GEORGE MEETS SAMANTHA

   It’s a beautiful spring afternoon. The sky is mostly clear. The temperature is balmy. George is walking to the department store, where he had a confrontation with the police officer before. This time, however, he plans to go into the store and buy some clothes, with the reward money that he recently received. George is excited about being able to walk into a store and actually spend some money. He hasn’t been able to do that for a long time. He thinks it’s ironic that money can make such a big difference in how he approaches things. Without the money, he would be searching in people’s trashes for clothes. 
   He’s thinking that perhaps what people say is true, about people appreciating more of what they lack, but he doesn’t remember where he picked up the idea from. But he thinks that perhaps money is applicable to this. And when people have too much of something, they begin to not notice it as much and appreciate it less. To George, it’s certainly true that he appreciates his parents, and the short but precious time he spent with them, more now than when he was a child. Although it’s also true that he was still too young to understand any of this. But now, he certainly wishes that he’d told his parents how much he loved them more often when they were alive. Furthermore, when he was a child, he always appreciated receiving money from his parents because he had very little of it. His parents had a considerable amount of money, but they still encouraged George to spend his money wisely and sparingly. He had a fixed amount of allowance, and by receiving such a small amount, he was forced to spend it sparingly. If he wanted more money, he would have to do extra chores around the house to earn it. 
   Now, George certainly realizes that his money won’t last forever, so he will use it sparingly. He plans to buy a blanket, two pairs of pants, some socks, a pillow, and a new jacket. 
   George can hear crying sounds of kittens as he walks past a trash bin, situated in front of an apartment complex. He starts searching in the bin and finds a tiny box, underneath some newspapers. The box is sealed with tape. The sounds seem to come from inside the box. Frantically, he rips it open and finds two tiny kittens. He believes that they must have been born just a few hours before because they appear moist and blind. He wonders how a human being can be so cruel, as to do this to two helpless kittens. He’s thinking that the perpetrators can be the same type of people who attacked him. A cat wouldn’t have been able to seal up the box with tape; only people can do this. George realizes that the kittens must be starving so, with the box in his hands, he runs to a nearby convenient store to get milk for them. 
   He walks into the store and begs the clerk to give the kittens some milk. The clerk tells him that he can either buy some milk or take the kittens to an animal shelter. George doesn’t know about any nearby animal shelter, and he knows the area fairly well. Besides that, he believes that the kittens must not have much time left. So he hands the clerk a hundred dollar bill and asks for some milk. The clerk tells him to go get some in the refrigerator at the back of the store. George hastily walks over to get some.
   He grabs the first carton of milk he sees. Still with the box in one hand, he walks back to the front of the store and again hands the clerk his money, with the carton of milk. The clerk examines the money under sunlight, through the side window, and approves it. He gave George back a considerable amount of change, consisting of both bills and coins. George doesn’t bother to count them and heads out the door. 
He tries to feed the kittens outside of the store. There’s one problem: he needs something to pour the milk into. Without really thinking about it, George pours a tiny amount right into the box, containing the kittens. He places the box on the ground, sits down next to it, and waits patiently. He watches the poor, little kittens blindly dipping their faces into the milk. George notices that the kittens don’t use their tongue at all. Instead, they try to suck it in. Gradually, he sees the tiny pool of milk disappearing. He’s relieved that the kittens do accept it. 

   George is walking into a fire station and holding the box with the kittens still inside. He doesn’t know where else to take them. There’s no animal hospital or shelter in the area. And the fire station is the closest place to where he found them. 
   He walks up to a fireman who’s cleaning some of his equipments. 
   "Hi, I found two kittens in the trash not too far from here. I think they’re dying. Can you please take care of them or take them to an animal hospital somewhere? I don’t have a car to take them."
   "We don’t take animals here. We do fires, rescues, emergencies. We don’t care for animals here." 
   "But I don’t know what else to do for them. If they don’t get some care, they’ll die."
