JC: Harry and Amy
Chapter 6
By
Lazlo Zalezac
Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2005

Standing in the center of the hotel room, Amy managed to keep her 
balance and looked around at her surroundings. She was standing 
in what had been the living room of the best suite of a major hotel. 
It wasn't recognizable as such any more. The room had been 
transformed into a machine shop and laboratory. The couch and 
chairs had been pushed against the sides of the room. Worktables 
had been added. One table was loaded with machining equipment. 
Another table was loaded with electronics. A third table was 
loaded with tools.

Amy tried to take a step, stumbled, and then fell to her knees. The 
kneepads cushioned her fall so she wasn't injured. None the less, 
she was frustrated at having ended up in the same position for the 
hundredth time. Concentrating on what she was doing, she rose to 
a standing position. She was getting good at that after all of the 
practice she had gotten. If only she could figure out how to walk 
with the new braces. Losing a bit of her cool, she said, "I'm never 
going to be able to walk with these stupid things."

"Maybe you need to learn how to crawl before you walk," 
suggested Peter. He knew the sensors were working correctly and 
the actuators were functioning properly. They might need a little 
tweaking to get them tuned properly, but they were close enough 
for her to walk.

Angry, Amy stepped forward and dropped to her knees once again. 
When her anger was about to overwhelm Amy, Laura, with a wink, 
said, "You know, Bill is going to love that move, but I imagine 
you're going to get tired of giving blowjobs."

The comment was so unexpected that Amy burst out laughing 
uncontrollably. Her anger and frustration dissipated. It amazed her 
how Laura always found the right thing to say when she was 
reaching her breaking point. Catching her breath, she said, "I doubt 
he'll be able to perform a thousand times a day."

Catherine laughed at the retort and knew Laura had said the right 
thing. Laura was a firm believer in the old adage that laughter was 
often the best medicine. She said, "You know. I think Peter has a 
point about learning to crawl first."

Nodding, Laura realized the problem was that Amy was sending 
the wrong commands to her muscles. She was trying to move as if 
she were wearing her old braces. Rather than trying to move her 
legs forward, she was trying to swing her legs around. It was the 
swing that caused her to lose balance. She said, "Your muscles 
have learned patterns appropriate for your old brace. You're 
swinging your legs out rather than moving them in a normal walk. 
That's okay when you're wearing your old braces and using your 
crutches, but you aren't wearing them now."

Amy gave in and tried to crawl. She found that with each slide 
forward, her knees were getting further apart. She stopped and 
adjusted herself so that her knees were closer together. She 
realized what she was doing and said, "You're right."

For the next four hours, Amy crawled around the room like an 
infant. At first, she kept finding her knees would become spread in 
an obscene manner. With practice, she slowly achieved a normal 
crawl. As she made a circuit around the room, she thought about 
crawling under the dining room table to give Bill a blowjob. She 
recalled when she had wanted to give him a blowjob and had been 
unable to get into position. Now she was concerned that she'd 
never get out of that position.

"I think that is enough for now," said Laura seeing that Amy was 
tired. 

"Thanks," said Amy realizing only at that moment just how tired 
she had become. She crawled over to a chair and climbed into it. 
Settling into the seat, she crossed her legs without thinking about 
it. 

After a few seconds, she looked down and saw what she had done. 
She hadn't been able to cross her legs without lifting them into 
position since the day that her life had changed. She'd never been 
able to do it while wearing her old braces. Overcome with 
emotion, she said, "I crossed my legs."

Not understanding the significance of the act, Peter shrugged and 
said, "Okay."

"You don't understand. I haven't been able to cross my legs since 
my knees blew out." Amy stared at where her legs crossed. As she 
thought about it, she realized that she was going to be able to act in 
a more feminine manner. If she'd master these new braces, she'd be 
able to walk across a room, sit down, and cross her legs like a 
normal person. 

Catherine understood and said, "Your life is about to undergo a 
major change."

Amy worked up the courage to ask the question that had been 
bothering her. She didn't feel that it was right for her to be the one 
chosen for the honor of receiving these braces. There were others 
more deserving. Looking at Laura, she asked, "Why me?"

