Contrast

Oh what a contrast. The exact opposites, inexplicably linked in the struggle of life and death. The halves of a whole.

"Never make eye contact." That was the mantra to avoid beggars. She usually had no troubles with this rule. It was one of basic necessity in the world today. There were so many people begging, hands out, wanting something for nothing. It was a lesson learned quickly and early. One she rarely forgot. Except now, her mind had been wandering, he did this to her. That stupid man. He made her so mad.

The man approached her car, sign up, hand out. She recoiled from the sight of him. He seemed a charcoal skeleton. Closer the skeleton came, she shrank down in the car, involuntarily inching away from the door. Her window was partially down, the weather was so nice, but now there was no escape. She frantically checked the doors, making sure they were locked. Her vehicle was the height of luxury, with every convenience available; yet nothing was available to save her from the specter that approached.

"Spare some change, little miss?" the man mumbled. She slowly pulled out her purse; she didn't feel as if she could say no now, not that she had acknowledged his presence. She slowly reached for her purse, praying that the light would change. She couldn't go any slower now, he was right beside the car. His odor drifted through the window, the smell of beer, urine and unwashed body. It was revolting, and made her delicate senses reel. Her eyes watered, and she desperately searched for any bill. Grabbing the first one, she thrust it into his cracked and dry hands. "Here," she choked out.

As his hand removed itself from the window and he took a shuffling step back, the light changed. She floored the car, racing away from his presence. She couldn't escape fast enough, back into her world of beauty and luxury, far from the gritty nightmare that life had presented her.

Henry stared at the bill in his hand. It was a hundred dollar bill. He usually only got ones when he begged, or change. Never anything this large. In fact, he realized that he hadn't seen a bill this large in a long, LONG time. The memories started flooding over him. He hadn't always been like this. As the memories returned, his slouching posture straightened, his eyes cleared, he held his head up. Henry remembered who he had been.

Henry had once been a proud black medical student. While not tall, he wasn't short either, standing 6'1" tall with a slender build, but ebony black skin. Henry stood out in a crowd, especially when fighting for equality in the 60's as one of the first African-Americans to go to Medical School. But he finished and soon began a career as a doctor. Not long after he graduated, Henry met the love of his life, Ellen. After a short courtship, the two were soon married.
Henry couldn't have been happier with his life. A loving wife, a good job, and three children. Henry's life had been one of picturesque ease. His children, the eldest the only boy, were the jewels of his eye. Yes, life was good for Henry. But as his children grew older, the world grew more and more dangerous. It almost killed him when his youngest daughter got caught up in drugs and died from an overdose. His eldest boy had enlisted in the Army and his only remaining daughter was finishing college and getting married. Life was moving fast for Henry, he had advanced at work, but those advancements just brought more work, stress and responsibility. The death of his youngest strained his married life, he and his wife grew more and more distant. Henry begin to pour himself further into work, spending more and more time there. To unwind, he started drinking.
Then 9/11 hit, and his son was deployed overseas. That was the last time Henry would see his son alive. The war didn't spare his son, a roadside bomb detonated ending the son's life. Henry couldn't cope with the loss. He began to drink heavily, and his wife no longer wanted to be around him, so she left him. No longer having anything to live for, Henry sank deep into depression, drinking to get through the day. It affected everything about his life. He lost his job because of being drunk at work, he lost his money and house in the divorce, and with no job, he couldn't afford to keep a roof over his head.
Having reached rock bottom, Henry became homeless, begging for money for food and alcohol. He lived in the streets, finding shelter wherever he could. And he grew older.

Until that fateful day.
Henry saw the white BMW pull up to the light. He thought maybe he could get a few dollars so he could get something to eat. Henry hadn't eaten in days it felt like. He had been sick with the changing of the seasons, and couldn't find the energy to get up and do anything. Today was the first day that he had gotten up and some food would be especially welcome. Even though he had fallen far in life, Henry could never forget his medical training. The other homeless even called him, "Doc". He had helped many of them in one form or another, many times trading skill for alcohol. The homeless didn't always have any other options. 
Henry could tell as he approached the car that the woman was afraid of him. People like her rarely made eye contact and usually wouldn't give him the time of day and definitely not money. But she had made that eye contact, so Henry approached, sign in one hand, the other extended. He had little energy, so he took small steps, moving slowly. He could see that the woman inside was terrified of him. Henry knew that he wasn't the most appealing person to look at, but he wondered that he could cause so much fright in another human being. Had he really become such a monster?
Opening his mouth with difficulty, her fear was making it hard for Henry to find words, Henry managed to get out the words, "Spare some change, little miss?". But they came out breathy and soft, spoken in a hurry that it was. Henry wasn't sure he could manage to speak anything else to a person so abjectly terrified of his mere presence. The fear stung him in places he thought was long forgotten. She grabbed a bill and thrust it into his hand. Henry slowly withdrew his hand. As soon as he was clear of the window, the light changed and the woman sped off crazily.
Henry stared at the bill in his hand. It was a hundred dollar bill. He usually only got ones when he begged, or change. Never anything this large. In fact, he realized that he hadn't seen a bill this large in a long, LONG time. The memories started flooding over him. He hadn't always been like this. As the memories returned, his slouching posture straightened, his eyes cleared, he held his head up. Henry remembered who he had been.
At just that instance, the sound of a car crash crescendo-ed on him. Henry jerked his head to see a horrendous car crash in front of his eyes. The woman had sped off through the green light, but failed to see the speeding truck that had run the red light. He had plowed into her car and smashed it all to pieces. Henry could smell the gas coming from the BMW and see the fire burning in the front. The lady needed to be rescued immediately.
For a brief instance, Henry froze. He was torn. All of his prior training came flooding back with the realization of whom he was, warring with the stark look of terror on the woman's face. The look of revulsion that she had given him. She had been repulsed by his mere presence. But Henry knew that he was the only person here who had any chance of saving that poor woman.
Hesitation finished, Henry gather himself and rushed to the BMW. Reaching through the smashed passenger side, Henry pulled the woman from the car as safely as he could, doing his best not to injure her further. He knew that at any moment, this car could go up in flames; the gas fumes were getting stronger. With a massive effort, Henry managed to free the woman and pull her to the relative safety of the nearby sidewalk. As Henry reached the sidewalk, puffing and straining with the exertion, there was a boom and concussion and the fuel from the car ignited.
Henry slumped to the ground beside the woman. People had stopped and were starting to congregate in a small group nearby. Struggling to catch his breath, Henry managed to call out "Call an Ambulance", but that was the extent of what he could manage. Henry felt a sharp pain in his chest and his left side went numb. The years outdoors had not been kind to Henry and his recent bout with sickness had left him weak. He had used up all his energy saving the woman. As Henry struggled to breath, he reached over and checked the woman's pulse. She still had a pulse. Light, and fluttering, but still there. Henry laid back on the ground. He couldn't keep his eyes open now, his breaths were still struggling to come. As the darkness closed in, Henry smiled to himself. At least he did something to be proud of with his last breaths. It was time to go home to his family and the dreams of yesterday.