I Can Use Some Guiding Light

"Zack." I said looking at him, confused as to why he was here.

"Hey." He smiled kind of awkwardly.

"What are you doing here." I asked walking down the hall towards him.

"I.. Uh." He rubbed the back of his head unsure of what to say. "Look things didn't go as I had planned tonight." He sighed. "My friends can be a bit over baring some times and I'm sorry how every thing kind of snowballed."

"It's fine, I get how it is." I smiled at him. "No body's life is perfect."

"I'm really sorry." He tried smiling.

"Don't worry about it." I bit my lip, things seemed to still be stressed, Zack still seemed tensed. "So do you want a beer?" I asked gesturing to my apartment door.

"Oh nah I actually should get home." He muttered. Tonight seemed to go right back into the same rut as this morning.

"Oh okay, well night." I slightly smiled. I didn't know if I should still go or just wait till when ever I could manage it. He nodded, smiling before retreating down that stairs.

"Oh boy you gotta crush." It startled me, I had forgot that I wasn't alone.

"Oh Jesus I forgot you were here." I said turning, the homeless guy just laid there. The blanket still wrapped around him snugly. I smiled.

"Well I didn't vanish yet." He let out a laugh.

I chuckled, "wanna beer?" I asked, I really had nothing better to do. The night was still young.

"No." He laughed. "Twelve years sober."

"Oh well congrats." I smiled unlocking my door. I didn't wait for a reply, I walked in. My kitchen was small so it wasn't hard to keep everything stocked. I grabbed a beer, a water, and a bottle of tea out of the ice box I set it on the counter then picked up my phone I was kinda hungry. Dialing the closest local pizza place I nestled the phone on my shoulder with my ear. Before picking up the drinks and trailing back out of the door. I sat beside the homeless guy, listening to the phone ring. "Tea, water?" I offered him the bottles. He pulled them out of my hand and set them beside us. Just as I heard the line click. "Hello." I said replying to the voice on the other end. "Just one sec." I put my hand over the mouth piece and looked at the homeless guy. "What all do you like on you pizza?"

"What." He was taken back, not expecting my question.

"Well personally I like the supreme." I smiled.

"Well go for a supreme." He smiled.

"Hello, um yeah I need a large stuff crust supreme with out mushrooms, and I'd like alto of black olives." I smiled at the homeless guy. "It'll be delivery." I nodded as the guy on the other end asked yet another question. "It should be under Kori Apala and that's K. O. R. I. And Apala is A.P.A.L.A." I spelled it out for him. He then asked me to verify my address. "Yes it's the same address." He repeated my order back to me. "Yes thanks uh hu, Good bye." I hung up my phone.

"Well you're too kind." Said the homeless guy.

"I know, I'm Kori." I said offering him my hand.

"Lenard." He smiled shaking my hand, after releasing it I opened my beer before taking a swig of it.

"Lenard, if you don't mind me asking, why are you homeless?" I asked.

"Well I guess after my wife died, I just gave up. I guess I didn't see a point any more. After years of taking care of my family, then there all gone I ain't got nobody else to take care of, so I seen no point."

"So if you had the chance to get a job and get back on your feet would you do it?" I asked.

"Well nobody wants to hire an smelly old man that ain't got any money to eat let alone clean him self." He stated.

"Well that not what I meant, say if I was to offer you a job here and now would you be willing to take me up on it?" I smiled at him.

"Well I recon I would." He smiled at me.

"Well I need a receptionist, I know it's a woman's type of job. But if you want it it's yours." I said shooting in the dark.

"Well when should I start." He smiled at me.

"Tomorrow." I smiled. "We'll go shopping for some clothes, and you can take a shower in my house and then Saturday we can introduce you to the shop crew."

"Sounds like a plan. So where should we meet?" He asked.

"Well there is a store down the street for men. We can grab some clothing and supplies so you can take a shower. We can meet say about 9." I smiled.

"Uh did you order the pizza?" A young guy appeared hesitantly in the hallway.

"Yeah down here." I smiled. "How much?"

"17.25." He smiled, approaching.

"Keep the change." I said handing him a twenty. He in return handed me the box of pizza.

"Thanks." He said retreating out of the hallway.

"So shall we." I said opening the box of pizza.