Fiction: Poor Ryan (El pobre Ryan) [EN/ES]
Published on HivePostify by @rinconpoetico7 · Sun Sep 06 2026
English Poor Ryan
“Friend, friend, spare a coin—I’m so hungry.” Tom was sitting on a dirty sidewalk.
His face was covered in coal dust, and he had a long, unkempt beard. When he smiled, his yellowed, mismatched teeth peeked out from between his parched lips; he wore an eye patch over his left eye. A torn, worn wool cap covered part of his tangled hair. A tattered brown raincoat and black pants with colorful fabric patches covered the wretched man.
People passing by looked at him with fear, some with disdain, and others mocked him.
“Get a job, you bum—you’re young.” A well-dressed woman made a gesture of disgust.
“Here’s a coin, ugly man.” A blond boy tossed a penny onto the worn red cloth.
“God will reward you.” Tom bowed his head.
People came and went before Tom’s lifeless eyes. Pennies fell onto the cloth—some out of a sense of morality, others to help, and still others simply walked by hurling insults.
“This bum must have more money than we do—why give him anything? Haha.” Two women swayed as they entered a building.
Just then, Ryan walked by—a well-dressed man in an impeccable gray suit, with well-groomed black hair combed to one side, wearing sunglasses that hid his honey-colored eyes. He looked at Tom sitting under the harsh sun, and something about him made him feel sorry for him.
“Take this bill, man, go get some breakfast.”
“Thanks, kind sir. God bless you for your generosity.” Tom held out his hand, which was clad in a black wool glove that was torn at the fingers.
“You’re welcome, man. What’s your name?” Ryan slipped his hands into his pockets.
“My name is Tom.” He avoided looking Ryan in the eye.
“I’ve been seeing you sitting here in the mornings lately; I was curious.” Ryan crouched down. “Where are you from?”
“I’m from another city. I got hooked on drugs and haven’t been able to break free from that damn addiction.” Tom let out a quiet sob.
“I’m so sorry, Tom. I hope you find the light at the end of the tunnel.” Ryan stood up.
“Thank you, sir. I hope so, too.” Tom kept his head down.
“I hope to see you next week. I’m off to work. Take good care of yourself.” Ryan walked briskly toward his office.
Tom waved goodbye as Ryan entered the large gray building with dark blue windows. When he reached his cubicle, his supervisor was waiting for him.
“Ryan, you’re late, and your work is piling up. You’re not paid to slack off here.” The supervisor took off his glasses and wiped them with a handkerchief. “I’ll overlook your infraction this time, but I need those reports quickly.”
“Don’t worry, you’ll have the reports by the end of the day.” Ryan took off his jacket and sat down in the swivel chair.
“The manager needs them for his presentation to the partners. Don’t forget, Ryan.” The supervisor continued on his way to the manager’s large office.
Ryan typed away relentlessly as the hours flew by. Tracy arrived at the cubicle and caressed the weary man’s face.
“Hi, honey, I missed you so much.”
“Hi, Tracy. You make my day.” Ryan smiled at the blue-eyed blonde.
“Honey, will you forgive me? That night we were having dinner, I had to see my mom—she’s very sick. I told you about it, right?” Tracy looked sad.
“I think so. Tell me, how is your mom?”
“Not well. She needs some very expensive medicine, and I don’t have the money.” Tracy pouted. “I was wondering if you could lend me some money. I’ll pay you back when I get my paycheck.”
“Okay, don’t worry. I’ve got some money lying around.”
Tracy gave him a kiss on the cheek and ran off. Ryan looked a little concerned, then went back to typing away relentlessly to finish the reports. The day was coming to an end, and Ryan returned home tired. He walked into his apartment, tossed his jacket and tie onto the couch, and unbuttoned his shirt. Ryan turned on the TV and began to doze off.
His cell phone rang with an alarming urgency.
“Hi, Ryan, how are you?” His accountant’s voice sounded serious.
“Dereck, I’m doing great, thanks. What’s going on?” Ryan shook his head to shake off the drowsiness.
“Well, Ryan, I’ll get straight to the point. You’re broke; you’re spending more than you’re earning. In the coming days, they’re going to seize everything you have.”
“That can’t be.” Ryan felt a terrible flutter in his stomach that crept up to his head. “What can we do?”
“There’s nothing we can do. I’m so sorry, Ryan.” Dereck hung up.
Ryan could only stare blankly at the white ceiling, lost in his tangled thoughts. It was a terrible night—he couldn’t sleep—and morning was coming fast. The landscape was gray, and a persistent rain fell over the city. Ryan grabbed his coat and an umbrella and headed to the bank.
He walked along the rain-soaked sidewalks. He reached the cold, gray building—just like Ryan’s future looked. He arrived at the glass door, and a sign caught his attention. “No customer service on Saturdays.” Ryan let out a sigh and kept walking aimlessly.
Just then, his cell phone rang; that soft electronic ringtone was the only pleasant thing about that gray day. Ryan answered.
“Hi, honey.”
“Tracy, I’m glad to hear a pleasant voice on this gray day.” Ryan smiled.
“I was thinking about you.” Tracy let out a flirtatious giggle. She continued the conversation, “I was going to ask you about the money you were going to lend me.”
“Right now, I haven’t received some money that’s owed to me, but I’ll definitely lend it to you later.” Ryan’s expression darkened.
“Oh, I see. Thanks for nothing.” Tracy abruptly ended the call.
Ryan kept walking down those gray streets and suddenly saw Tom sitting on the sidewalk, under the eaves of a building that sheltered him from the rain. Ryan approached the homeless man.
“Hi, Tom, how are you?” Ryan crouched down.
“Fine, just here asking for a little change for breakfast.”
“Stand up—let’s go get breakfast. I haven’t had breakfast either. Haha.”
They arrived at a coffee shop, but they wouldn’t serve them. Ryan and Tom kept walking, looking for a place to eat breakfast without success. Then Ryan went into a coffee shop and bought some food. They looked for a spot and found a kiosk.
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