"Even angels occasionally require a minor miracle," answered 
Laura making reference to Amy's nickname that had been 
bestowed upon her by the homeless she had helped. Laura took a 
seat on the couch beside Amy and held her hand.

Sitting down on a chair by the table on which the jeweler's lathe 
sat, Catherine said, "You help others without asking for anything 
in return. We kind of identify with that sentiment."

"I haven't done anything special."

Laura laughed and then said, "Ed Biggers told me that you did lots 
of things that were special."

"Ed?"

"You remember Ed Biggers. Cowboy in a black robe who's stuck 
with telling the truth all of the time. He can't even tell a tall tale. 
That must be torture for a cowboy." Catherine grinned as she 
waited for Amy to give a nod of recognition. 

"He and I worked together for a little while, but I don't remember 
doing anything special while he was here."

Laura said, "One night he asked you to join him for dinner and you 
turned him down with a lie. When he asked if he had upset you, 
you told him no and that was the truth. Well, that got his attention 
so he followed you. You'd never guess what he discovered. His 
little helper was out helping the homeless by bringing them food 
and clothes."

"He followed me?" Amy didn't know what to think of that. 

"Of course, he did. He was investigating some stock manipulation 
crimes and wanted to know that you weren't being used by some 
unscrupulous individual."

"He suspected me?" asked Amy shocked at the suggestion.

"Not for a minute. He suspected everyone around you, particularly 
anyone who he hadn't met," answered Peter from his seat at the 
table with electronics. Absently, he played with a couple of 
resistors that were on the table.

"How do you know that?"

"He told Harry and Harry told us," answered Laura.

Although she knew it was a stupid question, she asked, "Why 
would he tell Harry?"

Laura answered, "Ed tried to find out what he could about your 
knees. He had hoped that his wife would be able to correct the 
problem. When it was discovered that your problem was 
congenital, there was nothing he could do for you. So he decided to 
let Harry help you out with your mission."

Amy had heard that part of the story before from Harry. Curious, 
she asked, "Do you guys talk about people like me very much?"

Although the question wasn't very specific, Peter understood what 
she was asking. He answered, "Ed likes to rescue women from bad 
situations. He was quite disappointed when he discovered that he 
couldn't do more for you. You've been a special case for a while."

"Oh," replied Amy. It wasn't a comfortable feeling knowing that 
you were a subject of conversation among the most powerful 
people in the country. She stood up and started to pace across the 
room trying to make sense of what they had told her. She 
wondered what kinds of things they knew about her. She stopped 
and looked at Catherine to ask a question.

Catherine, Laura, and Peter were watching Amy with broad smiles 
on their faces wondering how long it would take her to realize that 
she was walking without the aid of crutches. Amy looked from one 
person to the next curious about the expressions on their face. 
"What?"

"Nothing."

Amy turned and took a step towards the couch she had abandoned. 
At that moment, she realized why they were looking at her. She 
screamed, "I'm walking!"

Black George watched the man walking towards the shed. He 
knew he should recognize him, but he couldn't make out enough 
details to distinguish him from others who visited there. It didn't 
matter, who ever it was, he'd offer him a bunk and, after a little 
work, a hot meal. He went back into the shed to check on the big 
pot of chili that was slowly cooking. 

"Black George?" asked Bill hoping he had the name correct.

The black man turned and looked at Bill standing at the door. 
Close up, he was able to see enough features to recall the identity 
of his visitor. "Dapper Dandy! I'll be. What are you doing here?"

"I'm looking for Amy," answered Bill wondering what it would 
take to get rid of that nickname. After a moment of reflection, he 
decided that he'd have to do something pretty awful and he'd not 
want the nickname that would result. 

"Druids took her." George turned back to face the stove. 

Bill grabbed Black George by the arm and tried to turn the man to 
face him. Despite his failure to budge the man, he asked, "Who 
took her?"

Black George looked down at the hand on his arm and then at Bill. 
Getting the message that it would be best to unhand the man, Bill 
released his arm. Frowning, Black George answered, "The Druids. 
You know -- the guys in the robes. They took her to perform some 
experiments on her."

Concern for his girlfriend overcame his reason. Angry, he shouted, 
"You let them take her to be the subject of some mad science 
experiment? What is wrong with you? Where in the hell can I find 
these Druids?"

