Taking the final turn onto Boulevard Way, Ana Givingston started to pick up her pace. She wanted to get past that poor man as quickly as possible and to avoid any contact with him. Her electric blue eyes would not dare to look at him or his dog. She wouldn’t look at the ragged shirt and jeans the man wore or the brown, mangy fur that covered the dog.

Ana strode past the man as her long, brown hair flew in the wind like a flag. The tall buildings were colored in bright greens and reds in preparation for Christmas. The dark clouds covered the sun and wouldn’t let the sun say hello. The crowds walking down the streets looked like swarms of bees approaching their targets. Loud honks and shouts rattled off the walls of the giant skyscrapers. Cars covered every inch of pavement of the street. Just another normal day.

None of that was the real problem. It was the old homeless man and his dog that sat directly outside the brick building that Ana worked in. Every day, Ana walked past the man and the dog with a load of guilt crushing her shoulders. She wouldn’t dare to look at the wrinkles covering the man’s face, the ribs of the dog poking out like a sore thumb, or the ragged and torn blanket that covered them. Ana pretended he didn’t exist when she walked past them and ignored all of his pleas. That tore her apart because she donates to charity often. She gives money every month. One fear caused her to ignore him.

Ana remembers that day like the back of her hand. Light snow was falling from the sky, but the harsh wind blew without mercy. Waiting at a crosswalk surrounded by shivering people, Ana noticed a man on the other side of the road stop to talk to a homeless person. She saw him pull out his wallet, and the homeless person lunged at him, took his wallet, and ran off before the man could comprehend what happened. That image reserved itself a special spot in Ana’s mind. It had its own parking spot, except the car never left. It haunts her to this day. Never again would she give something to a homeless person on the streets. She thought it was too risky. That only caused her to hate herself even more. 

Ana pushed her way past the homeless man just as she heard him plead, “Spare change please.” She stumbled up the icy stairs into her building (almost slipping on them), opened the door, spun around, and slammed the door shut blocking out the cold-hearted wind.

As Ana was walking to her office, her boss noticed her flustered face and greeted, “Ana! Good morning. Anything wrong? You look exasperated.”

Ana laughed, “Oh, good morning Kim. Nothing’s wrong at all. Why would there be something wrong?”
Her boss’s green eyes stared down into her soul as Ana was taking her folders and laptop out of her briefcase. Ana tried to hide her electric blue eyes behind her desk away from her boss’s stare, but her boss clearly knew something was eating her up on the inside.

“It’s that homeless man again, isn’t it?” Kim sighed. “Stop worrying about him. There’s nothing we can do. Just let him leave and go somewhere else. You need to start focusing on your work more and stop focusing on him so much.”

Ana quietly mumbled, “Yes, Kim.”

Kim, agitated, yelled, “I’m not talking to you about this anymore. Do your work!” Kim walked out of the room and slammed Ana’s office door shut. “Why won’t she understand?” Ana whispered under her breath. “I need to help that man in some way. If only I had the guts to do it.”

The next day, a young, skinny woman wearing a large, black winter coat emerged from a corner store. Ana was carrying a bag full of food for a Christmas party at her work. As usual, she walked through the mob of people thronging the streets and past the homeless man without giving him a small item from her bag. Ana cringed every time she walked past him. She contradicted her generous personality when she ignored him. Oh how much she wished she didn’t have that fear of being attacked.

Ana walked into her work, dropped the bag on a conference table, and headed to her bland office. From another room, Ana’s boss shouted, “Ana! You didn’t give that man something, right?” Ana groaned, “Yes.” Kim, satisfied, yelled, “Fantastic!”

Again, Ana quickly hustled down Boulevard Way after work and made her way home. She escaped. She escaped from the agony of work, and the ignorance of her boss. But she didn’t escape from the sadness the homeless man caused her. It haunted her day and night.

