As he walked accross the bridge, approaching Noble Avenue Elementary School, the lonesome man wondered why he had agreed to be interviewed for a job he may not even be there to fulfill. He didn't know what direction his life was to take. His heart was being permeated by pain, having lost his lady in recent weeks, and it killed in him all desire to live.

The man wasn't fit to be interviewed. His worn-out pants and shirt only complemented his carelessly shaven face and eyes that depicted the sad condition of his soul. Nonetheless, he was there, and the interview took place. When it was over, he was no longer sad and unemployed: he now had somewhere to be, three hours per day, Monday thru Friday... he had been hired as a teacher's assistant.

Fact was, the man had no experience doing what he was being paid to do. He didn't even have the patience needed to work with children. At some point, within days of being hired, the children may have seen him walking away. He took about ten steps toward the exit, but then he turned around, opting not to quit.

With the passing of the months, the man developed an appreciation for his job. He was no longer satisfied with working three hours per day, so he spoke to his supervisor and told him the news: he had been hired at a middle-school for a six-hour position.

In his last day at Noble, he didn't bother to say goodbye to anyone. He didn't really have anyone to say goodbye to. In the months he had been working at Noble, he didn't socialize with any of his coworkers, not even within campus. Then again, a goodbye would have been wasted. That same day, after work, he spoke to his supervisor and told him he didn't want to leave. He was hired for a five-hour position, right there and then.

With time, not only did his wallet get fatter, but more importantly his heart. After two years working there, different children, in different times, have entered his heart and helped remove some of the pain it housed. The man still carries some degree of sadness, but it rarely overcomes the good moments he experiences between 7am and 3pm, Mondays thru Fridays, working at Noble... :)