How it started

AN: First of all, thanks for reading the story. This story is actually based on my personal experience.

)BTW, I will not be using the real names, but, any other part of the story is true. )

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Things happened in ways I can't control and I became homeless a year after Covid breakout. So, as a homeless man in a SEA(South East Asia) country, I didn't have many choice but, have to live on monetarys, refugees shelters, and slums, if I got lucky. If I don't, I have to sleep on the side of the road or when it rain, I had to seek shelter like under a bus stop or in a underground car parking where the security won't kick me out.

Anyway, it was on one night, at around 9 p.m, when I was seeking shelter for the night that bumped into a woman who is quite a beauty. She is not gorgeous or attractive or possess model like beauty but, she does have a face that is pleased to look at. Ashen blonde hair simply flowing down her back and brown eyes that are clearly drunk. And, with a dark blue fitting dress that stop at mid-thigh, she is very eye-pleasing though she looks like a stripper and smell alcohol. However, as much as I want to admire her looks, she bowed her head to apologies to me and stumbles her way around me.

This kind of thing, where bumping into a drunk woman at night is normal, in where I live. At least, I myself have seen many enough to become normal but, something about her attracted me, made me go asked her, though I don't know why, on instinct, I turned back to ask whether she is ok or should I help her walk home.

I was expecting at least, 'No' or 'Don't bother me' or something like that but, she answered while shaking her head and doing weird gestures with her hands at me. At first, I was weird out and looks at her with a raised eyebrow, which she understood and gesture her mouth before shaking her hands, and I understood, she can't speak.

I was surprised. No, it was more than that but, I throw the surprise away and offer my helps again, which she accepted after numerous times from my side.

It was not too far as her house is just two blocks away from where we met and her house is just a small apartment room in a rundown building. It was not a surprise considering that I am in sort of a slum area of the city but, what surprised me was two children waiting for her at home, who, by the way they dress and their hairstyle, let me knows they are females.

Two children, about 8, who looks thin enough to be passed of as boys, were waiting for her at the doorstep and as soon as the door opened, they bolted out, only to stop seeing me who was holding the woman's waist to keep her body from falling. The two children looks at me and bowed, almost apologetic, before running inside a room and locked it.

I was dumbfounded and only comes to my senses when the woman begins waking up and looks around before recognizing her house and invited me inside. I wanted to refuse but, my body went along with it and entered her home, leaving my backpacks at the doorsteps and takes off my shoes before following her to the dinning room where I saw her putting cover on a plate of what seems to be various kinds of food and three bowls of rice.

But, as a homeless man I am, I know what was on the plate. It was variety of food but, they are not from a luxurious hotel or prepared by chef.

Those are leftovers. Leftovers of various food placed on one plate and from three bowls surrounding it, I can assume that the two children are waiting for their mother to have dinner with them.

My heart ache seeing the scene. My stomach turns and I feels sadden after I reached the conclusion. However, before I can ask, the woman turns around and gave me a cup of water before writing something in a small note on the dinning table.

I didn't drink the water as my curiosity is getting the better of me and also my gut feelings are telling me that something is definitely wrong about this.

I didn't have to wait long to read what she has wrote and after reading it, I was hit with a huge sense of guilt and shock at what I did because she wrote:

'''Sorry for the children. They didn't know I brought company.

Thanks for walking me home. If you want my body, I will gladly pay you back on the couch over there. But, please don't do anything to the children as they will not be disturbing and they won't talk about this.'''

I was so overwhelmed by the sense of guilt that I didn't realize she is undressing in front of me. Hurriedly, I stopped her because, as much as I want to see what is underneath that dress, I feels like it is so wrong. So f**king wrong that I feels like my stomach is literally churning and twisting at this point.

So, I stopped her and lead her to the couch before asking her what she do. Seemingly not understanding me, she wrote to confirm with me whether I helped her without knowing her identity. When I confirmed it, she smiled, for the first time I see her, she smiled and that is when I was captivated. That was when my heart is captured and I fell in love with her.

That night, she and I shared our stories. I told her how I became a homeless and jobless at age 37 while she shared how her husband abandoned her with two children and she got into adult entertainment industry to feed her kids and would usually bring back a customer to earn more money, which she used it to pay for the children's education. I also learned that, she, who is named Rebecca is born mute, her parents died young ,and her relatives abandoned her because of her disability. But, she didn't give up and graduated college before working part times, got a husband who works in construction site and got two kids.

I was thinking that it really sounds like some higher power do not want her to have a blessed life and she confirmed when I asked her why her children run inside the room. Apparently, one of them is blind and one of them is deaf and mute. And, because of their disabilities, her husband divorced her by saying that he don't want to take care of disabled children. But, she wrote that they are smart kids who always have each other back, like in this case where one girl saw me by their mother's side and pull the other to the room as they are already used to their mother bringing a man at home.

I was feeling anger, sadness, desire to comfort her at the same time while I was reading her small notes where she has written her life story. I couldn't see a lie. My guts feeling is also telling me that this woman was not trying to appear like a poor sob while she herself is a cunning woman. I could confirm that by seeing her sobbing whenever she wrote something saddening.

By the time, she finished, she broke down in tears and cried while hugging her knees. The endless tears that streamed down her face is the final attack that destroyed all my doubts about her and that is when I decided, I am going to take care of her because I no longer want her to be a stripper, to be a whore ,and working every waking hours to get some little money to provide her children even if it means seeling her body weekly, maybe daily.

But, the final and most important reason was because I fell in love with her. So, I hugged her and whispers her lovingly,

'Don't cry anymore. I don't want to see tears on your face. Smile. Because it suits you more.'

She looked up at me, eyes red from crying and cheap makeup breaking apart under her tears,

and looks me with confusing look, which changed to that of shock as I kissed her lips.

She didn't respond till a few seconds later with what appears to be just 'Ahh', 'Ahhhhh' ...

But, I understood what she wants to say by looking into her brown eyes. So, I removed strands of ashen blonde hair from her beautiful face that is still covered in chap make up that is falling apart. But, to me, she looks like the most beautiful woman in the whole world.

That was when I said after gently scooping up her chin and looking at her eyes lovingly,

''''I have fallen in love with you. I know I have just met you. I know I have just heard your story which may or may not true but, I believe my heart and it is telling me that you are the most beautiful woman in the world and it is already been captured by you.''''

Kissing her, I feel her kissing me back and after a few seconds, I looks her again in the eyes and tell her that I will work hard for her and her children and gave me some time.

She didn't say anything back and just smiled before hugging me herself. Separating from her, I kiss her on the lips and said her I will come back again, before I walked out of the door with my backpacks.

I have never been so determined my whole life till then and I was motivated to the extent and I could run for a president but, I kept my priorities straight and set my target to earning enough money to make Rebecca quit working as a stripper and a prostitute.

I found a work in a bakery store and worked for 9 hours; from 5 a.m to 2 p.m and works as a driver for a company for the whole night till I have sent the last man home. On my free time, I would find Rebecca and if she is at the work, which pains me just from imagining it, I will play with the girls who are named Anna and Elsa. Anna is the girl who can't see while Elsa is the one who can't hear. From them, I begins to learn sign language, mostly from Anna as Elsa can't hear and mute.

They were afraid of me at first but, with Rebecca's help, they become a little bit comfortable with me and would allows me to follow them at evening when they would asks for leftovers from restaurants and other people's house.

Nothing much changed as when I was a homeless but, now, I have a goal to reach, a woman to marry and two children to takes care of. And, I am damn sure I am working my ass daily for every single damn paper money.