A throat clearing from behind him got Bill's attention. He turned to 
find himself facing a black robed Druid. She looked at him 
carefully and then said, "You won't find us in hell. We tend to 
avoid it as much as possible."

Black George chuckled at her line about hell. He'd been about to 
shake hands with Bill and welcome him to hell. He decided that 
her line was better. He listened on the conversation knowing that 
he'd have a good story to tell around the fire tonight. 

Bill stared at the Druid for several seconds and then repeated his 
question. "Where's Amy?"

"She's busy and will be unable to see you until Friday night, Bill."

"I want to see her right now!" He didn't notice that she knew his 
name. He was more concerned for Amy. The previous Monday he 
had called and she'd been very distracted. That was the last he'd 
heard from her. His calls to her house on Tuesday went 
unanswered. He had tried again on Wednesday with the same 
result. Thursday he'd called her office and left a message with 
some young woman who had answered the phone. Amy never 
called him back. Friday had been more of the same. 

"You can't see her right now, she's busy. However, I've brought 
someone here to keep you distracted until Friday. I'd like to 
introduce you to your new intern, Sydney," answered Kristie while 
pointing to a young woman wearing a blue robe. She was 5'4" and 
built like a cheerleader with long blond hair that reached the 
middle of her back. Her eyes twinkled with amusement at the 
exchange.

"The only one I want distracting me is Amy," said Bill insulted by 
the suggestion that he take up with the young woman. His voice 
took on a low threatening tone when he said, "If you've hurt Amy, 
I'll hunt down and kill everyone of you."

Kristie studied Bill for several seconds. He was strong willed and a 
good man. His concern for Amy was pure. She replied, "You 
would do that. I find it rather touching that you'd sacrifice yourself 
that way for love."

"I don't think he's ready to be my mentor," said Sydney surprised 
by the suggestion that he thought she was being offered as some 
sort of sexual diversion. She didn't expect her practicum to start 
with this kind of scene. 

"He's worried about Amy. I suppose there's only one thing to do."

"Right. Take me to Amy."

"We'll have to stop by a jeweler's to pick up a ring so that he can 
propose to her Friday night."

It was not what he was expecting to hear. "Huh?"

"A man who's that much in love with a woman is eventually going 
to propose to her. Might as well make it sooner than later," said 
Kristie as she took him by the arm. She sighed and then said, "I'm 
sure there's a jeweler near here who's open on Saturday."

Bill stumbled as she led him away from the homeless hotel and to 
his car. Sydney followed them after waving farewell to Black 
George. The black man shook his head and returned to his work 
preparing dinner. After thinking about it for a minute, he looked up 
and stared out the door of the shack. In a quiet voice that conveyed 
immense sadness, he said, "We're gonna loose Amy. Dapper 
Dandy is gonna steal her from us."

The Friday night crowd was quiet as they watched Amy walk 
around the fire pit at the Homeless Hotel. Gone were the clunky 
metal braces and the arm crutches. A spider web of some black 
plastic material that hugged her legs had replaced them. Amy 
paused and asked, "What do you think?"

For nearly half a minute no one answered her. Finally, the 
California Kid, in a resigned voice, said, "We're happy you can 
walk real good now."

The reaction was not what she had expected. Curious why they 
weren't happy she could walk, she asked, "What's the matter?"

None of the men answered her. They all stared into the fire as if 
there was something very interesting going on within the flames. 
The air was filled with a sullen, almost bitter, feel. She looked 
around getting angry that they were not happy for her. Putting her 
hands on her hips, she shouted, "What's that matter?"

It was Bad News who finally answered her. He'd gotten that 
nickname because he was usually the only one who had the heart 
to deliver bad news. Staring woodenly at the fire, he said, "Now 
that you can walk, Dapper Dandy is gonna marry you and take you 
from us. We's happy you can walk, but losing you is almost more 
than we can take."

A voice came out from the dark surprising everyone. "You're right. 
I'm gonna marry her if she'll have me."

Amy spun to see who spoke. Off balance, she fell to the ground. A 
dozen hands reached out to pick her up. It was Black George who 
led her back to her chair. As Amy sat down, Bill approached and 
dropped to one knee. Holding out a ring, he asked, "Will you 
marry me?"

