the door, entering into well stocked home of his fathers liquid friend, and murderer.
Wandering the isles, Nathan was unsure what to buy, he wanted to get this over with as quickly as he could, so he needed something that could get him drunk as quick as possible. As he reached the end of the current isle, he stopped to pick up a rather plainly marked bottle.
Booze Buster Vodka - Only $4!
The drink was cheap, due to it being store brand, and checking the label, Nathan observed it had a large alcohol percentage. This would suffice. He didn't care of the taste, he figured that if he gulped it down fast enough, he wouldn't be able to notice it.
Walking over to the counter, Nathan avoided making eye contact with the clerk, who eyed him a little suspiciously. This look quickly vanished when Nathan produced his wallet, and pulled a $5 bill from it. Without even asking for ID, or even saying a word, the clerk scanned the bottle into the register, took the money, and handed back Nathans $1 change. As the clerk slammed the till shut, the noise it created resonated with Nathan, everything he had tried to stop his father doing, he had just done himself, with the completion of the sale.
Looking down at the bottle he now owned, Nathan swiftly walked out of the store, and picking up the pace, sped down the road to the nearest alley, and entered its darkened confines. If he was going to do this to himself, he wanted to do it outside, in the open air, so that if something went wrong, he would be found.
Nathan wandered over to a crate which had been placed down near a chain link fence, and sat down on the ground behind it, leaning against the wall. He took a moment to compose himself, and then unscrewed the cap from the bottle. Taking a tiny sip, Nathan swiftly discovered that the drink was strong, and tasted absolutely disgusting.
A single tear began to make its way down Nathans cheek, he hated himself so much right now, yet he had come this far, and he was not going to stop. He put the drink to his lips and took a full swig, more tears flowing as the vodka burned his throat, making him gag. Yet he kept it down, forcing himself to swallow down the foul beverage. He kept going, tears streaming, until the bottle was empty, after which he threw it at the opposing wall, where it shattered. Curling himself up into a ball, Nathan wept, loud, uncontrollable sobs that he could not hold back. He wished that the alcohol would kill him, after everything that had happened, now he was no better than his drunkard father. He might as well go the same way he did.
* * *
"Right, guess that's my shift over with for tonight!" Amos said, a little weary after a busy day at the bar, looking over at the manager, who smiled back, signifying that Amos could go home.
After grabbing his bag and slinging it over his shoulder, Amos headed out, back to the bus stop, not just for his bus, but to see if the troubled cat from earlier was still there.
As he walked, he couldn't help but wonder what had befallen him, to make him act so miserable. Something very bad must have happened to him, for him to just be wandering around, with nowhere to go.
Amos continued his walk, until he heard something faint, coming from an alley. It sounded like, laughter, yet it was mixed with something else, the sound of, crying.
Being the curious type, Amos slowly wandered into the alley, hands balled into fists in case he needed to defend himself.
Looking around, and seeing no one, Amos called out, "Hello?"
The response was a loud shuffling noise, and the laughing stopped. Amos saw that there was broken glass littering the ground, making him worry that whoever was here had hurt themselves.
Amos took another step forward, repeating, "Hello?"
"GO AWAY!", shouted a familiar voice.
Amos ran forward, rounding the crate, and finding, curled up into a ball, sobbing his heart out, was Nathan. Even though he had only ingested one bottle, it was still stroung enough to make Nathan completely unaware of anything around him. His vision had blurred, he could not think straight, and all he wanted to do, was fall asleep, and not wake up.
"You're the cat from before..." Amos started, before being cut off by Nathan.
"Not cat! Nathan!" Nathan slurred back, unable to string together a sentence.
"In the name of the Maker... what have you done to yourself?" Amos asked, taking Nathans paw in his own, and trying to help him stand.
After being brought to his feet, Nathan wrapped himself around Amos, bawling like a baby.
"Daddy's dead!" He sobbed "Got no home... Nobody loves me!"
Amos had to think quickly, before a police officer heard the crying cat and arrested him for being drunk and causing a nuisance. If Nathan had no where to go, then he needed a place to stay, at least for one night.
"C'mon, you can stay with me tonight, till your better" Amos said, hugging Nathan close, trying to give him the care that the cat so desperately wanted.
Nathan hugged Amos back, and murmured a thank you, before quickly letting go, and vomiting down the side of the crate. After it ceased, he began to bawl again, unable to stop himself.
"Shhh... quiet now... everything will be ok" Amos said soothingly, once again hugging Nathan, rocking him slightly, as if he were a child, until his tears stopped.
Amos pulled out his cellphone and dialed the number for the local cab firm, two blocks away. He didn't want to take Nathan on the bus, not in his current state. After giving his destination and current location to the driver on the other end of the line, Amos began to slowly walk Nathan to the end of the alley, not letting go of him for a second.
The cab didn't take very long to arrive, and Amos pulled open the passenger door, helping Nathan to clamber in, and then jumped in after him.
The cab driver looked back at Nathan and Amos, who had put his arm around Nathan, who had fallen asleep.
"Someone's had fun" He said with a chuckle "Benwell district right?"
A nod from Amos, and the cab sped off, Amos sitting in silence, with Nathan asleep on his shoulder.
