The Tramp by Amber Riel (top romance novels .txt) 📖

stood under a wooden pavilion overlooking the silver iron picnic tables.

          “Hey, Shannon,” Darby said as she made her way under the pavilion.  “Sorry I’m late.”

          “It’s no problem,” Shannon replied with a smile.

          “I just met this cute little man…. He was so funny although he didn’t say much.”

          “Ooo…. A date for my wedding?”

          “Not for me,” Darby replied.  “He seemed to be a little old for me but I know someone who would love him.”

          “Really who?”

          Darby sighed.  “I would say but it’d be pointless seeing I would have to hunt for that little man to set them up together.”

          “Well, who knows maybe you’ll see him again and I’ll tell him that you have someone you would love to have him meet.”

          Darby laughed.  “That would be a strange conversation.”  She walked over to a picnic table and sat down.  “Although not as strange as what Harvey was telling me what happened yesterday.”

          “And what was that?”

          “He was on his lunch break and he was sitting on a bench around here somewhere and some strange guy sat next to him….” Darby started laughing.  “The guy was eating his sandwich right from out of his hand.”

          Shannon started laughing.  “No way.”

          “Yes way.  So are you and Mack getting excited about the wedding?”

          “I am…. Mack’s a typical guy so he could care less.”

          “Of course.”  Darby stood up.  “Where is everyone?”

          “Abigail and Kaley were going to visit with Tillie…. Try to help her get over that jerk again who only wants something to deal with her when she has money but once that’s gone he dumps her for Mabel again.”

          Darby shook her head.  “When is she going to learn?”

          “I don’t know,” Shannon shrugged.  “Shane said that he’ll be here after work.  Raye will be here a little later.  She was going to meet up with Jack…. I don’t like that guy.”

          “Yea neither do I and that’s why I think she should….” Darby smiled.  “Never mind.”

          “What?  She should what?”

          “I need to meet that little cute guy again.”

          “Oh.”  Shannon smiled when she understood what Darby was thinking.

          “I should have invited him here.”

 

          The tramp walked the playground and looked around confused and lost.  He turned around and then walked away, looking around.  He tripped over a little bump in a parking space and kicked it.  He felt the pain in his foot from kicking it and hoped around on the other foot while he held the foot in pain.

          A tall pastor with long brown hair walked over to the tramp.  He looked to be in his late teens early twenties and looked too young to be a pastor.  “Are you okay there, buddy?”

          The tamp dropped his foot and looked at the pastor, kind of confused.

          The pastor smiled.  “I guess that answers my question.”

          The tramp smiled in return.

          “Are you new around here?”

          The tramp nodded.

          “Well, you should come to my church sometime.  It’s just around the corner,” the pastor said as he pointed in the direction of the church.

          The tramp followed the pastor’s finger with his eyes then turned his head to look.

          “Well, I have to get going it was nice meeting you.”  The pastor held out his hand and the tramp shook it and smiled.

          The pastor left, leaving the tramp all alone with his fist on his hips, kind of confused.

 

          The tramp walked over to a bench and sat down.  He opened the right side of his coat with his right hand as he reached in with his left hand and pulled out a banana.  He unpeeled it, one by one, strand by strand, and then took a bite of the banana.  When he was finished with the banana, he threw the peel on the ground and stood up.  He began walking and forgot about the yellow banana peel and slipped on it, falling backwards.  The lower half of his body kind of rolled over the top of the upper half of body.  He kind of flipped himself backwards so he could stand on his feet.

          In the process he had last his hat and cane to the fall.  When he was on his feet he picked up his cane and then his hat.  He placed the hat on top of his head.  He dusted himself off and began walking again.

 

          Darby stood, looking out of the pavilion.  “When is everyone going to be here?  It feels like it’s getting later and later.”

          Shannon shrugged.  “I don’t know but I hope they get here soon.”

          Darby nodded.  Her phone started ringing.  She sighed.  “It’s probably Harvey again.  My brother can’t seem to call anyone else.”  She pulled out her phone and pressed a button while she placed it next to her ear.  “Hello?”  She looked over at Shannon and nodded.  “What is it now, Harvey?”

          “Ask him if he’s coming?” Shannon whispered, pointing to the phone.

          “I’m at the park with Shannon.  Yea I told you about it a few days ago.  A little summer party.  Are you coming?” Darby took a moment to listen then rolled her head toward Shannon and nodded.

          Shannon smiled and gave Darby a thumbs up.

          “Okay.  See ya then.  Bye.”  Darby hung up her phone.  “He’s coming.  He was wondering if he could bring a date to the wedding?”

