The weather had always been chilly in their part of the town but today when they got up, it had gotten even more so. The turned the heater up a notch and laid down heavily dressed after having a King’s breakfast. Ray had to get up though, he had a test later in the day and he knew his lecturer wouldn’t miss class even if mars invaded earth.

Ray had always been the middle child, even in school, he retained his position. Not that he would disappear without a trace but he would get to live in the shadows long enough to enjoy the sunset without being missed.

Today though, Ray would discover a side of him he never really thought existed, maybe the colder weather would’ve been enough to warn him, or maybe it wasn’t even cold, perhaps it was the chill that ran down his spine that made the day so gloomy.

And so it was that on his way to get the test done, Ray met up with his own Helen of Troy. Maybe it was the bruises on her face or the tears streaming from her golden eyes, but one thing was for sure, today, Ray would see the inside of prison and today, Ray would get to be the center of attraction.

You know, being under the spotlight is and will always be thrilling. People tear you open, inspect each slice then then eat you up like a nice slice of cake. Ray never meant to kill the man, or so he kept on saying. It was never self defence, it was never protecting the girl he thought was in trouble. The police said it was premeditated, he had a chance to explain what he was doing outside at 2am, why he was in the man’s bedroom, because, even id he wanted nothing but the best for his girl, he never sought the right path to achieve it.

It had been 30 years behind this bars, 30 years of no sunshine, 30 years forever forgotten in the shadows, and today, today Ray was free to roam the streets again. He knew the world would never accept him, that every level headed parent would keep their kids away from him. And every wise business man would keep him from his customers. There was really no way for him to survive. He would never go back to his familial home, the shame and looks disgust were enough to keep him at bay.

At an age of 47, there is not much his parole officer would help him with. Having not even completed high school and only skilled in cleaning up the prison, Ray was fortunate to land a job as a factory cleaner and though his vitals failed him at this early age, he had to survive. Each day Ray took up his mop, he wished he had received a capital sentence and he never really thought he would, but when he raised his head to see what the breaking news was all about, he could’ve sworn he saw her. His own Helen of Troy.