Aaron stood in the queue quietly waiting for his turn at the Salvation Army soup kitchen. The steaming soup smelled good and would provide welcome relief from the cold.
He watched the queue shuffle slowly ahead of him, quietly, almost sombrely. The servers had a ready welcoming smiles and chatter that seemed genuine enough, but in general people took their food and left silently.
Aaron saw Tom and went to sit next to him. They had met a few weeks back when Aaron started sleeping rough and got on well enough.
"Hey, Tom."
"Aaron."
"Haven't seen you around much on the streets."
Tom leaned closer and whispered.
"I've found a place to stay, Aaron, a squat, not much to look at, some furniture but with the elec and water still going."
Aaron smiled and replied, "I'm happy for you. Must be good to get out of the cold at night."
"You know," continued Tony, looking around furtively, "there's another building next door that's also empty. You should take a look. Its got a view too!"
Aaron took note of the address and smiled wryly. A room with a view would be a fine thing.
