03-18-2020, 10:17 AM
Chris was mentally exhausted from his long day in the camp. So, the 20-year-old was relieved when the four of them came across a young man familiar with the frantic woman. He was also thankful that the poor woman’s problem was easily resolved. Problems that were quickly fixable were few and far between these days.
The young man referred to the woman as Nadya and thanked Chris for taking good care of her. Chris had a soft spot for people in need. After all, it was only a few years ago that Chris himself was in a really bad place. And, had it not been for his close friends and family, he would have never been able to pull himself out of that dark place.
Chris had been a stellar gymnast. Throughout his adolescence he competed in competitions all over the world. It was his dream to compete in the Olympic games and he trained day and night to make that dream a reality. However, during his sophomore year in high school, he suffered an injury that derailed his promising career. After that, the teenager had nothing productive to do with his time. He fell into the wrong crowd at school and began using drugs and alcohol to cope with the pain of losing his lifelong dream.
Luckily, with the help of his parents, sister and childhood friends, Chris was able to regain control of his life before it spiraled completely out of control. That seemed like eons ago. That was a different time. A different world. Now, Chris faced a different set of problems. He had no family. Most of his friends had perished. And, due to his dedication to helping people within the resettlement camps, he had little time for a social life (not that there was much of a social life these days) – little time to make new friends.
Chris smiled at the young man. “No problem. I’m just glad she’s ok. I was worried about her, especially given the fact that she had two young kids with her. This place can make people crazy.” The pair chuckled awkwardly – acknowledging that the conditions in the camp were not ideal. “I’m Chris, by the way.” Chris waved his hand. Since the outbreak, shaking hands had become taboo, especially with strangers. “What’s your name?” Chris asked.
The young man referred to the woman as Nadya and thanked Chris for taking good care of her. Chris had a soft spot for people in need. After all, it was only a few years ago that Chris himself was in a really bad place. And, had it not been for his close friends and family, he would have never been able to pull himself out of that dark place.
Chris had been a stellar gymnast. Throughout his adolescence he competed in competitions all over the world. It was his dream to compete in the Olympic games and he trained day and night to make that dream a reality. However, during his sophomore year in high school, he suffered an injury that derailed his promising career. After that, the teenager had nothing productive to do with his time. He fell into the wrong crowd at school and began using drugs and alcohol to cope with the pain of losing his lifelong dream.
Luckily, with the help of his parents, sister and childhood friends, Chris was able to regain control of his life before it spiraled completely out of control. That seemed like eons ago. That was a different time. A different world. Now, Chris faced a different set of problems. He had no family. Most of his friends had perished. And, due to his dedication to helping people within the resettlement camps, he had little time for a social life (not that there was much of a social life these days) – little time to make new friends.
Chris smiled at the young man. “No problem. I’m just glad she’s ok. I was worried about her, especially given the fact that she had two young kids with her. This place can make people crazy.” The pair chuckled awkwardly – acknowledging that the conditions in the camp were not ideal. “I’m Chris, by the way.” Chris waved his hand. Since the outbreak, shaking hands had become taboo, especially with strangers. “What’s your name?” Chris asked.