Ricky is homeless. He sleeps under a shady, big tree at the park every night. In the morning, he walks around the park and sometimes goes on the playground. He likes going on the swings, closing his eyes, and thinking about the past. His past was great. He grew up in a wealthy family. Both of his parents were doctors. Ricky went to a good school, had lots of friends, and was on his way to be a doctor. Everything was perfect. Then, his parents got sued by a patient. His parents lost the case and owed the patient millions of dollars. Ricky and his family had to sell their house and move to a much smaller house. Ricky also had to move schools. Ricky's parents had a very hard time adjusting. His dad got a heart attack after one year of living in the small house. His mom had a hard time without his dad and died from stress. Ricky had to support himself. He quit school and worked at a grocery store. He eventually quit, because he thought he was too good for his job. Ricky decided he would rather be homeless than work at a job he hated. Ricky had gotten used to being homeless. He has been homeless for five years, and he is now 23 years old. He talks to people at the park and has good conversations. He gets food from the trash can. He doesn't mind. Ricky is homeless but happy.
