“Thank you” Monique smiled warmly at the kind hearted officer who knelt beside Oliver’s chair. 

“We’ll see you Oli” she said then got up and left closing the door behind her.

Monique looked at the boy then moved to sit in the chair next to him.  She watched him as he tried not to look in her direction.  When his curiosity won he looked up and met Monique’s welcoming gaze.

“Hello” she signed.  Oliver looked at her and a smiled crept up his face.

“You sign?” he replied.

“Yes” she smiled.  “Do you want to tell me why you’re here?”

That afternoon Oliver Monroe told Monique his life story.  He painfully shared how he ended up in foster care at the tender age of twelve after his father nearly beat him to death for playing dress up in women’s clothing.  The beating was so severe that he lost his ability of speech which led to learning sign language in order to communicate.  Oliver moved from foster home to foster home but no one wanted to adopt, what he heard a social worker who mistook his condition for being deaf call him, damaged goods.  At fifteen bad judgment led to a one time drug experience, and as some evangelists love to throw out there ‘all it takes is one time’, Oliver contracted the aid’s carrying virus.  His life took a turn for the worse when the state discovered his illness and conveniently cycled him into the streets where he met Les.  This man was the serpent in the Garden of Eden and Oliver was his Eve.  They would do everything from drug dealing to B&E.  The last job for both was going to pay big; at least for small time crooks it was big.  The Planet was that last gig and Oliver was going to use the money to get an apartment and then sign up at a job bank program to get his life on track.  After that night, Les disappeared off of the face of the earth and with him Oliver’s cut and dreams.

It was a busy day for The Planet.  Kit and her crew were busy taking and serving orders and this put a smile on her face.  However, her smile faded when she saw the boxed Mercedes pull in front of her café and park in the same no parking zone she first encountered the ugly vehicle.  Carmen and Sam walked in and caught sight of what had Kit looking irritated.