In the morning Ana prepared to avoid getting trampled by the throng of people moving down the street again. As she moved through the crowd, she noticed something wasn’t right. Something was missing. Someone was missing. The homeless man was gone. He wasn’t in his usual spot with his dog. “Oh no,” Ana whispered under her breath.

Running into the office, Ana’s hair and jacket flew behind her as she sought out her boss. Nearly bumping into some people, Ana finally found Kim and asked, “Have you seen the homeless man and his dog?”

Clearly amused by this question, Kim chuckled, ‘I told him to go somewhere else.” At this response, Ana ran outside of the building with her emotions in high pursuit.

A week later, the man still wasn’t outside Ana’s building. Every day, she would poke her head above the mob of people and desperately look for him to no success. She hated her boss for telling him to move. He didn’t do anything to deserve that. A burning fire raged inside Ana, a fire that burned specifically because of her boss. Ana always kept herself calm and polite when speaking to others even if she wanted to lash out at them.

Today, the sun was shining bright, and Ana had a good feeling about the day, something she hadn’t felt in a while. Ana slowly poked her head above the crowd, not expecting to see the man, but there he was with his dog sitting in his lap.

Overcome with great emotions of shock and ecstasy, Ana rushed past the man without looking where she was going and collided with a blonde haired woman walking the other way. The two women slammed into the cold, unforgiving pavement while others dodged the wreckage. A bag filled with food and drinks landed directly next to Ana’s head as she lay on the pavement.

“I’m so sorry!” the woman exclaimed. “Here, let me help you up! Are you hurt? Please forgive me!”

Staggering to her feet, Ana politely said, “I’m fine, it was my fault. I wasn’t paying attention.” The woman quickly replied, “I’ll help you to your office. But first I need to give this bag to the man over there.” She pointed in the direction of the homeless man, and casually walked over to him pushing through the wave of people walking past. She handed the bag to the man, said a few words, returned, and helped Ana up the steps into her office. “My name’s Charity, in case you were wondering,” the blonde haired woman said as she walked Ana to her office. ‘So there are good people in this world,’ Ana thought. ‘I should follow her lead. This woman is a hero. She’s passing a torch on to me and telling me to pass it on to someone else. Now it’s my turn to carry the torch and inspire others.’

Ana felt like a rose in the middle of a field of daisies. She carried two bags while everyone else had one. She wore a blue jacket while everyone else wore a black or brown jacket. What she was about to do might make her stand out, and she didn’t want that. Ana wanted to keep to herself and do the right things unnoticed. Today was the day Ana would overcome her fear. Ana would make a difference in this man’s life, but she didn’t want recognition for it.

When Ana turned onto Boulevard Way today, the street was full of life. Every building was covered in lights, the sun was shining, smiles ripped through everyone’s faces, and there was a joyful spirit dangling in the air as Christmas neared. There were no honks or shouts. It was peaceful. It was never peaceful on the busiest road in the city.

Ana located her target and walked up to him. “Hello sir! I have something for you. Something to support you in this time of giving.” She handed the homeless man that sat outside her building the second bag she was carrying. It was filled with crackers, water, and dog food. The man, wearing the same ragged shirt and jeans that he always wore, was overcome with surprise.

“Thank you so much!” he cried. His tears soaked into his messy beard. “You don’t know how much this means to me. If only I could give you something back for your generosity.”

Ana laughed, “It’s no problem. I’ll bring more stuff to you to help you. My name’s Ana. I’ll stop by every week to see how you and your dog are doing. By the way, if my boss tells you to move again, don’t move. Stay where you’re comfortable.” The two embraced before Ana entered her work building.

One day, the young woman with electric blue eyes walked out of her work never to return. The ignorant boss that plagued her life would never talk to her again. Even though Ana didn’t make this commute anymore, she still stopped by every week to drop off some provisions for the man and the dog. Sometimes, the greatest heroes in the world go unnoticed. That’s what Ana wanted to be. The homeless man has probably seen thousands of people in his life, but one stood out: Ana.