The windfall

Rummaging his pockets he simply dug deep.Ah! Here was the cent he was
looking for. There were few more coins underneath it neatly piled and
ensconced tight in a corner. These coins had been really hard to get,
he remembered. He had been at the subway for so long in the morning
but the cold had kept commuters away and his collections had been
poor. He sighed and shrugged his dirty hair as if to get the blood
moving in this freezing cold. Last body wash he had was about a week
back. He simply did not have time for it.Nah! More than time he had no
interest in that activity. Night was drawing in and he must hurry up
to his shelter or else his place would be occupied and he would have
to look out for another or even shack alongside street posts. He
hurried and ran.Voila! What he had feared had turned true. There was
this burly Latin American sprawled across his territory and getting
into the groove for a snoring party. He could not risk argument with
this man. He had done once and he still could relive the bleeding nose
he had thereafter. He hurried along. Now in an urgent and worried
search. He turned a little frantic as first flakes of snow began
descending down. He knew the snowfall was likely to be full, bitter
and biting if he remained out. His searching eyes looked at familiar
places but season had taken its toll. Wherever he looked there was
somebody resting and quite unwilling to share. He began to curse
himself, why did he waste so much time bargaining a few cents out of
the hamburger kiosk? He could have spent the night on an empty stomach
like he had done for several nights. At least he would have been
safely in for the night. Now the hamburger had sentenced him to
streets. The city clock chimed 11 in the night and he was tired having
walked for about three hours at stretch. He looked at his location. He
was at the outskirts of his outer bound. Across the street, he stood
on now, began the most expensive and opulent housing estate of the
city. He had never ever ventured in this locality for fear of being
picked up for attempted theft or burglary. He gingerly walked across
the street and found confidence in white desolation. The snowfall had
begun in right earnest and he had not felt it thus far warmed by his
immediate worries. Suddenly there was gale intensity wind which lashed
bound in cruel snow. He almost had a fall due to the strong wind. His
bones shivered and blood froze. Panicky his legs involuntarily broke
in a dash. He must have run for about 100 yards and he knew not in
which direction. For one, he was sure that he had breached in the posh
locality entirely and had grasped for his first breath underneath a
huge car portico of a sprawling bungalow. He screwed his eyes to
adjust to dim lights that were abound outside the bungalow. Stairs
lead to the front reception of the bungalow. The inside was very
brightly lit and inhabitants were talking. He could hear from the
portico. Suddenly he saw a vapor lamp near the top of the stairs but
away from the main door. In order to get some heat he slithered on tip
toe keeping himself in dark shadows and found a corner very near the
lamp. He crouched there carefully surprised that no one seems to
bother about his presence. Soon he relaxed stretching his legs. Now he
was in a comfortable position and no! it cannot be true he had the
full view inside the house through thin wire gauze windows which were
door sizes. Voices of inhabitants chatter was floating to him through
these windows. He felt drowsy soon enough.Thereafter, he was oblivious
of his surroundings and in deep slumber. When he woke up he felt a
little strange. He felt very soft and snuggled-a feeling he had almost
forgotten. He opened his eyes full and found himself in a large room
with mind boggling luxury. A central heating system was keeping the
room warm as the snowfall was raging outside even now. He was in a
plush antique bed post and he had a very expensive night gown on. He
thought he had died of cold and landed a snug place in heavens. It was
simply unbelievable that he should find himself like that. What on the
earth could have got him where he was? As he was lost deep in
thoughts, suddenly there was a knock on the door. He looked up and
before he could utter a word a uniformed man walked in and in a flat
tone said," Good Morning! Mr. Jennings we were expecting you tomorrow
and certainly not in this condition." Mr.Jennings, who the hell was he
anyway? Why was this man addressing him thus? He got more perplexed
and his lips were sealed. Uniformed man politely spoke again,"Sir,
perhaps you would like to be up with wash before presiding the morning
spread?" He nodded feeling hungry. He was now enjoying the game. At
the end, as worst eventuality, he could be either beaten or kicked out
or handed over to police.However, before, that he would have enjoyed
the life that he had always dreamt about and never got even miles near
to it. Like a faithful fiend he walked the alleyway to rest rooms. On
his walk he was startled .On both sides of alleyways there were large
sized clear portraits -perhaps of bungalow owners. The freshest of
them had startled him. There were two-one of a man quite clean shaven
and other that of the same man quite bearded and hairy. The latter one
presented a spectacle for him-it was like facing a mirror for him. The
man in portrait looked exactly like him. Everything fell in place. He
hastened pace to restrooms. He had the most luxurious clean up of his
life time thus far, followed by a rich and sumptuous breakfast spread.
He was made, thereafter, to retire in this study room where he played
poker with himself. His eyes were glued to the door expecting
uniformed men to barge in angrily and lift him bodily for a nice
thrashing and summary dismissal from the High Lander territory.
Nothing happened till evening. He had an enjoyable dinner and went to
sleep with recurring nightmares about immediate future. Morning came
and went. He waited thus for 15 years and nothing happened. Original
Mr. Jennings had vanished. He had picked up the simple business of Mr.
Jennings through his business managers. He had gathered Mr. Jennings
had restrained all staff from venturing his private territories
ever.Mr Jennings was all alone in this cruel world before
disappearing. He was now Mr.Jennings.He wrote this piece in the local
paper 16 years after assuming responsibilities of Mr.Jennings.Mr.
Jennings has not returned as yet. The fall in the wind of that fateful
night turned out to be wind fall for him. Each anniversary of his
arrival in this house he still enacts the fortunate ritual of walking
up from the subway and crouching near door asking his servants to draw
him in the house while he is still asleep.

Did the house staff ever notice the change? Listen to what one of them
was saying to a new recruit," Koby, Jennings has stabilized quite a
lot. After the bitter seven year long separation from his only son he
was so happy having traced him down town. But the condition of penury
of his son and his death from tuberculosis immediately after his
discovery broke Jennings down completely. We have to suffer in silence
as he repents having given pain and death to his son by enacting his
penury starting from subway and ending to his house almost every
alternate day