"Oh great," David thought, anticipating a burly thug, but instead, his eyes landed on a small, scrappy kid, likely between nine and twelve years old, dressed in worn-out clothes, a surprise that left him perplexed.
"Just a kid, huh?" David thought, swiftly stashing the cash in his bag.
With a wary gaze, David watched the child approach, their eyes fixed on him with a blend of curiosity and fear.
David knew that many street kids made a living by pickpocketing, so he kept his guard up.
With a quavering lip, the child begged in a tiny, sorrowful voice, "Uncle, please, I'm very hungry."
David immediately crouched down beside the child, holding both his shoulders carefully, he asked concerned, "are you lost?"
The child shook his head; David pressed on, "where are your mom and dad then?"
"I don't have a mom or dad," the child said, his voice cracking as tears welled up in his eyes and trickled down his cheeks.
David brought him closer to his chest and embraced him softly.
"I've got something to take care of, but afterwards, we'll get some food, alright?" David said, giving the child a gentle pat on the back as he released him.
The child nodded and walked over to wait by the wall, while David quickly counted the money he had taken from Xavier.
".....three hundred, four hundred, five hundred, and a twenty. That adds up to six thousand, nice profit."
David slipped five hundred dollars into his pocket and stowed the rest in his bag.
"Come on," he gestured for the child to follow him, the child quickly ran behind David and followed carefully behind him.
"What would you like to have?" David asked softly as they walked together.
As they walked David felt passers-by's piercing gaze on him, because he had a poor child following behind him.
Other people usually chased children like him away and from the public so as not to get bad luck from their 'dirty hands'.
They were wondering why the child kept following behind David, and even David did not seem to mind it and kept walking straight forward and both of them seemed to be in a weirdly happy conversation which seemed suspicious.
"Bread, I would love to eat bread," the child exclaimed, his eyes lit up with excitement.
"Alright," David treated the child to a bread shop, buying a loaf and a chicken sandwich to share.
The child's eyes sparkled as they took their first bite, and David smiled at the small price of forty dollars for such happiness.
Next, David took the child to a nearby mall, just a short walk from the bread shop, and bought a week's worth of groceries, including fresh fruits and vegetables.
The child's eyes welled up with tears as David surprised him with ice cream and doughnuts, a luxury he had not enjoyed in a long time.
David then paid for everything, they only cost him a little over a hundred dollars, even if he needed to save up for his mom's hospital bills, he could not let the child go hungry.
As they left the store, David asked, "What's your name, little guy?"
The boy's face lit up with a bright smile as he replied, "I'm Mason!" David smiled back, "I'm David. Do you live with any family members?"
"Ahh no, but," Mason hesitated before continuing, "I live with my grandmama, she is sick and there's nobody to help us,'' Mason said as tears welled up in his eyes.
As they prepared to part ways, David embraced Mason warmly, then suddenly recalled, "Wait, where do you live? I'd love to visit you and your grandmama sometime."
"The fourth lone house on the third street."
"Alright, you should have this," David gave him a hundred dollar note.
Mason's face brightened up, "thank you so much," then he gave David a big hug.
David watched Mason dance happily as he went down the street.
David saw a younger version of himself in Mason, reminded of his own difficult past.
He realized that his access to education and employment opportunities had been a privilege, one that Mason didn't share..
"I guess I'll have to go job hunting tomorrow," he said and turned around to leave.
David was about to walk away when two policemen in uniform appeared out of nowhere, ordering, "Stop! Don't take another step!"
"Me?" David pointed to himself, confused whether or not it's him.
Immediately, a thought flashed across his mind, "did someone find Xavier and his bodyguards? No, I don't think so, but what if?" David started panicking inside, not knowing the reason why the cops would stop him.
The only thing he thought that would be the only possibility is that someone already found Xavier or Xavier called the cops, but he's out cold so how…
"I'm officer Ramirez and this is officer John," they both showed their identification cards to David.
David's mind was in chaos, he didn't know what to think, "and, what business do you have with me?" He answered calmly with no hint of panic in his voice.
"There has been a case of kidnapping of homeless and unsuspecting children around this area recently. The lady over there alarmed us and thinks that you're a suspect,"
Officer Ramirez pointed to a blonde middle aged woman across the street, sitting in front of a coffee shop.
"That child that just left, who is he to you and why was he following you around?" Ramirez questioned.
"The child came to me and pleaded to get him something to eat and I clearly got him something to eat, does that make me a kidnapping suspect, because I helped a poor child?" David questioned back.
"Alright then, I guess that's all," officer John said and gestured for them to leave as it seems like they have been misinformed.
The middle aged woman saw that David wasn't getting apprehended and crossed the street to confront the officers, "why isn't he getting arrested?" She demanded, annoyed.
"Because he was just helping the child get some food!" Ramirez replied.
"I told you I saw the boy follow this man to an alley and then come back out and they headed to a bread shop and then the mall, I wonder what disgusting things this man has done to that child before getting him those things, poor child," the woman said with disgust and looked at David with contempt.
"You've got this situation all twisted madam," David hadn't finished talking when the woman shunned him.
"I didn't give you permission to talk yet, how dare you speak to me?" She lashed out.