When I saw him again, it was in this one little coffee shop that managed to survive in spite of the army of Starbucks and the like. It was known among the homeless folk for having donuts and kolaches for under a dollar-a pretty sweet deal for us. Even the worst busker could make that much in a day.
Sam hadn't figured out that much yet, he just knew they didn't shoo him out for not ordering anything and they had free wifi and outlets for laptops. Which is why I ended up giving him half of my donut. Only food I had all day, but seeing the heartbroken way he eyed the thing-and how baggy his clothes were-I couldn't hardly eat the whole thing in front of him. And the way his eyes lit up... I'll never forget it as long as I live.
I think even more than the donut itself he was so excited to have someone being nice to him. He always said he had problems making friends, even moreso than most of us. Probably because he was a little bit crazy, as he proved that day. We decided to go to the comic shop nearby. I'd never been but apparently it was one of his favorite hangouts and I really liked the idea, it'd been a while since I'd done something just for fun like that.
We got about halfway there before he got quiet and scared, staring off into the distance before apologizing and telling me he needed to head to a roof. Sam was so jittery and scared, and there was nothing there. But he was far more comfortable on the roof, so we went and spent a couple hours talking up there.
It was really nice, having a friend, even if he was a bit certifiable.
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