Upon reaching their destination, Amos handed over a $10 bill, and picked up Nathan in his arms, as he was in no fit state to walk. Amos carried the unconscious Nathan to his apartment block, and even held him as they went up the elevator. Amos managed to open his apartment door, by sliding the key from his pocket with his hand, shifting Nathan around as he did so, then by placing the key in his muzzle, he unlocked the door.
Upon entering his apartment, Amos spat his key out of his muzzle, watching as it landed down the hallway, and then throwing his leg back to close the door.
Amos took Nathan into his room, and laid him down on his bed.
"I'll take the couch tonight" He said, as he bent over Nathan, removing his jacket. Nathan could wear some of Amos' clothes in the morning when he woke up, as he doubted the cat would want to sit around in his suit. Slowly and carefully, Amos undressed Nathan, leaving him in his underwear. After placing his suit in the corner of the room, Amos helped Nathan get under the covers. Nathan had awoken partially, and giggled a little, as he must have assumed that Amos was going to play with him while he was being undressed. However, Amos was not the type of person who would take advantage of someone in such a way, and he sat by Nathan, stroking his head fur, as he quickly fell asleep.
"Poor guy..." Amos murmured to himself as he wandered into the living room, and lay down on the couch. This had been quite a day for Amos, and for Nathan too it seemed.
Drowsiness was settling in quickly for the sheppie, as his day at work and the unexpected workout of carrying Nathan up to his apartment had tired him out. He closed his eyes, and let himself drift off, wondering how Nathan would feel when he awoke.
* * *
It was several hours before Nathan woke up, and he groggily slouched forwards, attempting to recall the events of the previous night. He had gone to his fathers funeral, ran out, bought some alcohol, and he was now in bed. Nathan looked around, not recognizing his surroundings. Looking down at himself, he noticed he was only in his underwear. If he had had sex last night, then he sure as hell couldn't remember it, or who with.
Nathan sat in the bed and racked his brains, trying to find something that could tell him whose bedroom he was in, and where the person currently was. He couldn't remember much, but there was something in his head, the sound of crying, and, for some reason, the color pink. This confused Nathan, yet he needed to leave, and find out where he was, and how he could get back to the hostel.
Nathan slowly got out of bed, and crept over to the chair in the corner of the room, to put on his suit. When he examined it however, he found that the shirt and pants were missing. He didn't want to sneak out in just his boxers, so he thought it best to wait until his apparent sleeping companion returned.
He didn't have to wait long, as sure enough, a rather familiar looking German Shepard, with a pink fringe, walked in through the door, smiling.
Amos looked at Nathan, who was trying to cover his modesty under the bed covers.
"Feeling better?" Amos asked
Nathan had a headache, yet he felt lucky that the person whose bed he was in was someone he recognized, he assumed that Amos must have picked him up when he finished work.
"A little" Nathan replied, "Umm...last night, did we..."
Amos raised an eyebrow, and laughed.
"Have sex? No we didn't" He said, laughing again, which caused Nathan to crack a smile, "I'll admit your cute, but I would never take advantage of you like that, I slept on the couch."
Nathan was relieved, to say the least. He had only planned on getting drunk last night, having sex with a stranger was something he had not planned, and thankfully, it had not happened.
Amos, composed himself, and came over and sat next to Nathan on the bed.
"Care to tell me why you're so miserable?" He asked
Nathan hung his head. He was too embarrassed to say anything. Yet there was something else eating at him. Amos was a total stranger, and yet he had helped him, something which Nathan was thankful for.
Not getting a response, Amos asked a different question. "Last night, you said your dad was dead, and judging from the suit, I'd say you were at a funeral, so, I'm guessing..."
"My dads funeral, yeah" Nathan cut him off. "My dad was a heavy drinker... few nights ago I told him I didn't want to go to college, then he got drunk, and he hit me..." Nathan gestured to his black eye.
"...few hours later I found him lying on the floor, and he was... he was..."
Nathan couldn't hold it in any longer. Now came a new wave of tears, not from self loathing or pity, but from grief. His father was gone, and Nathan missed him dearly.
Amos leaned in a hugged Nathan, like he had done before.
"I know you barely know me" Amos whispered, "but I'm here, if you need somebody to talk to, and if you need a place to stay, then your welcome to sleep on the couch, till you get back on your feet."
Nathan stopped crying, and looked at Amos "Why are you being so kind to me? We just met."
This was true, Amos did not know much about Nathan, yet he could not let a helpless fur walk the streets, not now, not ever. Nathan needed someone to be there for him, to care for him, as he had been denied this so much in life.
Knowing what to say, Amos spoke.
"It's because I care."
Nathan sat there, staring at Amos, processing the words in his head, going over them over and over again. Somebody cared for him. They wanted him to be safe, to make sure they were there for him.
Without warning, Nathan lunged forward, pulling Amos into a kiss, and, though unexpected, Amos closed his eyes, and allowed it to go on.
When it broke apart, Nathan looked into Amos' eyes once again. "Thank you." Was all he could say.
Amos took Nathans hand in his own, and they stayed like that for a good while. Just sitting, and talking.
In this stranger, Nathan had found something he had sought after his entire life. Someone who cared.
Amos was his savior, and he promised himself that he would try and repay his kindness, he would care for Amos, just as he cared for him. With Amos' help, Nathan would start again, putting his life of misery behind him, starting a new one, with the sheppie and his pink hair.
Authors Note: I had written this story a while ago, yet recently I found it and rewrote it. Hope you like :)