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What I see: I see a man with white hair sleeping in front of a store.
What I feel: I feel the store is abandoned, or else he won't be sleeping there in broad daylight. I think he was once in the army as evidenced by the camo outfit he features in his wardrobe. He's probably suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, (PTSD) which many servicemen have been known to suffer from. He may or may not have a family, but the likelihood of him having is slim. He could have walked away from his family on his own or got sent off because they couldn't deal with him. Transitioning back into civil life after service is almost always hard for men in the army.
She was about 8 years old when a younger Tommy who was in his late 20s signed up for the army and was shipped off to war in Mogadishu.
He fought valiantly for his country and returned home after 5 years. Tommy ran into his high school crush, Kristie when he came back home, and one thing led to another, no one could ever tell if it was love between those two though, it was kinda funny when you think of it. They always were at loggerheads with each other.
They got married within a short while, and they soon turned into cat and rat in the house, they never did find a common ground after marriage it seemed. The most surprising thing was amid all the fights and quarrels, they managed to have three kids within 4 years.
They had two boys and a girl, and so, the fights resumed. The major issue had to do with bills, Kristie worked as a hairdresser, and she worked as hard as she could to make ends meet, it just wasn't enough.
Tommy on his part put in his best too, but he never could keep a job. He worked many different jobs, as a rent-a-cop, bouncer, security, storekeeper, and lots more, but he didn't fit in. He was used to action and the everyday routine lifestyle of normal citizens didn't appeal to him anymore. He was always getting into fights and screwing up all his chances.
Kristie was tired, as tired as tired could get. She cared for Tommy, but she couldn't take it anymore. He was hardly ever home to attend to his kids, and when he was, he usually had many things to complain about, to top it all, he had no job and was steadily burning through the family's savings.
The only reason why they weren't out on the streets was because they were living in the house left to Tommy by his dead parents.
Tommy reenlisted again because he couldn't fit into civilian life. He was posted to Iran this time, and after two years, got wounded in battle. A bullet went right through his head and like the
doctors said, "It's a miracle he even survived."
He was discharged on medical grounds as the bullet in his brain couldn't be operated on. There was an 80/20 percent chance of survival if the surgery was carried out on him. The bullet was lodged in a very tricky part of his brain.
The military didn't like to be stressed, so Tommy was discharged and shipped home with a lousy pension. Tommy went home, but all that remained of him was an empty shell, and he became a shadow of his former self. Things were further complicated at home for Tommy when he started acting funny, he would sit by the window and talk to himself for hours. He yelled at the children and Kristine whenever he felt like it. To cap it all, he got hooked on the pain meds that were given to him at the hospital to help control the nasty headache that was always afflicting him.
Bottom line, his wife couldn't bear it anymore, for the sake of her sanity and her children's well-being. She filed for divorce, she was given the house and was granted custody of their three kids.
Tommy on his part, didn't hire a lawyer and just sat through the entire proceedings in silence. He was disconnected and felt like he was watching a movie of his own life playing right before his very eyes.
Kristine sold the house almost immediately and moved out of town with her kids, leaving Tommy to his fate.
Since then, Tommy has been living in shelter houses and sleeping wherever he could find. His favorite spot though was the front of the abandoned supermarket where he's always chased away, but almost always comes back.
I tried talking to him many times, but he was in a world of his own and seemed not to be aware of happenings around him. He's been that way for 15 years now, and you can't help but pity him.
Some good folks who appreciated his service to his country have tried to check him into a psychiatric hospital, but so far, they have been unsuccessful.
"It's a shame really that someone who dedicated his life to the service of his nation has been left alone to his problem. Whoever said life's fair? It is what it is." Evelyn shrugged and continued on her way.