"A GIFT OF HAPPINESS" CHAPTER 4: ACCORDING TO JOAN
"A GIFT OF HAPPINESS" CHAPTER 4: ACCORDING TO JOAN By Franklin Campusano ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
It was two years ago that things started to get heptic in here. By that time, we already had some issues with crime, but everything went further out of control when the streets started to get populated by homeless people.
We had homeless people before then, but it wasn't as bad as it became then. They started populating the abandoned business center by staying inside the abandoned buildings, they would also build tents and sleep on the benches.
Yet the place that suffered the most because of their presence was the maple housing complex. The homeless people started getting into the property and they would stay in the open courtyard spaces. They would do their physiological needs on the stairs and hallways. They would also consume drugs and leave the garbage lying around.
On one occasion a kid got pierced by one of their needles and had to be taken to the hospital. It was no longer safe for the kids and locals to spend time outside in the courtyard or in the basketball court. Thankfully the needle wasn't infected with HIV or Hepatitis. No one felt safe, the police would be called multiple times, and they would kick the homeless people out, but they would just come back in after a little while.
Since the homeless obtained the drugs from the gangsters, sometimes their drug deals would go wrong which let to shootings and fights.
It seemed like everyday someone would get killed, not only the homeless, but gangsters as well. Since other gangs would take advantage of the situation and attack the local gangsters.
This meant danger to the locals not just from the homeless side but also the gangsters. It was not safe to be outside after 6pm.
On one occasion the locals got together and started a protest, but it did little, the news outlets did get involved but the major did very little to solve the problem.
We were still selling pizza back in those days. By that time Franky was not around yet, we only had Phill, Chris, Myself, and another guy named Jorge and OfCourse Joe. Almost every day we had to deal with homeless people coming into our restaurant to beg for food and ask the customers for change. Joe had to put up signs banning begging.
One night, we got a phone call from the other side of the neighborhood. It was a customer ordering one large pepperoni and sausage pie with a two littler ginger ale and cola. I was asked by Joe to go and deliver the order and OfCourse I got straight to it since back then I was the one that did the deliveries.
Once the order was ready, I loaded it into my bike and proceeded to head to the stop. Because the customer lived in the other side of the neighborhood, I had to traverse through the abandoned business center which by then was already known as "homeless street."
As I was passing by, I ended up being stopped by one of the homeless men he's name was Henry. He got in front of my path and ended up catching me and my bike. That particular homeless man was known back then for causing problems. He was a straight outlaw.
"What are you doing?! Stop!"
That homeless man whose name was Henry did nothing but smile at me. When I fell to the pavement other homeless folks came and stole the food and left but Henry stood there watching me and smiling at me.
"You're coming with me little damsel I got business with you." He said to me.
At hearing this I tried to get up, but he quickly grabbed me by my arm and started pulling me into an abandoned building. I started screaming very loudly but nobody came. Then I started hitting him so that he could let me go but he was way stronger than me. He then hit me in my face and took out a knife.
"Please don't do this." I asked him while begging him.
"Do not worry beautiful, I will make this quick."
I continued trying to pull myself away from him but once again, he was way stronger than me and I could not do anything.
Suddenly though, someone comes running from behind Henry and hits him with a trash can in the head. It was Luis. Henry quickly got up and launched at Luis, but Luis was able to grab him and slam him into the floor.
At this point, more homeless people started showing up. They at first were observing from afar as Luis and Henry fought. At one point Luis punched Henry in the face and he started bleeding, Luis then turned to me and shouted:
"Why are you still here?! Get away from here fast!"
I then grabbed my bike and fled the area and went back towards the restaurant. Upon arriving at the restaurant, I immediately started crying and shouting at the guys, who quickly came to my aid. Joe than approached me and asked me:
"Joan what happened? What's going on?"
"Someone tried to hurt me."
"Who?"
"One of the homeless people, the tall guy with the beard."
"Chris call the police!"
Chris called the cops who didn't take long to show up and they made a report. Thankfully I did not get hurt beyond some scratches, but I did have a bruise in the side of my face. So, I was taken to the hospital to treat it.
Upon seeing the police arrive, all the homeless people cleared the area. Henry also managed to get away.
The next day Joe called me while I was still at bed.
"Hello?"
"Hey Joan, is Joe."
"Hey boss."
"I just wanted to check on you and see how you are doing."
"I feel slightly better, I don't think I want to show up to work today."
"It's alright, I understand, If you want you can take a short vacation, I could pay you for the week."
"I appreciate it boss."
"I'm sorry sending you out on a delivery at such a late hour."
"Is okay boss, we didn't know."
Upon hanging up I cried a little, but I was able to compose myself soon after. At about a week later I left the restaurant and found a job elsewhere in a clothing store. But soon I came back to Joe's after being fired from there.
The whole neighborhood was alert after that and mysteriously, Henry was found dead not long after, his cause of death was poisoning. No one knows who poisoned him, but no one cared to much about it. Up to this day, his case is still open. But no one is talking. This is the reason why Joe doesn't allow for us the female workers to do deliveries anymore.
To be Continued...
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