“Pieces of time”
The cold metal from a bus stop bench sent goosebumps down his back. Finn Stewart, a homeless man living in Denver Colorado, shielded himself from the raw frozen winds with nothing more than a five dollar jacket and a plaid blanket he had found earlier that week. Snow covered Fin’s pale bloodless face and left a residue of frost layered on his patchy beard. Fin struggled to close his eyes almost as if they were frozen still.
Fin was no longer cold, when he opened his eyes he was no longer sitting on the park bench but he was looking over his childhood self at his 8th birthday party.
Fin saw himself blow out his birthday cake candles and run around playing with his friends. At this age Fin was in the 3rd grade. Fin’s family lived in a small cosy house with his grandparents. His grandma and Grandpa were Fin’s favorite people in the world, they were always there for him unlike his parents which were either at the bar or at work.
This birthday memory led to the flooding of more memories. Fin watched as he saw himself mature and become who he is today. He was reliving his memories and not all of them were pleasant.
When his grandma died it devastated Fin. Soon after that, when his parents brought up putting his grandpa into a nursing home it terrified him, he was scared of the thought that he would be forced to live with only his parents. He didn't know who was going to look after him. Once his grandpa moved out Fin learned to do everything himself for the sake of his parents never being home.
After a year of Fin living with [only] his parents he knew he could not deal with it any more. When Fin was 11 years old he tried to run away, after about an hour of walking he turned back to his house. When he got back to his house his mother was drunk sitting on their couch watching the tv.
“Did you even notice I was gone?” asked Fin.
His mother did not respond but only paused her show.
“Are you mad?’ He asked.
His mother got up and screamed, “You know you don't know what I do for you, if you were to actually run away you wouldn't last a day!”
As she stumbled closer to Fin he could smell the whisky on her breath.
  He sprinted to his room slammed the door and buried his head into his pillow.
When Fin was 15 he saw a documentary on the tv about the US army. It talked about how the army is your second family and you get to travel the world and experience different cultures. This film made Fin want to join the military as soon as he could. Fin did not want to go to war to serve his country but to get as far away as he could from his parents. This is what he wanted to do in his life. He did not know exactly how but he knew he definitely wanted to help the US army. This motivated Fin to do better in school and out of school. 

Later that year Fin decided that he would enlist to serve in the military then come back to his hometown and settle down. When he brought it up to his dad he did not want Fin to go to war.
“It is my life Dad’ Fin told his father
“Then you know that there are other ways to help your country right” Said his father.
“No, no, no ,no Dad I want to be out there on the battlefield.” replied Fin.

His father said, “You don't realize how dangerous it is out th…..”
Fin interrupted his father, “I am going to do this no matter what you say.”
Fin stormed out of the room.
Fin, looking back on this moment, wished he had listened to his dad when he told him not to go.
Three years later when Fin was 18 he enlisted himself into the army. Fin spent over a year training. At the time Fin thought that it was the hard part but once he was off in Afghanistan he would have given anything to be back training.
Once he was overseas he was immediately sent to a small camp. There were tents that they slept in. They were covered with a camouflage pattern and were about 6ft tall and 20ft wide. Fin thought that it wasn't so bad, he thought that the cot that he slept on was comfortable. That night he was about to go to sleep until he heard something moving outside his tent. He thought it was nothing… until he heard the gunshots. Fin’s first day in the military his camp was ambushed and 15 people died. The next day the survivors marched to another camp, but when they got there they saw that they had also been attacked.
After 2 and a half years of living in Afghanistan Fin Finally got to go home. When he returned he suffered from nightmares.  He once again woke up covered in sweat on the floor taking cover after thinking he heard gun shots.  He would walk down the streets and think people were looking at him and he worried that they were soon to pull a gun on him. Fin was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder later that month.
Fin had lots of trouble Finding a job and a home when he got back to Colorado. But eventually he found a small apartment complex that was affordable. He also found a job at the local Mcdonalds working as a cashier for minimum wage. It was hard for him to work because he was always nervous and on edge. The only thing that helped him calm down was alcohol. He would drink everywhere he went. It quickly became an addiction. Fin spent most of his income on liquors.
Fin was working part time but he wanted to pick up as many shifts as possible. He asked if there were any open shifts but the manager said there weren't any. The manager was around 18 years old and  did not treat Fin with respect because he was younger than him. Fin knew that they wouldn't let him work full time because they didn't want to pay for his benefits.
One day a group of teenagers came into his work making lots of noise.
Immediately Fin asked  “please quiet down.”
One of the kids mockingly asked Fin, “please mind your own business”
Fin disregarded them and continued to his work. When the boys came to the counter to order their meals they were still being loud and obnoxious. When one of them tried to order it was hard for Fin to hear.
“One cheeseburger combo meal, with a coke ”  one of the boys said.
Fin asked, “sorry sir, can you please repeat that”
The boy said, “what is wrong with you man, you need hearing aids. I said I wanted a cheeseburger combo meal with a coke?”
Fin started to get nervios.
“S S Sorry I I I got it, w one cheeseburger combo meal with a coke”
Fin took took the rest of their orders and continued on with his business.
After a few minutes their food was ready, the group sent one of the boys to come pick up their food. About half way back to their table the kid stubbed his toe on a chair and tiped. The food went everywhere and there was a loud clapping sound when on of the trays hit the floor. Fin panicked, he saw white lights all around him and he didn't know where he was. He started to scream, he curled up on the floor under the counter and screamed. After about a minute of Fins episode the manager came out.
Once Fin realized what was going on he got up off the floor and was called into the manager's office. After a brief talk Fin was fired.
After Fin was fired he could not Find any new jobs, could not pay his rent, and  not enough money to buy booze. Fin started to beg, trying to get enough money to buy his drinks.
Years passed and there Fin was jobless, hungover and homeless.

Fin stood over his lifeless body that was laying dead on the bus stop bench...