   "Look, why don’t you take them to the police; there’s nothing I can do for them. It’s not a big deal if two kittens are left to die by their mother; it happens every day. There are worst things in this world. Now, excuse me, I have to get back to work." 
   George walks out of the station, feeling depressed. It’s true that caring for abandoned animals isn’t part of their job, but at least George would appreciate some gestures of compassion. He doesn’t believe that the fireman really heard what he was trying to say. How can he say that cats, every day, leave their kittens to die? Only people would have enough awareness and evilness to do this, George believes. 
   And because he found them, he now feels responsible. If he abandons them, he would be just as guilty as the original perpetrators, in contributing to their deaths. Therefore, George decides to care for them himself, until they’re big enough to be on their own. And he knows that, under his care, they wouldn’t receive any medication. Thus, if they should die, at least he will have done everything that he can to save them. And there’s nothing shameful about genuine compassion. With this in mind, George feels a lot better about himself. He feels that this is the right thing for him to do. Besides, he adores the little kittens. They have stopped crying. He sees them sniffing and holding each other. He tells them, "Don’t worry. I will take care of you both. You guys are probably wondering where you are or what will happen to you. Don’t worry, we are going home." George takes them back to his alley. 

   George leaves the kittens in his coffin which he prepared by laying sheets of newspaper in it. He still needs to go shopping for a blanket and some clothes. He closes the coffin but doesn’t lock it. He walks out of the alley and heads back to the same department store where he wanted to go to, before he found the kittens. 
   George is thinking about what he will need to do to care for those kittens. The first thing is that he must buy them a container in which they would be safe. He thinks that there wouldn’t be enough room in the coffin, and he also doesn’t want to risk the possibility of crushing them during the night, considering how tiny they are. Another thing he must do is provide them with milk, until they’re old enough to chew solid food, at which point he would share his food with them. He thinks that he should be able to provide enough milk for them because he plans to buy the smallest carton of milk, that he can find. Thus if it spoils, then he wouldn’t be wasting a lot of money on it. And when the kittens are big enough to take care of themselves, he will take them to the river so they can live among other animals such as birds, mice, and perhaps with Timmy the cat. George’s worst fear is that they might become too dependent on him, and he doesn’t want them roaming around in the alley, with him, because that might lead to his home being discovered. He also fears that he might become too attached to them, so that it would be difficult to let them go when the time comes. 
   George realizes that he’s about to enter the department store. He enters the store and immediately feels a sense of pride, flowing through his body. For the first time since a long time ago, he feels as if he’s a part of the mainstream culture--he has money to spend. He thinks that this feeling of having money to spend is truly amazing and that having money is all it takes to feel this way, in a society that promotes the use of money. He realizes that money is used for virtually everything, except perhaps to buy love. This is because love comes from within or the essence of people. And it’s still mysterious, for the most part, because a person can fall in love with someone whom they think they would never fall in love with. However, people can also pretend to love one another, in which case, they can buy love with money. But genuine love is pure, unconditional, rare, doesn’t involve money, and absolutely needed for survival. 
   George starts to think about what it would be like not to have money. There would, then, not be any standard by which people make trades. And if there’s no standard, there would probably be more conflicts when people disagree during their trades. However, if everything that people need is provided for them so they wouldn’t have to use money, then there would be less competition, and absolute equality is achieved because people would be getting only what they need. However, what people want would then become irrelevant so there would be no originality. Everyone would be the same. So money helps regulate trades and promotes originality. 
   Now, he realizes that he’s walking back and forth in the store. He still needs to find the items, which he’s there to buy. He grabs a shopping cart and starts his search. At the linen’s department, he takes a twin-sized blanket, a towel, and a small pillow. At the mens department, he takes two pairs of pants: one is jeans and the other is corduroy. He also grabs a few pairs of socks. He sees a leather jacket, but he knows that he can’t afford it, so he grabs a pack of underwear instead. The last item on his list is the shelter for his kittens. He walks over to the pet’s department and takes a small container which is used for puppies, but it’s the only one he can find, that would provide everything the kittens need. Every item in his cart appears to be discounted, but he still thinks that he’s spending too much money on these items. 