Amy stared at the ring in shock. The men, their worst fears being 
realized, stared at the fire hunched over as if in pain. She couldn't 
believe that he was asking her to marry him. Despite knowing 
there would be problems, there was only one answer that she could 
give. Hand trembling, she reached out to touch the simple gold 
band. Softly, she said, "Yes."

There was a pained groan from the men around the fire. Leaning 
forward, Bill kissed her. She returned the kiss with passion even as 
tears of happiness gathered in her eyes. For the moment, they were 
only aware of each other.

When they broke off the kiss, Bill stood and faced the circle of 
unhappy men. Not one man looked at him. Their happiness for 
Amy conflicted with their feelings of loss. More than one man 
entertained thoughts that weren't exactly legal or gentle. If it 
wouldn't have hurt Amy, they'd have beat him where he stood.

In a voice that carried around the fire, Bill said, "I've been working 
this week to move my business to Chicago. Amy won't have to 
leave or give up her life here. I imagine that she'll be here long 
after you guys have found homes."

The past week had been busy for Bill. His intern, Sydney, had 
worked out a scheme in which he separated the manufacturing part 
of his business from sales and administration. The sales and 
administration teams were going to move to a new location in the 
outskirts of Chicago while manufacturing was going to stay where 
it was. The move would allow him to expand his manufacturing 
facilities into the freed up area. It meant that he was going to have 
to travel rather frequently between the two sites, but the plan she 
had laid out was sound and would improve his ability to grow the 
business.

The California Kid looked up at Bill once he realized what the man 
had said. Tears streaked his face forming little light tracks that 
contrasted with the ever-present thin layer of dirt. In a voice that 
cracked, he asked, "Why would you do that?"

Understanding for the first time just how fragile some of the 
people who stayed at the Homeless Hotel were, Bill answered, 
"She loves this place as much as I love her. There's no way I could 
take her away from here and live with myself."

A wave of relief washed through the men gathered there. The relief 
was palpable. All anger disappeared. It was Hotel Harvey who 
said, "That Dapper Dandy sure can sweet talk even when he's 
talkin' to us."

His comment broke the men's reserve and they swarmed Amy. She 
found herself surrounded by happy men congratulating her on her 
new legs and her upcoming marriage. Their comments were real 
and heartfelt. 

Standing in the dark shadows, a small cluster of Druids looked at 
each other and smiled. Each of them appreciated a job well done. 
Unnoticed by others, all but one member left as a group to return to 
their regular duties. After watching his fellow Druids leave, Happy 
Harry made his way to the fire pit. As he entered the circle of light, 
he said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a wedding to plan. Why 
don't we let the newly engaged couple go off and celebrate while 
we get to work?"

The homeless gathered around Harry and the volume of noise rose 
considerably. It took less than a day for the news to spread to every 
shelter, soup kitchen, and flophouse in the city. In less than a week, 
the news had spread to both coasts and north to Toronto. When a 
date was set, the great pilgrimage to Chicago began.

With a suddenness that was almost shocking, Amy and Bill were 
left alone after Harry's announcement. Amy smiled and said, "Let's 
go home where we can celebrate."

As they walked to the car, Amy asked, "What do you think of my 
new legs?"

"I'm kind of disappointed," answered Bill with a grin.

Amy froze and stared at him wondering how he could say such a 
thing. Shocked, she asked, "Why?"

"Now when I chase you, there's a good chance you'll get away," he 
answered. The tension melted away and she hit his shoulder a little 
harder than she intended. It made a resounding thawk in the 
darkness. He complained, "Ow!"

"You're horrible!"

"Yep."

"You're incorrigible!"

"Yep."

Wiggling the finger on which the ring had been placed, she said, 
"You're mine."

"Yep and happy because of it."

Amy giggled and returned to walking towards the car. She said, 
"You know, these legs are pretty good. I can do all kinds of things 
now that I couldn't do before."

"Like what?" asked Bill. He hadn't really had a chance to check out 
her new legs. He looked forward to getting her alone where he 
could explore her new legs as well as the more interesting parts of 
her body. 

"Oh, I can get on my knees and give blowjobs."

