Episode 583: Somebody To Love"Didn’t your parents teach you not to talk to strangers?" The man spoke with a growl, trying to scare her away, Tansy figured, but no matter how hard he tried to hide beneath his gray hood, she saw enough of his scruffy face and his tired eyes to suspect he was just like the barky dog who lived on the corner. He didn’t really have any bite in him. He was more lonely than anything."It’s okay, my mom and dad are right over there, watching me." Together and talking to each other. It wasn’t as bad at home as it had been, but the more they talked and the more they were together, the more relaxed Tansy felt. Bringing the leftovers from their neighborhood’s Halloween party the night before, to the kids at the shelter who maybe never even got to paint their face or anything, had been her best idea ever. The man peeked out of his hoodie just long enough to follow Tansy’s eyes to her parents, and then he slunk back into his hood like a turtle into his shell. "You should go to them." "I want to talk with you." "I don’t want to talk with you." He meant to be mean, but Tansy saw him grimace as he said it. "Would you like a pumpkin cookie?" She offered. The orange frosting was the yummiest thing ever. "You look like you need something yummy." He said nothing. He looked at the wall. Tansy waited. "Will you leave me alone if I eat that cookie?" "Okay." Frowning, the man broke the cookie and gave her half. She smiled and they ate in silence. "Do you have any kids?" Tansy wondered, feeling guilty and greedy after licking every bit of frosting from her fingertips. "Weren’t you leaving?" "Do you have kids?" "No." That made Tansy sadder than if she had stolen some kid’s half a cookie. "Do you have a wife? Or a mom and dad?" "No." "You don’t have anybody you love?" The man stared at his hands a long, long while, and Tansy felt bad for asking. She opened her mouth to apologize just as he said, "I do." Episode 584: The Right Combination
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