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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Adults
- Theme: Drama / Human Interest
- Subject: Friends / Friendship
- Published: 03/07/2020
Chance Encounter
Born 1948, F, from Epping. Essex, United KingdomChance Encounter
by Kristin Dockar
Joe walked over the bridge and looked down into the sludgy, grey waters of the Thames. He was on his way to night duty at St Thomas’s Hospital. Once over the bridge, he turned right to walk along the river, and it was then that he noticed a young man slumped against a wall. He could see that this young man was very angry as he jabbed at the screen on his phone. He also noted that the man was dressed fashionably, slim fitting jeans with a black jumper and a stylish jacket, and glossy, black hair swept up in a top knot. He was squatting down on his haunches, back against the wall, feet rooted on the squalid pavement. His eyes were closed, and he was very pale. He reached for his phone again.
‘Where the hell are you? I’ve been sitting on this scummy pavement for 40 minutes. OK. Well hurry up’.
Joe watched him jab at the screen and end the call. He thought he detected a foreign accent. For some reason Joe paused and pretended to be looking for something in his bag as he listened. At the same time an elderly man walked by, and looked at Joe, ‘Bet he’s on drugs. Don’t give him any money. Look at his trainers, Nike, and he’s got a mobile’.
Then to their amazement the man toppled over onto his side, grazing the side of his head quite badly. Joe saw that he was very young, more boy than man. They rushed over to the fallen figure, just as a policeman strolled along and spoke, ‘Is he giving you trouble?’
‘No, no officer’ said the passer by, ‘he’s just passed out. One minute he’s sat there, the next he’s laid out on the pavement. Must be on drugs.’
Joe looked at the passer by scathingly, and then turned to the policeman.
‘I’m a doctor. I don’t think he’s on drugs. I think he’s hungry. He’s fainted’.
Gently, he laid the young man in the recovery position, feeling for his pulse. His blood pressure was extremely low and looking at his skin, Joe thought he was also dehydrated. He looked carefully at the small figure lying there and noted that he was clean. He was shaved, finger nails were trimmed and clean. Seeing him up close, Joe confirmed that the fallen figure was also very young. His medical knowledge noted that his breathing had suddenly become rapid. Quickly he bent down and felt the pulse again. Heart beat was now rapid and a sheen of sweat had broken out across his face.
‘Call the paramedics’ he barked at the policeman ‘he’s in a bad way’.
‘Great’ said the policeman ‘now I’ll have to wait.’
At that moment a small groan came from the man. Joe saw his eyes flicker and he tried to sit up.
‘No, no. No police, just hungry, be alright. Help me up. Don’t take me. I do nothing. Only hungry. No money anymore. No eat for two days.’
Gently Joe helped him to sit up and then held onto him as he staggered to his feet and wobbled over to some hoardings propping himself against them. Reaching behind, he pulled out a back pack and a guitar case. Joe watched him intently. Suddenly a grin broke out and the man said,
‘All I own in this world’ and he reached out to shake Joe’s hand. ‘I’m Umai, from Estonia’.
Joe shook his hand. ‘Joe. I’m a doctor. Come on. I’ll take you over to St Thomas’s and get you checked over’. He thought Umai looked vulnerable.
The policeman said ‘What we doing then? Are we calling the paramedics or what?’
Joe turned to Umai. ‘Do you feel you could walk to the hospital. It’s not far’. Umai nodded.
A little later they sat in A and E and Umai told Joe something of his story, which was a very familiar one to Joe.
Umai had travelled across Europe and ended up in Cadiz, in Spain. ‘But no work there, very poor’.
From Cadiz he’d made his way up to France where he’d met Mehmet, a people smuggler. Umai told Joe he’d had to have sex with this man every day for three weeks and then he’d given him the chance of a boat crossing. Mehmet told him his cousin had a restaurant and would give him a job in England. He gave Umai an address, false of course, ‘Nothing, no one there’.
Umai went on in his halting English, ’Drugs not for me’. Then he was taken to be checked out. Tests showed that he was indeed exhausted and malnourished, and blood tests showed he had the early symptoms of HIV. Joe simply didn’t know how to begin to tell him that. Instead he gave him some phone numbers. His own, the number of a hostel and the number of an Aids helpline. He gave him some money and took him to the canteen where he carefully ate a sandwich and drank a milky coffee.
‘Call me if you don’t get set up. The hostel is just across the road from the hospital. There are always porters’ jobs here. I can help you with that’.
Umia looked at Joe and gave a small smile. He held out his hand. ‘Thank you, Joe, you so kind to me’ and his eyes filled with tears.
‘Poor sod’ Joe thought. ‘God, I’m going soft. I’ve seen far, far worse’.
But there was something so vulnerable about this boy. An awful thought hit him.
‘God, I fancy him’ He felt a surge of blood heat his face. He turned hurriedly.
‘Must go, work to do. You’ll be fine. Use those phone numbers.’
At that moment Umai placed his hand on Joe’s arm. Joe looked into his deep brown eyes. He sat down again, and Umai’s hand crept into his.
‘Don’t leave me’ he said softly, ‘I’m very scared’.
Chance Encounter(Kristin Dockar)
Chance Encounter
by Kristin Dockar
Joe walked over the bridge and looked down into the sludgy, grey waters of the Thames. He was on his way to night duty at St Thomas’s Hospital. Once over the bridge, he turned right to walk along the river, and it was then that he noticed a young man slumped against a wall. He could see that this young man was very angry as he jabbed at the screen on his phone. He also noted that the man was dressed fashionably, slim fitting jeans with a black jumper and a stylish jacket, and glossy, black hair swept up in a top knot. He was squatting down on his haunches, back against the wall, feet rooted on the squalid pavement. His eyes were closed, and he was very pale. He reached for his phone again.