"Come to think of it, I'm beginning to like your new legs a whole 
lot more," he teased. He remembered when she had wanted to do 
exactly that and her emotional reaction when she realized that she 
couldn't. 

"I'm going to be able to experience all kinds of sexual positions 
that I couldn't before. I'll even be able to be on top of you." Even 
describing the new possibilities caused her to get a little wet 
between the legs. She couldn't wait to try out all of the 
possibilities.

"I beginning to love your new legs." His arm, which had been 
around her shoulders, moved down so that he could cup her ass. 

She started to lose her balance, but recovered with a little help 
from him. Although she had been practicing with them for almost a 
full week, she was still getting used to her new legs. Surprises 
tended to cause her to lose control. She said, "Sorry. It's going to 
take a little time to get used to them."

"Hey. People trip and fall all the time." He pinched her ass and was 
rewarded with a nice little scream. He had to catch her before she 
fell.

When they reached her house, clothes flew in random directions as 
they allowed their excitement free reign. The new brace did not 
interfere with their lovemaking in any manner although her first 
orgasm nearly launched her across the room. Over the next few 
days, she took every opportunity to get on her knees and give him 
a blowjob. They both enjoyed the benefits of her new legs.

Half of the high school football field was filled with shopping carts 
of all sizes and shapes. The other half of the field was filled with 
cinder blocks, milk crates, and stools upon which filthy men and 
woman sat. The stands, designed to hold close to five thousand 
people, were filled. Only a handful of the people seated wore suits 
or fancy dresses and they were in the section set aside for family. 
The well-dressed guests tended to stare at the slovenly mass of 
people seated around them. There were notable exceptions among 
them, namely individuals who knew and worked with the 
homeless.

The parking lot of the school was filled with roach coaches of 
every size and description. Volunteers, who had come from 
churches located all over the country, staffed tables laden with 
food and coffee. They'd been busy for the past three days feeding 
the men and women who had drifted to Chicago.

A cameraman, with a television reporter, was trying to find an 
appropriate place to film the proceedings. If it turned out to be a 
slow news day, the wedding would make good filler material. It 
wasn't often that so many of the poorest in the country gathered 
together in one place. It was even rarer when some of the richest 
people in the country were seated next to them without complaint. 

Amy was in the locker room getting into a simple white dress. Her 
mother, emotional at the fact that her daughter was finally getting 
married, tried to help, but kept breaking out into tears of joy. 
Carlie, her intern, served as Maid of Honor and had taken charge 
of getting Amy ready for the ceremony. She had been the only 
logical choice since Amy had been overwhelmed by offers from 
the bag ladies that frequented the homeless hotel. 

Happy Harry was leaning against the concession stand wearing his 
green robe and carrying his shepherd's staff. Beside him stood a 
very nervous Bill. Bill was wearing a sport coat, a compromise 
between the Tuxedo consistent with the expectations associated 
with such event and the blue jeans that would have been 
appropriate around the homeless. Looking over the crowd, Bill 
said, "It's hard to believe how many people she's helped."

Even though half of the attendees were there because it was an 
event, a good percentage of them knew Amy. A dozen years of 
feeding and clothing the homeless had allowed her to influence the 
lives of a lot of people. Harry looked over those he considered his 
people with affection and more than a little pride that they had 
chosen to come here to honor Amy. He asked, "Any wonder why 
we took an interest in her?"

"None. She's an amazing woman," replied Bill feeling humbled by 
the scene around him. He looked up at the sky amazed at the 
weather. The temperature was cool, but not so cold as to be 
uncomfortable. The sky was a clear blue without trace of a cloud 
anywhere. Even the infamous Chicago wind had been tamed to a 
refreshing breeze. It seemed to him, based on the weather, even the 
Gods and Goddesses were smiling upon their wedding.

Under the guidance of Sydney, Amy's mother left the locker room 
to make her way to the stands where she had a reserved seat in 
front of the small platform on which the ceremony was to be held. 
Rounding the corner, she saw the crowd of people gathered for the 
wedding for the first time and stopped short in shock at the sheer 
number. She turned to Sydney and asked, "Who are all these 
people?"

"Most of them are homeless."

"Why are they here?" she asked puzzled by the presence of so 
many unwashed people.

