SECRETLY THE WEALTHIEST MAN.

He squatted at the pedestrian side of the road at a place popularly known as the Bin- The bin is like an office to street beggars.

He had the appearance of a beggar– withered and old but neat clothes on his body. On his feet is an old Snickers which added to his uninviting look. His old shirt has a hood and it covers his face, hiding his identity from the world as if to prevent people from seeing how ugly he looks. That is Elijah.

It was another beautiful morning but the choking smell from beggars at the sidewalk who hadn't taken a bath for days or even months reminded Elijah that it was yet another ugly day for him to beg from passersby to feed himself.

Other beggars were still asleep, snoring loudly but Elijah was already awake, seated with his legs crossed and head over bowed like a meditating Chinese monk. Before him is a bowl where kind passersby would drop money for him.

A Royce roll sped along the road and one of its tires ran over a pothole. Dirty water from the muddy hole propelled up, splashing on Elijah's dress.

“Heck!" He muttered, wiping the dirt off his face.

Just then, someone approached him and stopped before him. Looking at the heel before him, Elijah immediately knew the person was a lady. He raised his head up slightly, the flawless long leg before him made him gulp hard.

The lady unknown squatted before him and Elijah thought it was one of the kind givers but her next words that made Elijah hate her immediately.

“Ah..Beggars seriously don't have a good life. Take this and eat well. After all, you'll still be lounging here tomorrow to beg for a meager amount..if not forever." The lady dropped a $100 note in the bowl and straightened up.

Elijah's face held a tight frown. “Beggars have good lives. They're human too and all humans should be treated the same irrespective of their status.” He said.

The lady laughed and took a step closer, her heels clicked against the tarred road.

“If beggars are human then tell me why you're here hiding your face from the world. Is that shame huh?!" She Snickered.

“Yuck! I'm not so comfortable talking to a beggar. Have a lovely day begging." She added with a condescending laughter and swung her waist away.

Elijah boiled in anger. He clenched his fist as anger soared through his nerves but the next voice he heard made his anger calm instantly.

“It's wet here. You should go find a warm place to stay and eat something good too." Another lady who just came said and dropped $100 dollars in the bowl.

Elijah was speechless and stunned by the kind words he just heard. To him, it sounded like the voice of an angel so he raised his head to know who the kind angel to see the lady walking away. He couldn't see her face but he saw her back. She wore a short red gown that stopped just after her knee. Her long dark hair cascaded behind her like a waterfall, dancing along in the direction of the morning breeze.

He didn't stop staring at the lady who just brightened the morning for him till she entered 'the West Bank.'

“How kind." Elijah simply nodded.

She must be a new employee. Elijah concluded thoughtfully because he knew almost all the employees at the bank. They always spare him their some bucks when going to work.

The first lady who abused him. He didn't know her name but she had always been like that– making negative assertions about him after she gives him money. It was as if she was paying him as an agreement that she'ld mock him in return.

Elijah stared at the two cash in the bowl. He took the one which the last kind lady dropped and smiled.

He stood up and walked to Bites and Bites, a restaurant closeby. The restaurant is next to ‘the West Bank.’

As he headed towards the restaurant, a man bumped into him.

“Watch where you're going beggar!" The man yelled and walked away.

Elijah simply shrugged and pressed forward. He entered Bites and Bites to smell air thick with aroma coming from assorted dishes.

Customers and workers in the restaurant stared at him disgustingly as he made his way through to the sale counter. Some customers who couldn't take his presence left the restaurant immediately but Elijah didn't care.

“I'd like to have bread and egg sauce." He told male attendant on the cut out, his voice tinged with excitement.

A frown crossed the face of the male attendant behind the counter. “Are you sure you want to buy it or you're here to plead for it?" He asked and twisted his lips in disgust.

“I'm buying it. You can pair the egg." Elijah simply said, the confidence in his voice evident.

Three years ago, Elijah fell in love with a woman but the woman broke his heart, cutting away half of his properties after the divorce. Elijah suffered a brutal heartbreak. He realized women were only after his wealth. To find a worthy woman, he forced himself to disguise as a street beggar.

The man scoffed and reluctantly prepared the dish. He served it on a plate which he placed on the counter and just pushed it across to him.

“Here.” He simply said.

“Thanks.” Elijah took it with a sincere smile on his face.

He walked to an empty table with the dish and sat down to eat. The aroma from the egg sauce curled in the air and wafted into his nose. A satisfactory grin spread across his face in response.

“I'll just eat now." He leaned forward and took a bite from the delicacy. The grin on his face spread wider as he ate.

He relaxed on the chair after savouring the meal, feeling his stomach heavier than earlier.

As he basked in the satisfaction of the meal, one of the employees walked to him.

It's a normal practice for the employee to smile at their customers but the lady looked at Elijah disdainfully like a smelly piece of rag.

“Your bill is $50 dollars! Pay up." She said, her voice unfriendly and her expression hard.

Elijah seated properly on the chair and reached out to his pocket to pay but he couldn't find the money. He threw out all his pocket yet the money was nowhere to be found- the two $100

“I think I lost the the cash I brought here but I'll just pay with transfer." Elijah said confidently and wanted to retrieve his phone.

“You lost your money? That sounds like you're weren't here to pay." The lady twisted her face into a frown.

Elijah looked at the girl and snorted, not willing to argue. “It's just $50. I'll pay."

“You're a thief!! A scam!!" The lady accused immediately, her voice cutting through the air sharply like an emergency alarm.

Elijah was stunned by her sudden outburst. Before he could speak, the man who prepared the bread and eggsauce for him earlier came to the scene.

“What is happening here? He can't pay?" He chuckled as if he had already expected something like that to happen.

“Yes sir..He can't pay a common $50. What a shame!" The lady clapped her hands dramatically, her voice dripping with mockery.

Elijah quickly became an object of ridicule in the restaurant. Customers exchanged mockery comments about him with low voices and they stared at him as if he's less of a human.

“I knew he wouldn't be able to pay for it. Is that how miserable you are that you can't even afford $50? Yikes!"

“I'm going to teach you a lesson today!" The man gripped his hood, his intention to reveal his face comprehended by Elijah so he dragged the weak fabrics with him. The fabric ripped open as they both struggled with it.

“Are you all crazy!! I said I'll pay!!" Elijah shrieked, his voice dripping with rage.

“Let him go!" A voice cut in from behind.