My Decision

I stood on the subway platform and waited alongside the crowd of other people. Since it was the weekend, there were more people than usual; I left earlier than when I was needed at work to account for the increased traffic.

As I waited, I decided to reflect on these recent events. Housing this girl… Camryn… It was truly the right decision, right? One, she is homeless and has no adults she can rely on, and two, she cannot seek help from homeless shelters or the police — the reason is currently unknown to me… I think my decision served to protect her. Although I suppose she could have been sent to an orphanage. Hm… Maybe not — if she does not want help from the police or homeless shelters, I doubt she would want help from an orphanage.

But why is that? What do the police, homeless shelters, and orphanages have in common? Hm… could it be that they all have the purpose of helping the less fortunate? If so, could the reason be related to her pride? Perhaps… I see. This is my current theory — Camryn does not want the help from charities as she tries to reunite with her parents.

But her situation is so… foolish. Pride, huh? Why is she letting that get in the way of her survival? Well, she is still young — soon, she will learn about the world of being an adult — she will learn that people should not listen to their true feelings if they want to be efficient. Yes… Feelings are meager when compared to the physical world, and they will only hinder one’s performance — that is the pinnacle of what I have been taught. Am I wrong?

Anyway, I should not worry for now. I will just comply with her needs and not think about her situation too much.

“Oh, Ren?”

I turned my head towards the direction of this woman’s voice.

“Oh, hello Bailey.”

She walked towards me.

“We don’t have work today, but you’re wearing your suit for work. Don’t you have a more diverse wardrobe?”

I shook my head.

“That is not it. I have been called back to work to do something.”

Beside me, Bailey lifted an eyebrow.

“Oh… Wait, it’s not because of Kush or any other co-worker, is it. No, if it’s another lazy bastard, head back home right now — I forbid you from accepting other people’s work!”

“That is not it. The boss wants me to undertake a project.”

“O-oh, I see…”

Bailey turned to face the tracks.

“Boss must really trust you huh? To specifically ask you to do something… wow.”

Bailey seemed to be deeply thinking about this fact.

But it did not last long because after a couple seconds, she turned, lifted her hand, and smacked the back of my head.

“Bailey?”

“That didn’t hurt, did it?”

“Not really.”

“Okay then. Don’t worry, I’m not mad. I just felt an urge to hit you.”

She was speaking the truth. In fact, she sometimes gets an urge to hit me, but everytime she does, she feels no hostility towards me.

“Y’know Ren, you should really kick back every once in a while. Like me — it’s the weekend, so I’m heading to Valerie’s. Go chill out — go relax on a beach, go visit your mom, or go visit Connie for some reason unbeknownst to me.”

I nodded.

“Thank you for the advice Bailey, but I assure you that none of this work is tiring to me.”

“Okay… But remember what I told you when it does.”

She said that in a slightly doubtful tone. Did she not believe me?

As we waited for our subways, she started conversations with me.