A perfect disaster

What had he just said? Julie stood shaking, why was she not good enough? Why was she never good enough? Julie had aspired for more, but she had ended up in a back street restaurant waiting dirty tables.  As Richard’s words filled her head, the tears started.  Why was she upset? She hated this job, Maybe the whining customer had done her a favour. Not good enough to wait his table, Julie threw her apron down and walked out.

As she reached the high street with its fancy shops, she told herself to pull herself together.  She couldn’t pay this months rent but she no longer had to worry about ‘Richards grill bar’. What now? Job centre tomorrow? Internet search tonight? What did she really want to do with her life?

At twelve she had wanted to work with dogs, at fourteen with children, then at fifteen she thought about teaching. After failing Maths GCSE she considered that maybe teaching was not her vocation.  At seventeen she considered working in a shop, then at nineteen she thought about A levels and University.  This had led her down a rabbit hole of studying the wrong course and graduating with a history degree. Julie had thought about becoming an Historian, but was not sure if this was the perfect career for her.

Job search

Not knowing what she wanted to do with her life had meant she had gone from dead end job to dead end job and lived in a grotty one bed bedsit. Life was far from perfect. She was also single, twenty-five and now living the life of a jobless single girl, maybe soon to be homeless.

Telling herself not to think like that she kept walking, Bright lights and happy voices surrounded her. The posh restaurants with their expensive menus, no point in going there for work, wouldn’t be long before she would tip gravy down a wealthy man’s business suit. Though, she thought, that could lead to something more, get herself noticed by a wealthy man, maybe not a bad career decision. She smiled to herself and kept walking.  Through the laughing people she went, wishing she was already home.

As her pocket vibrated, she knew who it was, glancing at the screen she hit the end button. She was not in the mood for a long conversation with Rachel. Rachel with her perfect life, perfect boyfriend, perfect job. Julie knew she needed to do something about her situation but didn’t know where to start.

The homeless man

Seeing the man sat in his usual place by the subway she wondered what his story was.  Sitting alone on a cold night wrapped in his sleeping bag, she asked herself if he had once had a grotty bed sit. What had put him here? Homeless and now sat in front of her on the pavement, she reached into her pocket for some change. Finding just a £5 note she thought for a fleeting moment of taking change from his tray, no she wouldn’t do that. Placing the money down in front of him she asked if she could sit down.  The man nodded, maybe grateful for the company.

Smelling the man next to her, she realised that he hadn’t bathed in days, she thought of the homeless shelter and again wondered what happened that had brought him here. Trying to start a conversation she told him how she had been fired tonight. How her life was far from perfect.  The homeless man looked at her and nodded and said,

“Perfection is what you believe it to be. I’m perfect sat here.  No bills, no stress, people bring me food or put money in my bowl, I’m doing alright.” He smiled at her with a handsome grin on his young grimy face.

Julie was surprised, how could he be alright?

“Aren’t you cold and lonely? What brought you here?”

No family

“I have no family and after I lost my job my wife threw me out the house. She kept all the money and my car, I was a terrible to live with and she said that I made her miserable. I’ve been sat here six months now.  Very few people make the time to talk with me, but you have,”

“What was your job?”

“I worked at the University, I was a support worker and I loved it.  I helped out in the history department, but due to cutbacks they are no longer teaching history degrees anymore.  Hence, I am now out of work and now I’m on the street, it’s impossible to get a job.”

“My degree is history but somehow tonight I was sacked from ‘Richards Grill’.”

“The dirty restaurant down the Sea Road?”.

“Yes, that’s it.”

“Well, I can see you are worth more than that. Do you know what some of our students ended up doing with a history degree?”

“Historian, but I’ve always fancied working with kids. Can’t be a teacher though as I failed maths?”

A career idea

“Some of our students went on to be tour guides at the museum, you could be perfect for it, Young, attractive and educated, worth a try.”

Julie hadn’t thought of the museum, she looked at her new friend.

“What is your name? I’m Julie.”

“I’m Peter.”

“Peter, have you considered working at the museum too? I’m sure you have learnt a lot from the university”.

“I’m homeless, I’m stuck here.”

“I have an idea, I don’t know you, but I could give you some clothes.  How about I meet you at the homeless shelter tomorrow at 11.00 am, you get a shower, wash your hair, I will bring you clothes, shampoo and shower gel. Then we will go to the museum together, maybe they will be sympathetic to your situation.  Would give you something to motivate you and hopefully get you off the street”.

“Okay, it’s a deal, I will meet you, its worth a try”.

The museum

The next day after showering and smelling now of fresh flowers and dressed in a smart grey suit, Julie and Peter arrived at the museum. Asking to speak with the Curator they then explained their situations. Listening to Julie he could see she would be a perfect tour guide, perfect for the school visitors.  With Peter he was more hesitant, no fixed address but full of relevant experience.  He sat for a while and realised that at any time any of us could end up like Peter. He didn’t always get on with his wife, but hoped she would be empathetic if he was made redundant, not put him on the street.

“I’m going to help you both.  Julie you can start tomorrow. Peter I’m trusting that you still have a bank account, so we can pay you.  I’m going to talk to a mate of mine who rents out properties, I know he has a one bed flat near here, so he can give you somewhere to live and get you off the street.”

Peter looked at him, this was incredible. He had only just met the museum curator and he had offered him a job and sorted him somewhere to live. He looked at Julie smiling back at him, a perfect day, a perfect woman and hopefully a supportive boss.

Six months later

As Peter stood organising the leaflets, he could hear Julie. He knew he had to somehow make her his. Newly divorced it was time to move on. They had been out together a few times now as friends, but he knew that he wanted more.  She was perfect and all he could think about. Tonight, he was going to tell her.

The sea front

Sat by the sea, Julie looked at the man next to her.  She saw his handsome smile and knew that he was someone special.  They had discussed many subjects and walked many hours together, but tonight as she stared at him, she realised he was going to kiss her. As he put his hand on hers and then lent in, she moved towards him too to reciprocate.

Finding this man on the street had changed her life. Usually, she would have just walked on past, but that night something had made her stop. Meeting him must have been destiny and now she had the perfect job and possibly perfect boyfriend, and she was happy.

Written for Blog Battle – word prompt – Perfect

for more see – Snow, Cold and the Old Farmhouse – written for Blog Battle – Axiomatic