It was almost likely the vent blowing; she tried to convince herself of.
Jona took two more steps away, but she heard another moan.
Damn!
Turning back to the dumpster, she opened the lid and groaned to herself.
He had to look about 250 or a little bit more. Well built though and not fat. Still getting him out would be a pain and a headache.
What are you thinking crazy?! Do you know what they’ll say?! The questions they’ll ask! NO! No! No! You don’t need the headache.
Her stomach growled and she looked him over carefully to see if she could detect something on him. Looking to the street both ways, no one was around enough to even notice her.
Bravely, she reached her hand over to him and felt the lower pockets of his suit coat. There was nothing there on either side. She knew these coats pretty well from looking them over in the Salvation Army to see if she could sport them for warmth. Jona knew male clothing was much warmer than female clothing and their clothing also had more pockets; especially on the inside.
Feeling upwards, she found the inner pocket and reached deep inside. Her fingers touched something cold and metal. Pulling it out, she smirked at the treasure she found. A platinum and diamond ring which he must have taken it off before getting shot in the head.
This would feed her for a couple of months!
Excitedly she let the doors to the dumpster close and started walking away.
Wait!
You’re just going to leave him? she asked herself.
Looking back at the dumpster, she knew the right thing to do would be to go for help, but the thought of the pawn shop closing before she got over there was just too tempting. It was one right around the corner and she hopped right over there and put the ring on the counter.
The greasy large white man with speckled black in his white hair looked at her suspiciously with his light blue eyes. “You aint’ stole dis off no one little one.”
She shook her head and held her hand out for payment.
He looked at it through a special eyepiece and she was sure he was salivating.
“I’ll give ya a bill for it.”
She didn’t move her hand when he placed the bill on it, but she was not about to argue with this man. He was gypping her.
Grumbling, he placed three more bills and looked relieved when she moved her hand away. Even though she knew the ring must have cost a couple of thousand, she wasn’t pressing her luck. The fact that she stole the ring off a semi dead man already was guilt enough.
Walking out the pawn shop, quickly closing her coat, she thought she heard his groan right in her ear.
Culpability overwhelmed her and she found her feet taking her back to the dumpster. With the holiday being tomorrow and the icy river winds from the Detroit River howling about with a little snow mixed in, there was hardly anyone in downtown Detroit.
He can’t still be alive, she convinced herself, but that didn’t stop her feet from taking her right in front of the dumpster, nor her hands from opening up the black top.
His lips had started to turn a little blue, but he just looked like he was sleeping. Putting her hand by his nose, it took a moment to feel his warm breath on the tip of her finger.
Just find anyone to find him too, so they can get him help, she told herself.
Jona looked around for help, but not even a car passed by and it was late enough that the restaurant wasn’t even opened anymore.
If she left again to get help, his injury could be worse and pressure could help him survive just a little longer.
Jona reluctantly climbed in the dumpster easily and reached inside her own jacket to find an extra hat and a shirt.
Under her breath she was cursing herself, but for some reason, she couldn’t just leave him. Despite the fact she didn’t know him, the look on the mother of the church’s face would be devastating if she knew Jona left this man for dead when they had helped her out in bad situations.
“Pay it forward,” she’d heard a lot of the members say and if Jona left this man to die, she’d carry that guilt along with the fact that she was miserable and alone for the rest of her short life. Short life meaning, she’d probably kill herself from all the guilt on her emotional shoulders.
With the shirt, she carefully banded his head tightly muttering about wasting a perfectly good shirt on this white man. It looked as if the bullet had only grazed his skull, but there was enough blood and damage to his skin that it looked as if his brain was gone as well.
She was not a doctor, but she knew enough street medicine to know when to wrap something to stop or slow down the bleeding. With his pitch-black hair, the darkness of the blood didn’t bother her as much and once she put on the hat, he almost seemed to be fine.
“Help,” he whispered.
She braced her legs tight and put her arms under his pits. Using her back, she was able to get him to sitting up.
“Help me out, Mister,” she ordered in a strain. “Please.”
It took a few more minutes and just as she was about to give up, his legs began to move. Though they were shaky, it was just enough to get her to help him lift up and pull him over the dumpster wall.
Still no one was around and she slowly lowered him down to the ground. Looking down at his feet, she knew they would freeze before she got them anywhere.
Taking off her boots, she took off two pairs of her socks and put them on his feet.
“You gotta stand up,” she ordered, him gripping him under the arms again.
His eyes were closed and he really seemed dead. His color was fading and she really worried his injuries were worse than what they were. Dry blood now looked like splotches of dirt all over his face and even his clothes had started to freeze in the Downtown icy river wind that whipped about them.
Yet, his legs began to move and she was able to help him stand up. He leaned heavily on her, but walked with her in a sluggish pace. She walked toward the bus terminal where she hoped there was a police car there or some more help.
If they passed anyone, the person was either on the other side of the street or just walked faster to get away from her and the stranger. Jona really felt like giving up. Her back was screaming in pain from his weight, but she couldn’t give up right now. It was just a few more blocks to the bus terminal.
Just as they arrived at the public bus terminal near downtown Detroit, she saw a patrol car slowly circling for safety. Hurriedly, she found a bench for the injured stranger to get on, and then proceeded to run across the street to flag down the officers.
They were about to pull off, but in her relief, the officer sitting on the passenger side noticed her and made the driver hold up.
The passenger side officer warily rolled down the window partially as Jona walked up to that side of the car.
Relief filled her because even though she had stolen from this man, she was going to get him off her hands and wouldn’t have to worry about her conscious.
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Hope Is Love – Black Family Series
By Sylvia Hubbard
Rating: Not yet rated.
Published: May 22, 2012
Words: 96214 (approximate)
Language: English
ISBN: 9781452417370
Short description
When there is nothing else to hope for… HOPE IS LOVE. Book 2 of the Black Family Series
Extended description
Meet Hope, but most people call her Jona. She was a person living in the world, but not living on the inside.
Bad things happen to good people and Hope was the person we lose in the system and she grows up just going from day-to-day trying to make a dollar out of the pennies she find.
But she’s smart on the street. She keeps to herself, but she’s just there. A body without a soul and she’s going nowhere.
Then meet James from LOVE LIKE THIS .
He’s one of the bad characters that once the story is over you really don’t give a fig about. Now he’s lost again and you’ll find him here in HOPE IS LOVE.
Can they find what they are looking for?
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