"Thatwasthedaybeforeyes💈🏻terday．Aren’tyouhungry?"
"What！I”vesleptforsolong？Nowtha🆋🍼tyoumentionit，I’mstarved!”saidDimitrian🝴dheheardhisstomachgrowlinprotest．Mariannahandedhimacupofhotchocote．
"Thereisfrieddhamsandwithebag．Heatitupa．🛗🜡🃮Why’ty🙸oustayawakeandfindsomewor🞶😥ktodoinsteadoflivinginyourdreams?"shescolded．"Whydon’tyoueandliveinmygarage?Youwon’tbeinanybody’swayandyou’llhaveadetroofoveryourhead.”
"No，thankyou，ma’am．Thanksfortheoffer，butI’musedtoithere．Tomethemostimportantthing🕹🎡💥istokeepupmyvitality．Thankstoyou，Ihaveenoughfoodtosustainmyphysicalhealthandkeepupmybrainactivities．Therestissuperfluousandmeannothingtome．"
"OK，"sai🀴🁂dMariannaresignedly，"Youdon’thavetothankme．Youwashmydwearequits．Getupyourdsandwidgooutthereandgathermaterialforyourdreams．"
Afterthesplendidbreakfast，heputonhisnewshirtandshoeswhichhehadretrievedfromthegarbagethedaybefore，ahatlifeingeneralwasfineindeed．Sopushinghiscartinfrontofhim，hewentoutintotheworld．"IwonderwhatI’llfindtodaytoweaveintomydreams”hethought．Everydaywasfreshaohim．Hehadafeelingofexpecy，likeachildgoingtoDisneyrolledaimlesslyaround，assers-byhurryi🜣🝚ngtowardstheirdestinations．"Whyaretheyinsuchahurry?"hewondered．"Lifeshouldbepcid,tobeenjoyed，notsohurried...”Thedaypassedwithouthisseeinganythingoutoftheordinary．Dimitriwasdisappointed．"Uh-uh，nomaterialformydreamstonight．It’sgettingte．"Justthen，hesawanoldcouplewalkinghand-in-hand，takingtheireveningstroll.Theingtired.theysatontheparkbench．
"Honey”sai🔐⛖dtheoldmantohis🗼wife，”Sonnyboywrotetousyesterday，askingustogototheirpceforChristmas．He’sagoodboy．"
"Youknow，darling，"hiswifereplied，"notonlyoursooo，hasinvitedusforChristmas．Theyarebothgoodchildren，butwhichpceshouldwegoto?”Simpleasthesewordswere，Di🖲mitricouldseelove，happiranquillityandasenseofprideofhavingmadesomethingoutoftheirlives．Theirlife，theirlovewaslikeabarrelofwine，whichhavingbeenbrewedawholelifetime，wasnowperfedfittodrioodrockstill，deeplyimpressedbytheoldcouplebeforehim．
“Ther🍞ewassomethingwort😞🏰hwhileinthislifeafterall,”hethought．
DimitriwasavagabondwithmorethaiwasteandtoofarawayfromMarianna’srestauranttogetsomethi，sohedecidedtofindoneofhisnumerousrestingpdturnin．Helookedaround．Thepcewouldbetheabandonedsewer，hedecided．Itwasthehuntinggroundofprostitutes，theirpimps，drugdealersandtheirers．ButthesewerenothingtoDimitri．Whenhecametothesewer，hegathereduph🔖isstybelongingsfromthecartwhichheleftagainstthewall，thenpullingupthelidoftheman-hole，hesteppedgingerlydownthenarrowdder．Hehadn’tusedth🗆🙕ispceforafewmonthsnowandwasn’tasfamiliarwithitasheusedtobe．Inthedark，hisfoottouch🝢🌶edsomethingsoftandwarm．Itwasamoaninghumanbody．
Dimitrilithiskeroseoveandsawayoun📳ggirl，noolderthanfifteen，curledupinaheap😵🅮ontheground，withtearsandnasalmucusalloverherface．Shewasmoaningandshiveringuntrolbly．
"Areyo🉇🅑uOK?"heaskedbendingoverh🖪🕘e🆋🍼r．
"Twenty...twenty...twentydolrs..."shebeggedinahoarseandalmostindistinguishablevo⚸🖇🐜ice．Dimi☓⚥trikhatshemustbeanaddientedbyherneedfs．Hesearchedthroughhispockets,foundadolrhereadolrthere,anotherfromhissocks，untilhegotsomethinglikefifteendolrsandgavethemtoher．Thegirl’slusterlesseyeslitupasshegrabbedthemledupthestepsandsaid，"I’llberightback.”It🖷🗐wasthenthatDimitrisawshewascrippledandwalked．
Aftershehadleft，Dimitrispreadouthissleepingbagandpreparedtosleep🌑．Thegirlwasbalessthantenminutes．Shewasnormalnowandwasnolongershivering．
"Doyouhaveanymoremoney?Givethemtomeandyouhaveyourwaywithme..．🜐🁔Ihemoney.🝴”
"What’syourname?"
"Shei．"
"Howoldareyou?"
"Idon’tknow．Fifteentosixte🙘en，Isuppose．Igrewupinfosterhomes．"Dimitriwaoask😵🅮more，butSheiinterrupted，"D’youhaveanymoremoney？I’llsellyoumybody．Doyouwantme?"
