Once upon a time. No best of times worst of times. No. In the beginning. No. Jack is not sure how to start this novel. It’s a sunny day in Vancouver, British Columbia and Jack is a bum on the side of the street. He is writing this novel to one day give him better days. He’s been homeless for well over 6 months and yet he never gets used to it. Staying alive is hard work. He has a cup out for donations mainly to buy something to eat.
He must renovate his “cardboard palace” every other week. And twice a week when it rains. And then there is the stench that follows him even after he showers.
Jack is originally from Fayetteville, North Carolina. He earned a PhD in Neurobiology from Duke University. His dad is a biomedical engineer at Fort Bragg, North Carolina and has earned 5 master’s degrees. Jack’s mom is a microbiologist at DeNovo: a biotech company in Fayetteville. A distinguished family indeed.
Jack worked for Panacea Pharmaceuticals in Rockville, Maryland. A suburb of Washington, D.C. he made great money there, but he invested a lot of his money in real estate. He was so sure of his investment that he quit his job. Unfortunately, the market crashed.
What money he had left over went to his ex-wife Beth. She divorced him as soon as he quit his job. His reputation preceded him on the east coast of the United States. So, he ended up living with a friend in Vancouver. Jack’s incident traveled even across North America. He couldn’t hold a job in his specialty. His friend had to move so Jack had no place to stay. His family shunned him so he couldn’t go back home. His family supported Beth’s decision to leave him. So, he hasn’t seen his son, Brent, in quite some time.
Today is a new day, Jack reminds himself. Once I finish this novel, the cash will roll in. These daydreams keep his spirits up. Which allows him to function in such a pitiful existence. Jack works on his novel for another hour. Then his stomach begins to growl. The inevitable pangs of hunger. He checks his donation cup. Yes! Enough money for a decent meal at McDonald’s.
Jack hates fast food. But usually that is all he can afford. The restaurant is only a few blocks away so Jack walks there. He hopes no mischievous kids will destroy his cardboard palace. Jack orders a couple of Big Macs and some fries. As he orders the meal, Jack notices people backing away from him.
It must be my foul odor. I’ll eat outside on this nice bench. It’s a beautiful day. Jack is happier than most about the weather. Since a warm day usually leads to a night that isn’t unbearably frigid. While eating, Jack wonders what he will do today.
Should I go to the thrift store and acquire more clothes since I stink? Where can I take a shower? When first becoming homeless, Jack had enough money to spend some nights in a cheap motel. The motel was in the seedy part of town. People talk about how rough of a neighborhood it is. But he never saw anything suspicious. But the motel seemed terrible at first. But now he dreams about it like it’s the Hilton.
He checks his donation cup-only enough money for a few more days of fast-food meals. Jack almost chokes on some fries because he is eating too fast. That’s what happens when you are extremely hungry. Jack finishes his meal in about eight minutes. And he is still debating on what to do today.