Chapter 14 - Epilogue

Mona kept in touch with Darryl, and he seemed to be doing all right. He was enjoying the new job and had made friends with some of his co-workers. Mona was pleased to hear that. She really did like Darryl, and wanted to know that he was enjoying life.

A month after Darryl moved out, Mona returned to the shelter. She walked in and looked around. It had been almost a year since she’d been there, but it hadn’t changed much. They had done some painting to brighten the place up, but that was about it. Still about 50 or so cots, most with men sleeping, reading or on their phone. Some of the men she ruled out immediately. Fat already, or too old. But there were many that looked promising. She saw several that were about the right age, and varied from slender to downright skinny. Mona almost licked her lips, but didn't want anyone to know how excited she was.

“Hello, I’m Father James. Can I help you ma’am?” It was the same priest as before, and he hadn’t changed much either. Well, she wouldn’t expect him to in less than a year.

“Good morning, Father. You may not remember me. I’m Mona. I was here last year. You helped me find a man to be a live in caretaker for my home and grounds.”

“Oh yes, I remember now. And you did make a generous donation to our shelter, which I thank you for. So how did the gentleman work out for you?”

“Darryl worked out very well, as a matter of fact. He did a good job and it was no trouble at all for him to live in the guest house.”

“So do you need another man to help out?”

“Yes, I do. Darryl has now moved on. He got a good paying job helping develop video games and has his own apartment now. With him gone, I thought I’d see if I could find a good man to take his place.”

“I think there are several men here today that would be good choices. Hopefully they’ll enjoy the same success with you that Darryl did. By the way, as I remember that he was somewhat underweight when he was here. I hope he filled out a little.”

“Oh yes, Father. He certainly filled out. I believe he really took a liking to my cooking. Well, shall we take a look around and talk to some of these gentlemen?”