The small boy leaned against the wooden shack that was decaying beneath the hot sun in the humid summer of Porto Rico. His eyes darted back and forth, scanning the crowd for a customer, almost praying that he will make some amount of money that day.

            The child’s ribs poked through his tattered shirt which clung to his sweaty body like flies on the feces in the street. His feet bore large sores that stung and bled as he stood barefoot on the hot asphalt that he called home. At just six years old, he knew how to scavenge for food and shelter, and also draw tourists into the service he offered.

            With a crusty rag in one hand and a bottle of tan water in the other, the child staggered out into the middle of the street and searched for someone who seemed willing to pay small change for having their shoes cleaned. The boy thought to himself: these tourists that wander the streets are pitiful. They often wear fancy loafers or wing-tips that match their designer suits and casual wear. Such a person surely has money to spare if they are bold enough to ruin their luxurious outfit simply by waltzing down the dirty streets like they are special. Hundreds passed that spot everyday, that spot in the sun where the boy stood patiently. Their lives served no purpose other than to feed his tortured stomach and then splurge on random souvenirs and cultural items that would most likely never appear on the selves in their museum like homes. These people disgusted the boy, yet his life was devoted to picking them out of the crowd and offering to bow before their rank existence and wipe the dirt from their shoes. Such a life was not ideal, though survival was the main goal and so it was necessary to make money anyway possible.

            After quite some time, the boy spotted a tall, pasty man walking alone and holding a leather briefcase that could have fed a poor family for a couple months. Sensing the opportunity, the child quickly approached the man and stared past those round glasses at the startled eyes of his victim.