Oblivious – Word Prompt by Fandango

https://fivedotoh.com/2021/08/03/fowc-with-fandango-oblivious/

Oblivious

Every day, I walked the same route to work. My gaze directed to where I needed to go, rather than what was around me. I was oblivious. One day, I happened to look down, at a pile of clothes on the floor. They were unsightly, and as I prodded them with my foot, something moved.

I jumped back, as a familiar face stared up at me. It was a colleague from my days at the exchange centre. Fallen on hard times, he was impossible to ignore.

‘Shelly,’ he said, can you spare me a few pounds.

At first I wanted to refused – it had been asked of me before, but there was something behind those grey eyes. I took out some coins, but he stopped me.

‘Actually, what is that in your bag ?’

‘Just my lunch,’ I say.

‘Could I have that instead? I haven’t eaten in days.’

I looked down at my pasta salad, and Chelsea cake. It was easy to pass them over, along with the card from my pocket and twenty pounds. It was a job he needed, and I needed reliable staff.