‘Where the hell are you? I’ve been sitting on this scummy pavement for 40 minutes. OK. Well hurry up’.
Joe watched him jab at the screen and end the call. He thought he detected a foreign accent. For some reason Joe paused and pretended to be looking for something in his bag as he listened. At the same time an elderly man walked by, and looked at Joe, ‘Bet he’s on drugs. Don’t give him any money. Look at his trainers, Nike, and he’s got a mobile’.
Then to their amazement the man toppled over onto his side, grazing the side of his head quite badly. Joe saw that he was very young, more boy than man. They rushed over to the fallen figure, just as a policeman strolled along and spoke, ‘Is he giving you trouble?’
‘No, no officer’ said the passer by, ‘he’s just passed out. One minute he’s sat there, the next he’s laid out on the pavement. Must be on drugs.’
Joe looked at the passer by scathingly, and then turned to the policeman.
‘I’m a doctor. I don’t think he’s on drugs. I think he’s hungry. He’s fainted’.
Gently, he laid the young man in the recovery position, feeling for his pulse. His blood pressure was extremely low and looking at his skin, Joe thought he was also dehydrated. He looked carefully at the small figure lying there and noted that he was clean. He was shaved, finger nails were trimmed and clean. Seeing him up close, Joe confirmed that the fallen figure was also very young. His medical knowledge noted that his breathing had suddenly become rapid. Quickly he bent down and felt the pulse again. Heart beat was now rapid and a sheen of sweat had broken out across his face.
‘Call the paramedics’ he barked at the policeman ‘he’s in a bad way’.
‘Great’ said the policeman ‘now I’ll have to wait.’
At that moment a small groan came from the man. Joe saw his eyes flicker and he tried to sit up.
‘No, no. No police, just hungry, be alright. Help me up. Don’t take me. I do nothing. Only hungry. No money anymore. No eat for two days.’
Gently Joe helped him to sit up and then held onto him as he staggered to his feet and wobbled over to some hoardings propping himself against them. Reaching behind, he pulled out a back pack and a guitar case. Joe watched him intently. Suddenly a grin broke out and the man said,
‘All I own in this world’ and he reached out to shake Joe’s hand. ‘I’m Umai, from Estonia’.
Joe shook his hand. ‘Joe. I’m a doctor. Come on. I’ll take you over to St Thomas’s and get you checked over’. He thought Umai looked vulnerable.
The policeman said ‘What we doing then? Are we calling the paramedics or what?’
Joe turned to Umai. ‘Do you feel you could walk to the hospital. It’s not far’. Umai nodded.
A little later they sat in A and E and Umai told Joe something of his story, which was a very familiar one to Joe.
Umai had travelled across Europe and ended up in Cadiz, in Spain. ‘But no work there, very poor’.
From Cadiz he’d made his way up to France where he’d met Mehmet, a people smuggler. Umai told Joe he’d had to have sex with this man every day for three weeks and then he’d given him the chance of a boat crossing. Mehmet told him his cousin had a restaurant and would give him a job in England. He gave Umai an address, false of course, ‘Nothing, no one there’.
Umai went on in his halting English, ’Drugs not for me’. Then he was taken to be checked out. Tests showed that he was indeed exhausted and malnourished, and blood tests showed he had the early symptoms of HIV. Joe simply didn’t know how to begin to tell him that. Instead he gave him some phone numbers. His own, the number of a hostel and the number of an Aids helpline. He gave him some money and took him to the canteen where he carefully ate a sandwich and drank a milky coffee.
‘Call me if you don’t get set up. The hostel is just across the road from the hospital. There are always porters’ jobs here. I can help you with that’.
Umia looked at Joe and gave a small smile. He held out his hand. ‘Thank you, Joe, you so kind to me’ and his eyes filled with tears.
‘Poor sod’ Joe thought. ‘God, I’m going soft. I’ve seen far, far worse’.
But there was something so vulnerable about this boy. An awful thought hit him.
‘God, I fancy him’ He felt a surge of blood heat his face. He turned hurriedly.
‘Must go, work to do. You’ll be fine. Use those phone numbers.’
At that moment Umai placed his hand on Joe’s arm. Joe looked into his deep brown eyes. He sat down again, and Umai’s hand crept into his.
‘Don’t leave me’ he said softly, ‘I’m very scared’.
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- 5
Aziz
03/10/2020A beautiful one. I appreciate the core idea of the story and how you built the main character. The end is open to many interpretations.
ReplyHelp Us Understand What's Happening
Kristin Dockar
03/11/2020Thank you. One character was easy to develop...I saw him on the street and the doctor just popped into my imagination as I was near a hospital.
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Kevin Hughes
03/09/2020Great story, and I agree with what Jd said, and your own Self Analysis, it is a story that didn't end, but maybe began.
Let's hope so. Isn't it fun when the story you are writing takes you somewhere you didn't know you were going?
Smiles, Kevin
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Kristin Dockar
03/09/2020Thank you Kevin. It's great to have somewhere to put my stories and that people enjoy them.
Help Us Understand What's Happening
JD
03/07/2020Definitely a lot to contemplate and consider, both within the story itself and the unwritten continuation of it implied by the last few lines. Hmmm..... I'm thinking.... just not quite sure what to think....
Thanks for sharing your thought provoking short stories on Storystar, Kristin! : )
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Kristin Dockar
03/08/2020Thank you! I actually saw this young man sitting on the pavement by Lambeth Bridge and it was the fact that he was so well dressed and cool looking that caught my eye...and then off went my imagination. I also had no idea how it was going to end but the end is probably another beginning.
COMMENTS (6)