"Amy has helped all of them. They've come to celebrate her 
happiness," answered Sydney with a smile. Seeing the incredulous 
expression on the other woman's face, she added, "Your daughter 
is known around the country as the Chicago Angel."

Amy's mother had despaired for years about the fact that her 
daughter hadn't had a boyfriend ever since her injury. She had not 
known of Amy's activities, believing instead that Amy was 
spending her time hiding from life in the barren comfort of her 
apartment. Lame excuses for not attending family holiday 
celebrations suddenly made sense.  Still not sure that she believed 
what she was hearing, she exclaimed, "You're kidding."

Sydney pointed to the stands and said, "Over there is the team who 
developed her new brace. The red robed woman hanging onto the 
brown robed man is Catherine. She's married to Oliver. He's the 
one in the brown robe and is head of the Druid organization. That 
man over there is Ed Biggers. He's the head of those who serve the 
Two-Sided One, but he's representing the Fusion Foundation."

"I hadn't noticed all of the Druids," she said. The thought that the 
Grand Druid was attending her daughter's wedding was staggering. 
She didn't know how to react to the news.

"Cardinal O'Reilly over there is the head of the Catholic Church in 
North America. Seated beside him is a representative from the 
Vatican."

"Vatican?" Shocked, she looked at the priests huddled together in 
one area of the stands.

"Yes, the Vatican. Your daughter doesn't even know the impact 
that she's had."

The pair resumed walking to the stands to take their place. Harry 
noticed and said, "It's about time for this show to get on the road."

Walking to the small platform was a nerve-wracking experience 
for Bill. Unused to crowds, the sheer number of people was 
overwhelming. Lightening the mood, Harry started marching like 
he was leading a parade. The homeless, all of them well familiar 
with Harry, laughed at his antics. Even Bill relaxed when the 
attention of the crowd was transferred to Harry.

An expectant hush fell over the crowd when Bill and Harry 
stepped onto the platform. Everyone knew that it was time for 
Amy to make her appearance. Bill and Harry turned to watch for 
her to emerge.

Amy walked out of the locker room to make her way to the small 
platform on which the ceremony was to be held. Rounding the 
corner, she saw the crowd of people gathered for the wedding and 
stopped short. Hands trembling, her hand rose to cover her open 
mouth as tears welled up in her eyes. She couldn't believe the 
number of people who had showed up for the ceremony. She had 
assumed that Harry had planned it here so that the homeless at the 
shelter would be comfortable. Eyes scanning the crowd, she 
couldn't believe how many people she recognized. So many people 
and she knew most of them.

While her attention was on the crowd, Bottle Cap limped over to 
her. He limped as a result of toes lost due to frostbite. A scar 
creased his cheek; the result of a brutal beating by some drunk kids 
having a little fun one Saturday night. After hesitating for a 
second, he said, "Miss Amy. You're supposed to have something 
borrowed with you when you marry. Would you like to borrow 
this?"

She looked down at his hand and saw that he was holding out a 
bottle cap for her to take. Touched beyond words, she nodded her 
head and accepted it. In a voice that trembled with emotion, he 
said, "That's my lucky bottle cap. It's the only thing I have that 
means anything to me, but I figure you should have it for this day."

Bottle Cap edged away feeling nervous about having given up his 
lucky charm, but happy that he could contribute something to the 
ceremony. It was a rusty old thing, at least twenty years old, and 
the paint had worn away from years of handling.  He'd had it for as 
long as he could remember and had credited it with all of the good 
events in his life. One of those events included the night Amy had 
saved him from freezing to death.

Tears in her eyes at the gesture, she croaked something that 
sounded a lot like, 'thank you.' Overwhelmed by emotions, Amy 
was barely aware of being led to the platform and exchanging 
vows with Bill. Even Bill had difficulty talking when it came time 
for him to speak his vows. Happy Harry was smiling so broadly 
that his face started to hurt. The only one who wasn't overwhelmed 
with emotion on the platform was the Minister. 

The wedding platform wasn't the only place where emotions were 
running high. Whiskered men and worn women, hardened by years 
on the street, wiped eyes during the ceremony. One of their own 
had found happiness and allowed them to share in it. It was such a 
rare occasion on the street. 