"Ofco🍞urseIdo．I’maman．ButIdon💙’thaveanymoremoney”．
Shebowedherheadinsilen😞🏰ce．Dimitrilookedather．Shewasiful，butnotpiher，justanaveragegirlindirtybluejeans，T-shirtandajacket．Washedanddressedupshecouldevee．
"What！I”vesleptforsolong？Nowtha🆋🍼tyoumentionit，I’mstarved!”saidDimitrian🝴dheheardhisstomachgrowlinprotest．Mariannahandedhimacupofhotchocote．
"Thereisfrieddhamsandwithebag．Heatitupa．🛗🜡🃮Why’ty🙸oustayawakeandfindsomewor🞶😥ktodoinsteadoflivinginyourdreams?"shescolded．"Whydon’tyoueandliveinmygarage?Youwon’tbeinanybody’swayandyou’llhaveadetroofoveryourhead.”
"No，thankyou，ma’am．Thanksfortheoffer，butI’musedtoithere．Tomethemostimportantthing🕹🎡💥istokeepupmyvitality．Thankstoyou，Ihaveenoughfoodtosustainmyphysicalhealthandkeepupmybrainactivities．Therestissuperfluousandmeannothingtome．"
"OK，"sai🀴🁂dMariannaresignedly，"Youdon’thavetothankme．Youwashmydwearequits．Getupyourdsandwidgooutthereandgathermaterialforyourdreams．"
Afterthesplendidbreakfast，heputonhisnewshirtandshoeswhichhehadretrievedfromthegarbagethedaybefore，ahatlifeingeneralwasfineindeed．Sopushinghiscartinfrontofhim，hewentoutintotheworld．"IwonderwhatI’llfindtodaytoweaveintomydreams”hethought．Everydaywasfreshaohim．Hehadafeelingofexpecy，likeachildgoingtoDisneyrolledaimlesslyaround，assers-byhurryi🜣🝚ngtowardstheirdestinations．"Whyaretheyinsuchahurry?"hewondered．"Lifeshouldbepcid,tobeenjoyed，notsohurried...”Thedaypassedwithouthisseeinganythingoutoftheordinary．Dimitriwasdisappointed．"Uh-uh，nomaterialformydreamstonight．It’sgettingte．"Justthen，hesawanoldcouplewalkinghand-in-hand，takingtheireveningstroll.Theingtired.theysatontheparkbench．
"Honey”sai🔐⛖dtheoldmantohis🗼wife，”Sonnyboywrotetousyesterday，askingustogototheirpceforChristmas．He’sagoodboy．"
"Youknow，darling，"hiswifereplied，"notonlyoursooo，hasinvitedusforChristmas．Theyarebothgoodchildren，butwhichpceshouldwegoto?”Simpleasthesewordswere，Di🖲mitricouldseelove，happiranquillityandasenseofprideofhavingmadesomethingoutoftheirlives．Theirlife，theirlovewaslikeabarrelofwine，whichhavingbeenbrewedawholelifetime，wasnowperfedfittodrioodrockstill，deeplyimpressedbytheoldcouplebeforehim．
“Ther🍞ewassomethingwort😞🏰hwhileinthislifeafterall,”hethought．
DimitriwasavagabondwithmorethaiwasteandtoofarawayfromMarianna’srestauranttogetsomethi，sohedecidedtofindoneofhisnumerousrestingpdturnin．Helookedaround．Thepcewouldbetheabandonedsewer，hedecided．Itwasthehuntinggroundofprostitutes，theirpimps，drugdealersandtheirers．ButthesewerenothingtoDimitri．Whenhecametothesewer，hegathereduph🔖isstybelongingsfromthecartwhichheleftagainstthewall，thenpullingupthelidoftheman-hole，hesteppedgingerlydownthenarrowdder．Hehadn’tusedth🗆🙕ispceforafewmonthsnowandwasn’tasfamiliarwithitasheusedtobe．Inthedark，hisfoottouch🝢🌶edsomethingsoftandwarm．Itwasamoaninghumanbody．
Dimitrilithiskeroseoveandsawayoun📳ggirl，noolderthanfifteen，curledupinaheap😵🅮ontheground，withtearsandnasalmucusalloverherface．Shewasmoaningandshiveringuntrolbly．
"Areyo🉇🅑uOK?"heaskedbendingoverh🖪🕘e🆋🍼r．
"Twenty...twenty...twentydolrs..."shebeggedinahoarseandalmostindistinguishablevo⚸🖇🐜ice．Dimi☓⚥trikhatshemustbeanaddientedbyherneedfs．Hesearchedthroughhispockets,foundadolrhereadolrthere,anotherfromhissocks，untilhegotsomethinglikefifteendolrsandgavethemtoher．Thegirl’slusterlesseyeslitupasshegrabbedthemledupthestepsandsaid，"I’llberightback.”It🖷🗐wasthenthatDimitrisawshewascrippledandwalked．
Aftershehadleft，Dimitrispreadouthissleepingbagandpreparedtosleep🌑．Thegirlwasbalessthantenminutes．Shewasnormalnowandwasnolongershivering．
"Doyouhaveanymoremoney?Givethemtomeandyouhaveyourwaywithme..．🜐🁔Ihemoney.🝴”
"What’syourname?"
"Shei．"
"Howoldareyou?"
"Idon’tknow．Fifteentosixte🙘en，Isuppose．Igrewupinfosterhomes．"Dimitriwaoask😵🅮more，butSheiinterrupted，"D’youhaveanymoremoney？I’llsellyoumybody．Doyouwantme?"
"Ofco🍞urseIdo．I’maman．ButIdon💙’thaveanymoremoney”．
Shebowedherheadinsilen😞🏰ce．Dimitrilookedather．Shewasiful，butnotpiher，justanaveragegirlindirtybluejeans，T-shirtandajacket．Washedanddressedupshecouldevee．