I start backing up out of my normal parking spot in downtown, and a homeless man comes running up to me and stops the car.

He starts trying to talk to me so I roll down my window. He tells me that someone hit my car and they saw the whole thing. I didn’t notice any damage, so I ask him what he’s talking about.

He says a truck was pulling out earlier that day and hit my car and drove off.

I asked where. He said “the back drivers side. Come and look.”

Wasn’t sure if he was trying to pull one over on me, but he seemed sincere, so I pulled my car back in and got out to check what he was talking about.

Sure enough, the back driver’s side light was broken and crushed in.

I asked if he had gotten a license plate number and he said he didn’t but he thought the halo camera near the parking lot probably had it on video.

I thanked him for his help and went on my way.

A few weeks later, I start walking toward my car after a day of work and this same man comes out again. He says: “Hey, I’ve been keeping an eye on your car making sure no one touches it! I thanked him and asked if he would be okay if I went and got some food and brought it back for us to eat together.

He accepted but said he’s been caring for another lady too and took me over to her. She looked like she had been on drugs for several years at this point. She was skinny as a stick, she had odd flinches and movements. Definitely looked like some drug and drug withdrawal.

I asked what their favorite place to eat was, they said Wendy’s, I took their orders, and I came back and we ate dinner together.

His name was David, her name was Z.

David had been trying to care for Z for a couple of weeks and had recently just had an interview with a car washing place to see if he could get a job there. He thought they might make him shave his beard, so he wasn’t sure he was going to take it.

Seemed crazy to me to be in his situation and not take any job he could get. But I guess he took his facial hair very seriously.

We talked for over an hour and I heard each of their stories (though quite a bit more from David).

We parted ways.

I didn’t think about it at the time, but looking back, that could’ve been the last time I ever saw David and Z again.