Spare Some Change? (Jamie)

[Ricio Miller]

takes place on September 26

It was still fairly nice out for Vermont this time of year. And Ricio was trying to soak up every last moment of the good weather. Not that hot or cold really mattered to him, but when winter hit there were less people out and about to talk to or put money in his cup.

Also his guitar didn't fair well in the cold weather. So it spent the winter months safe in his brother's spare room.

Ricio was trying out a new song today on his guitar. Living on the streets, he was often a bit behind the times when it came to pop culture and such. But he'd recently heard Ed Sheeran's song A-Team on the radio at his brother's house and he thought it was beautiful. He was still getting the hang of it, having only heard it a few times, but it was recognizable. As usually though, he was whistling along instead of actually singing. He'd never thought his voice was all that good.

He had his guitar case open on the ground along with a fancy calligraphy sign asking for 'tips from wonderful people.' He paused his whistling each time someone dropped in some change to look up and thank them. He may have been a beggar, but at least he was a thankful one.

[Jamie Mills]

Jamie checked his watch, slowing down to little more than a jog to check the time. He’d been out for nearly an hour now, he was surprised to realize, and had managed to get himself into such a stride he’d zoned out of everything except each foot stroke on the pavement. Even as he came to a stop, beads of sweat trickling down the back of his neck, he felt less hungover and clearer of mind than he had...well, for months. Jamie wasn’t naive enough to believe that’d last long, but he’d enjoy the calm while he could.

Lifting the collar of his shirt over his face to wipe the sweat away, Jamie looked around, figuring now was a good time to eat something, he hoped to find a decent coffee joint that had bagels or something too. When he finally did find a good place, he got the biggest, hottest coffee he could find and lo and behold, bagels!

Chewing thoughtfully and chasing it down with the coffee, Jamie began to make his way back towards his apartment. It’d take him a while to get back if he kept up this pace, but he figured there was no rush. He passed by a woman with a stroller and toddler, moving off to the side so as not to run into them, and having to come up short when the toddler ran up in front of Jamie in order to drop some change into a homeless man’s cup.

Suddenly feeling a little awkward, Jamie made to walk past the little girl and continue on his way. It wasn’t like he had anything against homeless folk...he just didn’t like giving them money. For a moment, he considered giving him the other half of his bagel, and it was in that moment he heard the bums voice.

Unsure exactly of what jogged his memory (he was prone to forgetting some things entirely, and remembering other things vividly), Jamie glanced down at the man and squinted. “Ricio?”

[Ricio Miller]

Though he would never want one of his own, way too much commitment, Ricio actually enjoyed kids. They were so honest and joyful. The world hadn't gotten to them yet, tried to shove them into neat little boxes and cliche categories. They were still free to just be themselves.

So he was busy grinning at the little girl and hadn't been paying much attention to the man running by. So he looked up with surprise when he heard his name called out.

The runner looked familiar, very familiar, but it still took Ricio a moment to come up with a name. He had never been all that great with names, even as a student at Hammel.

"Jamie?" he said, smiling not only because of the familiar face, but also because he was proud of himself for coming up with the name at all. He stopped playing his guitar and set it to the side, but kept his seat on the ground. "How are you? I didn't know you were in Pilot Ridge."

[Jamie Mills]

There was a moment after he’d said his name that Jamie realized it might not be him at all. It looked like him- older, a bit more weathered than before, but there was definitely something around the eyes, and his voice was nearly exactly the same. It seemed to take Ricio a moment or two to piece it together, but then when he smiled and said his name, Jamie returned it with a quick outburst of laughter.

“What’s up, man!” he greeted, now that he was sure it was in fact his old friend that he hadn’t seen in nearly a decade, crouching down a bit off to the side and offering his free hand, “Yeah...yeah, I moved back a few weeks ago. Figured it was the right place to go, you know,” He shrugged lightly before motioning to Ricio.

“What about you, what’s...been going on?” He felt guilty now, at least a little. He wondered what circumstances could have led Ricio to be panhandling.