   Nonetheless, George swaggers toward the check-out counter, with a big smile on his face. He puts his items on the counter, and the cashier starts ringing them up. The total amount due comes to fifty-seven dollars and forty cents. George doesn’t want to bother counting his smaller bills, so he gives the cashier his remaining one-hundred dollar bill. The cashier takes it, looks at George, and walks over to the customer service counter, where a store manager is standing. The manager grabs the bill and examines it under bright light. The manager approves it, and the cashier completes the transaction. George walks out of the store feeling slightly embarrassed, because some people are staring at him. 

   George is walking through a crowded area. He’s searching for people who may need his assistance. He’s also thinking about the kittens. He’s hoping that nobody will find them because he left them outside his coffin. After he got back from his shopping trip, he placed his new blanket, pillow, and clothes in his coffin and the kittens in the small container, which came with a bowl. He poured some milk into the bowl. He left the container next to his coffin. 
   George sees people laughing, smiling, talking, walking, running, skating on the sidewalk, eating, drinking, reading the newspaper while talking on their cell phone, drinking while riding in their cars, and so forth. The amazing thing, that he notices about this scene, is that most of these people don’t seem to notice the simplest things that go on around them. For instance, he sees a man who is sitting right below a pigeon that can relieve itself at any moment. The man seems to be eating soup and staring at a woman twenty yards away from him. George also sees a mouse running between a woman’s legs, as she drops a bag of trash into a trash bin. However, she doesn’t scream. The sound of a bird above entices George to look up. He sees a tiny white dot streaking across the sky, without leaving a trace of its path. It can’t be a meteor or an airplane because these things would leave a smoky path. Regardless, it has already disappeared. And George sees that no one else is looking up, in the sky. He concludes that most people appear to only be concerned with their own immediate affairs. They don’t really notice anything that goes beyond that boundary. 
   George continues to observe keenly as he walks past a brand new, silver Honda Civic coupe. He sees a blonde ponytail shuddering over the steering wheel. He takes a closer look and sees a young lady crying. He knocks on the passenger-side window, which is partially opened. She looks up and sees him looking into her car. She puts her head back down, on the steering wheel, and wipes her watery eyes with her hands. She turns her head to the other side of the car, away from George. He asks her why she’s crying and whether he can do anything to help her. She hears him but refuses to respond because she wants to be left alone. He walks over to the driver side to get her attention. She sees him coming and quickly roles up the window. He walks back to the passenger side and says, "Miss, please let me help you. Don’t cry." 
   "Go away, I wanna be left alone."
   "But I’m a Good Samaritan. I help people. At least take this handkerchief." He hands her a dirty-looking handkerchief, which is very old but he tries to keep it clean. However, she’s disgusted by the sight. 
   "You’re what? That’s nasty! Take it back and leave me alone you dirty old man!" A long silence follows. George senses the cold shoulder.
   "I don’t know why you’re crying, but I hope that you will be all right." With a sigh, he starts to walk away. She lifts her head to see him walk away, with his head down. She wonders why someone would express such an obvious concern for a complete stranger. 
   Meanwhile, George has an image in his head, and he can’t ignore it. Never in his life has he seen something so beautiful as this. How can the world create something so beautiful? Perhaps this is another unexplained miracle. The image of a blonde ponytail fluttering, over a car steering wheel, haunts him. It was like poetry in motion, very fluid and efficient. When the young lady lifted her head to look at him, he saw how vulnerable she was. And, to George, the way her face was put together was perfect. And the fact that she had tears in her eyes only makes her more attractive to him. He wishes that he could’ve helped her somehow. George continues walking. He doesn’t know where he is or where he’s going. 

