• Chapter 2

    Hope held her heart. The person scared her to death!
    "Did you hear me lady? Publish them, you'll get big bucks and you wouldn't be living on these cold, horrible streets," he countined. He stepped out of the shadows and Hope looked up at a tall, black man.
    "Um, yes. I did," she replied. Hope's pale skin glowed a little as the sun shone on her.
    He chuckled at her.
    "The name's, Austin," he told her. He put his hand in front of him to let her shake it.
    "Hope," she replied and hestiantly shook his hand. Austin smiled warmly at her and Hope had a question inside her head.
    "What are you doing walking on the highway?" she asked. She tucked a strand piece of light brown hair behind her ear and her brown eyes were curious.
    The african-american man smiled at her again.
    "I've been seeing you under this highway, thought you just sat here and wrote stories and that you live in one of those fancy houses. Appernatly not though, thought you did," he replied gruffly. He srunched up his black eyebrows for a mintue. His brown eyes looked down and he clenched his fist a little.
    "Oh," was all Hope could reply with. Austin frowned at the ground he was staring at and then he picked up his face at Hope.
    "Well, i'm busy, so I hope I can see you again. Good day," he mumbled to her, took off his hat and held it to his chest like they did when singers sung the national anthem.
    Austin placed it back onto his bald head and walked off swiftly.
    Wow...I've never talk to anyone for a long time...And the gas station people don't count....
    Hope stretched out and she grabbed her notebook once more. She read the poem she once made up when she first became homeless.

    Flowers bloom and children grow
    But I wonder if I grow too?
    Do I grow with all this pain inside of me, slowly ripping me up into pieces
    Or does it eventually go away?
    Cars speed by and I cry silently as they go
    Do they notice me?
    Do they care about me?
    Or are they mocking me and laughing at me?
    Would they understand if I told them?
    Or if they became homeless also?
    Days pass by and nothing changes
    I wonder if He does this on purpose?