[Ricio Miller]

Ricio was trying to figure out just how long it had been since he'd last seen his friend. He knew he had changed a lot since thine. He'd discovered a whole knew way of life. He'd found his freedom. Jamie was certainly older now, just like he was. Surely he must have seen some changes too.

"Not much, just enjoying this beautiful day," Ricio said, extending his own hand. He wasn't sure if Jamie wanted to shake or pull him to his feet. But as always Ricio would just go with the flow. "Yeah I hear ya, there's somethin about this town that seems to draw everyone back." He smiled and laughed a little. "Maybe it's the water." Tough it had been his brother's wish that Ricio return, Pilot Ridge had always felt like home, so it hadn't taken much convincing for him to move back.

"I've been back a few years," Ricio explained with a shrug. Keeping track of the passing days on a calendar wasn't something he concerned himself with. He'd have to really think to remember just how long he'd been back. Was it four winters? Or six? Chuck would know.

"I came back to be close to Chuck," he continued. Though Ricio had two sisters as well, he'd always been closer to his brother. Maybe because they'd both been to Hammel. But even in his younger days it had always been him and Chuck. And it continued during their days at Hammel. Jamie would probably remember his older brother as well.

"What are you doing these days?"

[Jamie Mills]

Jamie clasped the other man’s hand in a firm handshake, nodding at his remark that Pilot Ridge had a way of drawing people back to it before having to stabilize himself as he continued to crouch so he didn’t topple over. Whether he felt a little better after his run or not, he could still feel that nagging disorientation of a hangover. “Maybe,” he chuckled, finding it best to perhaps not crouch anymore and shifting off to the side so he was sitting near Ricio, as he had started to sway a little. He would blame it on his morning run and tired legs.

Jamie nodded slowly, taking a moment to recall the brother. Both were older than him by a couple years, but even then he’d been closer with Ricio. “That’s good, man, really good.” He said, wondering once again why Ricio would be out here like this if Chuck were around too. Surely Chuck wasn’t homeless as well? Or perhaps maybe Ricio wasn’t homeless and was just...out and about to play his guitar. Ricio had always been on the artsy side- maybe this was something along those lines.

“Uhh...Well...not much,” He said, and glancing to his PT shirt, which still showed the evidence of his morning run, “Just got out, haven’t really gotten around to figuring out what I’m gonna do next. What about you? Are you...doing ok?” He asked pointedly.

[Ricio Miller]

Ricio shook his old friend’s hand and grinned as Jamie continued to crouch beside him. It wasn’t often that someone would take the time to actually sit and chat with him. Of course, it was a bonus that it was an old friend he was talking to, but really Ricio would be grinning no matter who was sitting beside him. His facial expressions were always an open book.

“Go ahead and have a seat,” he said patting the ground. “The grass is as good a place as any.’

It was true that Chuck wasn’t exactly pleased when Ricio started living on the streets. Still unlike their sisters, Chuck had given up trying to force his brother back indoors. Or at least he knew it wasn’t worth it to bring it up. Instead Chuck gave Ricio a place to shower when he wanted. And store his guitar over the winter.

So while Ricio looked ragged and in need of a haircut, he was perhaps a little cleaner than the average guy on the streets. Usually it was his clothing that gave him away first. Ricio had always loved layers. And his clothes were hard to keep clean and new looking.

He followed Jamie’s gaze to the shirt. It took Ricio a moment to place the symbol. “Army? That’s where you went after Hammel?” Not that Ricio had been keeping tabs. He’d always been lax on commitment, even more so now that he was on the streets. And after Hammel, he’d been too busy having a breakdown to care about his old classmates whereabouts.

“I’m doing great!” Ricio said, grinning wide. He saw nothing wrong with his lifestyle. In fact, he thought it was everyone else how had a problem with the way they were living. “Got my guitar. It’s a beautiful day. And now an old friend to chat with. What more does a guy need?”

Maybe a smoke, he thought, reaching in his bag to start to roll one up seeing that he was taking a break from guitar playing.