   A beautiful, sunny morning in April brings people outside. At the park, the young and the old enjoy each other’s company. It’s Saturday, when children don’t have to be in school, so they’re at the park chasing birds and each other.  Some are playing catch football; others are playing freesbees with their dogs. 
   The young lady, whom George witnessed crying in a car, is sitting alone on a park bench. To her left is a briefcase, containing case files; to her right is a brown paper bag, containing fresh bagels. She has a small cup of coffee in her hand. She slowly takes a sip while alertly making observations and studying everything, that is happening around her. She’s not crying anymore but still has a sad look on her face. Her eyes are fixed at something in front of her. She takes another sip. She hears a voice of a little girl from her left. "Mommy look, dare’s a dead sgirl on da street." 
    Our observer turns her head and sees a little girl, possibly about four or five years old, running into the street. She quickly gets up, her eyes wide open, and scampers after the girl, who appears to be about forty feet away from her. She sees the four year old squatting down beside a dead animal and attempting to touch it. She screams, 
"No! Don’t touch the animal! Get off the road!" She senses some cars speeding toward the little girl and feels her heart sinking to her ankle. She struggles to run faster but can’t--something seems to be holding her back. She wonders whether there’s anyone else rushing over to help this little girl. Her frustration, about this crisis, overwhelms her and seems to last forever. She wishes that she were already there, beside the girl, so she can just sweep her up and out of harms way. She fears that the girl is too small for the drivers to see her; from a distance or inside a fast-moving vehicle, the girl may appear to look like a large debris. Our observer’s eyes are fixed at the little girl--hoping that it would make the girl understand the situation somehow and get off the road. Suddenly, our observer hears squeaking sounds of tires and brakes. She puts her hands over her eyes. Her emotion overwhelms her. 
   However, there’s no screaming or collision. Our observer opens her eyes. She sees a man signaling for the cars to stop. He puts himself, in harms way, between the oncoming traffic and the little girl. Some drivers are gesturing their contempt for this man, who just stopped the traffic as if he had a right to do so. One driver immediately yells out, 
"Hey, what da fuck you think your doin? Get outta the way!" The stranger ignores the driver, turns around, and walks over to the little girl. He grabs the girl’s hand and escorts her off the street. He says to her, 
"C’mon, Honey, let’s go see your mommy." The drivers now realize why they were forced to stop. One driver says, "Hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t see her. Is she all right?" 
The little girl has a concerned look, on her face, but she doesn’t understand why everyone is looking at her. She looks back to see the dead squirrel, still lying motionless, at the same spot, and she’s pointing her finger at it; she wants George to help the animal. 
   From about ten feet away, our concerned observer watches the hero take the little girl to her mother, who is running frantically toward them. He looks familiar to our observer. She has seen this scrawny figure before. She recognizes his scruffy-looking hair that needs combing, and his brown jacket.
   Her thoughts wander to a former boyfriend, whom she recently dumped because she had found him kissing another woman. He was her college sweetheart. After four years with him, she had decided that he was the one for her, for the rest of her life, and that she was going to commit herself to making him happy. But his infidelity changed everything. She had suspected it all along but kept an open mind and was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, until the day she found him cuddling with another woman. Because he was the type of man who loves to look at other women and talk about them, she was not surprised. However, it really hurt her to see the infidelity with her own eyes. On the day that she confronted him and told him it was over, she stormed out of the apartment, that they had shared, crying. She got into her silver 2001 Honda Civic(a graduation present from her parents) and drove for hours. She finally parked her car at a crowded intersection and continued to cry. She heard someone calling her from the passenger-side window. 
"Miss, are you okay? Is there anything I can do?" 
   She looks up and realizes that this is the same stranger who saved the little girl. She wonders who he is. She remembers him saying something about a Good Samaritan. She tries to walk over to him, but again she feels something holding her back. She watches him intensely. She sees him disappearing into a crowd of people. She wants to follow him, but she remembers the fact that she left her briefcase, with important case files, back at the bench. She runs back to retrieve it. She turns around to look for him, but it’s too late. 

