The Suspicious Bum

The bum in the street.

Doe hummed to herself as she applied nude lipstick to her lips.

This was her house and in contrast to the previous time, she was a better person. A better and bigger person.

She was wealthy, determined to live the life her father had not been able to achieve for her.

The white halls in the exquisite mansion were a beauty to behold. The crystal glass chandeliers that hung from the center of the room, just right above the Queens bed in the room.

She had a black joggers on, a large grey sweatshirt on her upper body. She had her hair tied into a bun and was in front of a mirror, humming happily to herself.

She was wealthy but the wealth did not come as she would have wanted it. She had to keep her secrets. She was till weary of the outside world.

And the memory of her father, it haunted her even till now.

As result, she had closed up. Believing that nothing on the Planet Earth was ever worth a second glance of her time.

Except for one person.

A strange figure out there who just knew how to play her little board game with her.

A board game of chess.

It did not matter if he was white. She loved being around him, even though he was only but a bum.

A bum who knew so much about how to play chess and had even checkmated her so many times.

She was a genius.

At least, that was her secret. And in her time of dueling people l, she had yet to discover anyone who could match up to her.

She was fully confident in her skills, that she would even be able to match up to some grandmasters internationally.

But that was not her fate. She was cursed to remain in the shadows because of the great secret she had.

One she would not dare share with the outside world. She liked it that way. It reminded her why she was alone in the first place.

Well, except for just one person.

The person whom she had been having lessons with, as a child. Their friendship had stuck like glue all through.

Her phone on the dressing table rang now. She squinted towards it, wary. She did not have a lot of calls.

However seeing the name on the ring screen lightened her suspicious mood. She smiled only but briefly as she picked it up.

"Hello Amber, how are you?" She said, scoffing.

"I thought you were not going to pick up the phones. Doe, I'm hurt. Can I come over?"

"What?" Doe gasped out. "You can't do that. If we have to meet, text me a secure location and I would meet you there. If you need to book hotel, make sure it's to your taste and I would come when I am free." She hurriedly said.

"Uh… you're talking like you don't want me near you. Like you are in some trouble of sorts…" Amber groaned.

Doe sighed. Her friend and only friend had no idea how much she always considered her life to be in danger. She had to stay away from people to keep her mind relaxed but amber never took a no for an answer.

She would ring until she had no choice but to pick up.

Doe rolled her eyes. She had caramel pupils and luscious lips.

"Look, I will call you when I am free."

"Promise?" Amber moaned.

"No, I won't promise you. I will make sure that I do not keep to my words." Doe said.

"Aw… I'll expect your call later. I love you." Amber said, ignoring her words.

To this, Doe could not help but smile. Even though she frowned only a second later.

That was typical Amber.

Never taking a no for an answer. She was such an Angel even though she never liked to admit to her face.

But even at that, some secrets are best kept from angels.

She sighed now, looking at the time display. It was 5:45pm.

The bum out there would soon get out to some other street. She had tk hurry to meet him.

Today, she was determined to beat him to show her supremacy over him. But if she did not show, then it would simply be that she had conceded defeat.

"Oh no, you don't Isaac!" She smirked, putting down the makeup stick.

She sniffed, patted her head, satisfied in her look, she then grabbed her car key.

It was time to hunt.

…

Some minutes later, Doe was out in the street. She looked around for a second and then jumped out of the car, after parking by the roadside. She would get a ticket, no doubt.

But that was only if she would come back to that car.

She had survived till now, by making sure she never used one thing more than necessary:

Especially since she did not want to reveal herself to be more than what she was to the bum.

She was a bum. Just like Isaac. He could not suspect anything else.

Once she was out of the car, she threw the keys right back in the window. The window had just been slid down a bit to allow for that.

She walked into a little alley, with a chess board and a grocery bag. A dirtied, rumpled one., connecting a series of steps to come out from another junction. Then, she crossed the road, The one who she was coming tos we just ahead of her.

"Heyy… Isaac! How do you do?" She smiled to himself.

"Hello doe. It is so nice to see you. I almost thought you had chickened out of the state." Isaac laughed.

He was a white figure with a neat mustache. He had large jacket which spoke of color degradation of the blue hue it had. His jeans, stonewashed also had some lines which had even ripped out of it.

An obvious effect by wear and tear. He was resting against a little pillar. Actually, he was sitting with his back to the pillar while people simply avoided him, moving some extra steps away to circle him.

Seeing Doe, his lost look vanished as he brandished white dentition to her.

If he was not sitting out like this and dressed this way? One could just easily mistake him as a pop star.

He has a really neat physique. Which was partially why she had loved to come out here. Seeing him, seeing his body build he desperately tried to hide in his large clothing, it was a tease for her.

"Ha! Talk is cheap! I wonder how much mouth you would have once I got you all cornered, little fella." She scoffed at him, dropping the little grocery bag. Right in front of him.

"Mhmm…" Isaac sighed deliciously, shutting his eyes. "you must have gone through pains to get this. These ones smell so good you would think they are from some five star restaurant." He said, Smirking.

"I wonder how you know about the quality of food from five star restaurants. I thought you never had a taste of that." She said as she sat down by his side, unbothered by the strange looks people were shooting the two of them now.

"Haha! Every one has a fall from grace, Doe. I was in a nice place once." Isaac said and then smiled to her, patting her lightly by the shoulder.

"Well, I wasn't. I didn't have a fall from grace. I always had it tough so…" Doe sighed.

"I know. Well, some of us had a taste of the good life." He said. "It's a pity I would never get to be back there." He sighed.

"Stop talking like you gon die the next moment. You look young. More like some prodigal son who would not go home to his father." Doe smirked, nudging him by the side now.

"Haha! I love that comparison. But I am not exactly that sort of prodigal son. I… you know, let's play this game." Isaac said, dismissing the topic at hand.

Doe was grateful for this attempt at that. Unbeknownst to him, she heaved in relief now. She did not like having to talk about these things.

About a good life and how he wanted to get back out there. It ate at her conscience, reminding her how she had the amount of wealth that she had and yet did not use it to help him.

It made her feel a bit guilty so when he changed the topic, she was really grateful.

"So… are you gon play white or you scared?" she said, putting out the chess board.

However just then, Isaac nodded to her, his lips soiled by the oil from the doughnut he was eating.

"I was right. This doughnut is not something an average bum like you could get. Tell me, Doe, how did you get this?" Isaac asked, looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

"What?" Doe frowned at the question. "Don't ask questions. Just enjoy it. Or next time, I won't bring it here." She said to him, focusing back on the chess board.

"I can't do that, Doe!" Isaaac said, putting back the doughnut in the bag. "I know a lie when I see it."

"So what are you saying?" Doe looked up.

The intensity in his eyes, it bore deep into her soul. She sucked air through her teeth now, her heart pounding.

The look he gave her was not the look of some ignorant bum. He knew virtually nothing about her or her way of life except she was a bum who had to take drugs sometimes and that that.

But this look was different.

It was the look of someone who knew he knew something and was determined to expose it.

The question that rose in her pounding heart now was…

What exactly did Isaac know about her?

"You don't have to lie to me, Doe!" Isaac smiled sadly at her.