Jess had always been alone in the streets. Ever since she could remember. It wasn’t a bad life, at least not so far. In any event, it could be much worse. At least, that’s how she thought of it.

That all changed today. Today she met someone new. He was a stranger. The type she usually avoided. The type that usually met her gaze with cold looks and a distant heart. She backed away from him, just like all the others. Faded into the afternoon shadows, as if she never existed.

He hadn’t been fooled. With one sentence, he acknowledged her existence. With one gesture, he warmed her soul. It may have just been the coat, but she was certain that she no longer felt the cold. And she hadn’t even thanked him. She’d been to busy trying to keep from meeting his gaze. Now he was gone. Fading into the shifting mass of people with places to be and lives to live.

Huddled down in her small corner of the world, Jess came to a decision. She was going to find that man and thank him. After all, she had nothing better to do.