Before Bride or Groom realized it, the ceremony was over. When 
the Minister shouted that they were man and wife, the crowd let 
loose with a loud roar. For a moment, it sounded like the home 
team had won the state championship. With eyes only for each 
other, the newlyweds kissed. Throughout the kiss, the crowd 
repeatedly shouted, "Amy!"

A swarm of people descended upon the newlyweds. Amidst the 
chaos of happy words and tears, Bottle Cap hung back, anxiously 
watching her. Amy noticed and gestured for him to come over. She 
handed the bottle cap back to the very relieved man; giving him a 
hug and a kiss on the cheek in the process. Harry noticed the 
exchange and recognized what had happened. He went over Bottle 
Cap. "That was a nice gesture Bottle Cap."

"She's a special lady, Harry." Bottle Cap, embarrassed at being 
noticed, looked down at the ground and nudged a patch of grass 
with his toe.

Harry looked at the horizon for a moment as though pondering 
something great. He looked over at Bottle Cap and then said, "I 
need an assistant to help me in the roach coach. Are you 
interested?"

Bottle Cap stared at Harry and then nodded his head. In a soft 
voice, he said, "I'd like that a lot."

"Let's go. There's a bunch of folks that need feeding." He led the 
way to the roach coach. Bottle Cap followed pleased to be of help 
to Harry. It wasn't often that he was the person doing the helping.

It took almost two hours for Bill and Amy to make their way to the 
parking lot. They ended up at the table set up by the Wooden 
Spoon. Mike and Gail greeted the couple with hugs and kisses of 
congratulations. When she finally had a chance to say something, 
Amy said, "You shouldn't be working here, you're an invited 
guest."

"Are you kidding? We're not working," answered Mike with a 
wink. Even though he was the CEO of a major investment 
company, he never forgot the lesson Harry had taught him so many 
years ago.

Gail smiled and gestured to the crowd around the table. "We're 
having a party with a few of our friends."

Looking around at the huge number of people in the parking lot, 
Amy asked, "Any one ever tell you that you tend to understate 
things a bit?"

The group laughed. Mike pointed to another stand about thirty 
yards distant and said, "Stop by Richard's set up over there for 
some coffee when you're done eating. I'm sure he'd like to see 
you."

After his tour with Harry, Richard had started driving through 
streets, alleys, and abandoned construction sites in an old van. On 
the cold frigid winter nights common in Chicago, he'd hand out 
cups of coffee and coats to anyone who needed them. During the 
summer, he'd deliver bottled water and mineral tablets to help 
stave off the effects of heat. He felt it wasn't much, but it was the 
best he could do.

Hours passed as the couple moved through the crowd. It was 
exhausting, but the good kind of exhaustion that came greeting 
friends. They made sure to sample items at the various food 
stations while talking to those who had volunteered their time. 
Finally, aware that even the best times have to come to an end, 
they made their way to their car. 

When they reached the parking lot, Amy noticed Johnny walking 
away from them with his wife and two kids. He was the driver of 
the bus she used to take and she hadn't seen him since the night he 
had dropped her off at the site of the homeless hotel. She called 
out, "Johnny."

The man turned to see who had called out for him. A smile grew 
when he realized that it was Amy. He was pleased that she 
remembered him. "Hello Amy."

Amy went to him and gave him a big hug. She whispered in his 
ear, "Thank you. You always watched out for me. I can't tell you 
how much I appreciated it."

Turning to his wife, she said, "Your husband played a very special 
role in my life. He took me where I was needed and made sure that 
I was picked up afterwards. I felt a lot safer knowing he was 
watching over me."

Hearing words of praise by someone so well respected, Johnny's 
wife looked at her husband in pride. Others might see nothing 
more than a bus driver, but she knew the man and loved him. She 
said, "He's got a good heart."

Smiling, Amy said, "And that heart belongs to you. I've never met 
anyone so proud of his wife. I've wanted to meet you for such a 
long time to let you know that you're a very lucky woman."

As Johnny's wife hugged her husband, Bill looked at Amy 
knowing that he was the lucky one there. Amy was remarkable 
woman and he knew it. Energetic and attractive, she was modest 
beyond belief. Kind and caring, she loved in the purest way 
possible. He loved her with his entire heart and soul. How could he 
not love her -- she was an angel.
