Sadie was happy to see me the next morning. Maybe I was more reliable than the average homeless person. It was nice to start out the day with her smile.

"You ever going to shave off that fuzz?" Sadie asked. I could see her eyes on my chin. The mirror told me it added a few years to my looks, but I was getting used to it. Amber would have hated it. Strangely, that's why I finally decided not to shave it. It reminded me she was gone, and I didn't want to forget. I was worse off without her and my scraggly beard was proof.

"Someday," I answered with...