   A week later, our heroine is walking out of the Federal Post Office building, along Beagle Street. She had to express-mail some packages. She sees George walking into the alley, adjacent to the building. She immediately recognizes him as the old man who tried to help her. She’s not willing to let him escape her sight this time. She immediately follows him, into the alley. She calls out, 
"Excuse me! Sir, may I have a word with you?" He turns around and sees her. She catches up to him. His eyes widen immediately as he recognizes her. She says, 
"Hi, do you remember me? You tried to comfort me when I was . . . you know, grieving in my car." George pretends to be oblivious about the situation that she suggests, but he’s quite glad to see her again and relieved that her grief didn’t lead to a suicide, because the world is more special with her in it. 
She asks again, "Don’t you remember me?"
   "Oh yes, but of course. You were the young lady in the car. How are you?" George tries to look wise beyond his years. She smiles at him. 
   "I’m fine. I want to thank you for wanting to comfort me."
   "Oh my dear, don’t mention it. It was my pleasure . . . really."
   "Also, I recently saw you saving a little girl’s life at the park when she was in the middle of the street." 
   "Oh yes, you were there?" 
   "Yes, that was very thoughtful of you. I tried to run to her, but you got there before I did." 
   "Oh my, I was quite relieved to be able to save her in time, you know, doing what I do." 
   "Oh, do you always go around trying to help people?" 
   "Oh yes, as I mentioned it to you before, I work full-time as a Good Samaritan."
   "Really? But you can’t possibly make a living doing that." 
   "Oh yes, it’s a living. I get considerable satisfaction out of it." 
   George notices her tired expression as she sighs. 
"Would you like to sit down?" He points to the coffin which is the only thing, in the alley, he believes that a respectable person can sit on. But the young lady asks, 
"But isn’t that a coffin?"
   "Yes, I believe that it is so," says George. She presses on, 
"If you don’t mind me asking, what are you doing here in this alley?" George realizes that he has to come up with a credible explanation and quickly. He thinks, C’mon George, please think of something, something that will impress her. This is a chance of a lifetime dummy. He hears a scratching sound coming from inside the coffin. He immediately thinks, That’s it, just use this. He opens the coffin door and sees the two kittens, waking up from their nap. The young lady sees them too, her eyes widen, and immediately says, 
"Awhh, they’re so adorable." George, nodding his head, says, 
"That’s it. That’s why I’m here. I’ve been caring for them. I found them abandoned in a trash bin." 
   "Oh, you are the sweetest man." 
   "Yes, thank you. I try to be." George has a big smile on his face. 
   "Oh, and you’ve been coming to this alley to take care of them. It must be such a nuisance to you. Do you live far from here?" 
   "Ahh no, not too far. Listen Miss umm...I would greatly appreciate it if you would take them to a veterinarian and maybe to an animal shelter. There’s barely enough room for them here, I mean. . . this place is no place for two helpless kittens. So would you please do that for me?" 
   "Oh sure I would. But instead of taking them to an animal shelter, where they can be put to sleep, I think I will take them to a friend of mine who would be willing to adopt them." 
   "Oh splendid," says George. He puts the kittens in the small container, which he bought for them, and hands it over to her and thanks her. She says,
"Oh, it’s my pleasure, thank you. I love animals. . . well, I guess I better be on my way, good-bye and take care." She starts to walk away. George starts to worry about the possibility that he might never see her again. He starts to pound his forehead with his fist and calls out to her, "Ahh Miss! What is your number? I will need to get in touch with you about the status of those kittens, I mean I really care about them." She gives him an innocent stare and says,  "I work at the Jennings and Marshalls Law Firm as an assistant attorney. You can find me there if you need to get in touch. Just ask for Samantha Becker." George smiles from ear to ear. She finally has a name. He has a tingling sensation in his chest. They exchange their good-byes, and he watches her as she walks out of the alley.