          “Of course he can.  Did he say who she was?”

          “Just some woman he met at the park.”

          “Cool.”

 

          The tramp had made his way to the street.  He looked around, confused and lost.  He had no idea where to go or what to do.  He sat down on the sidewalk.  He placed his left arm on his left knee and rested his head on his hand.  He had never felt so lonely in his entire life.  He stood up from his spot and pulled out a newly rolled cigarette.  He pulled out a match and lit it.  He placed the cigarette in his mouth, and without paying much attention, he went to light the cigarette but missed.

          When he thought the cigarette was lit, he flung the match to the side walk.  The match went out as it hit the concrete sidewalk.  The tramp smoked the unlit cigarette until he realized that it wasn’t lit.  He took it out of his mouth and looked at it.  He threw it to the ground and walked away.

          A girl with tanned skin and long brown hair walked past him and noticed the cigarette and the match on the ground.  She turned to face him.  “Hey, mister, that’s littering,” she spoke rudely.

          The tramp looked at her and then began to walk away.

          “I’m talking to you.”

          The tramp continued to ignore the girl.

          “Hey, mister…. Come back here.”  The girl was growing aggravated.  “Hey, come back here.”

          The tramp just kept walking away.

          The girl ran over to the tramp and smacked him in the back of his head.

          The tramp turned around and automatically smacked the girl in the face.  It was an accident.

          The girl slapped him in the face.

          The tramp stood there as the girl walked away.

 

          Later on, the tramp had made his way into a neighborhood.  He found a chucky orange cat laying on someone’s law.  He walked over and went to pet it but the fluffy cat hissed at him, making him jump back, and then the cat ran off.  The tramp spun around, trying to figure out where he was then left the neighborhood.  He headed for the park, even though he knew that it was a long walk.

          He ran into the woman from the park who he had met the day before.

          “You again?” the woman asked.

          The tramp smiled, kind of moving his body.

          “Idiot.”  She shook her head and looked away.

          The tramp quickly reached into her purse and pulled out a few dollars.

          As the woman was starting to turn toward him, he quickly placed the money in his pocket and smiled at her.  She rolled her eyes at him and then walked away.

          The tramp watched as she disappeared out of his sight and pulled out the money from his pocket.  He counted it and then took his pocket.  He counted it and then took his hat off.  He placed the money into the pocket on the inside of his hat then placed the hat back on top of his head.

 

          The next day, the tramp had wondered to another park with statues that resembled real people.  If someone looked at one of the status for a brief moment, they would have believed they were real people.

          The tramp had walked into a statue of a woman who was just standing there.  He had mistaken the statue for a real woman.  He smiled and then tipped his hat in a flirty way.  He touched the statue and realized that she wasn’t real.  He covered his mouth with his left hand, hiding his smile and then played around by flirting with the statue, jokingly.

The Kiss

          Two girls who looked to be about in their late teens early twenties sat on a park bench.  Each of them had a small white paper bag sitting next to them and plastic soda bottles.  The older girl of the two who had somewhat long light brown hair pulled out a funny shape box with French fries and began eating them.  “Did you know that Calvero died last night?” she asked the younger one who had long blonde hair which fell past her shoulders.

          “Calvero?” the blonde asked, trying to place the name in her mind.

          “The comedian…. He started drinking to be funny….”

          The blonde kept thinking.  The name sounded familiar but she still was having a hard time placing it with a face.

          “He was an older man; maybe in his sixties…. The guy who did that funny act as a circus entertainer known as the professor with the fleas….”

          “Oh yea…. He died?” the blonde asked with disappointment.

          “Yea.”

          “How?”

          “He did an act last night, fell into a drum, and broke his spine.”

          The blonde bit her lip at the words.  “That’s sad.”

          “I know.”

          “He was funny.”

          The brunette nodded as she continued eating her fries.

          The blonde pulled out a hamburger wrapped up in tin foil and began to unwrap it.

          They sat in silence as they ate.

          Another girl about in her late teens early twenties walked over to them with tears crawling down her cheeks.  She had long dark brown almost black hair which sat on her head in a ponytail.  She sat down, hiding her face in her hands.

          “Raye, what’s wrong?” the older girl asked.

          The new girl didn’t respond.

          “Raye?”

          Again the girl ignored the other girl.

          “Raye?”

          The girl was too heartbroken to respond.

          “Edna Raye, what’s wrong?”

          Raye looked over at the other two girls as the tears continued down her face from her cherry red colored eyes.  “It’s Jack.”

          “What about Jack?”

          “He has a girlfriend.”

          The other two