I’m sure we’ve all been there. You went out, stayed too long, had that extra drink you didn’t need, and missed the last train home.
It’s happened to me more than once and every time it gets a little bit more irritating, standing there in the cold with absolutely no idea where to go or what to do.
Charlotte Ellis and her boyfriend, Taylor Walden, made the same mistake we’ve all made just a couple of nights ago, reports the Mirror.
They’d been out in Covent Garden, left it too late, and missed the last train. With nowhere to go the pair were forced to stand outside the train station gates in the freezing cold.
However, after just a matter of minutes a voice called out from behind the pair almost biblically.
The voice said to Charlotte:
You can borrow my coat and duvet if you want? It’s a long wait and it’s freezing tonight.
Charlotte jumped straight under the duvet and struck up a conversation with the man, known only as Joey, who was living rough on the streets.
As the hours passed Charlotte realised she couldn’t simply walk away from Joey and leave him out there on the curb.
She said:
No one deserves to be out in these conditions. I’m not saying that you should trust everyone you meet on a street corner, but who exactly should you trust?
I told Joey that I refused to leave without him – at first he declined in dismay at the offer of coming back home with my boyfriend and I to have a good night kip, a shower and shave and a good old meal.
He thought I was joking. I really wasn’t.
It took Taylor to explain, ‘if you don’t come with us I’m not going to get her home’ and Joey finally accepted.
The trio then got a taxi back home to Charlotte’s family house in Essex where they chatted for hours and shared numerous stories.
However the story is only just beginning as once Charlotte’s family met with Joey they instantly took a liking to him and allowed him to stay for a few days so that he could get his life back on track.
Charlotte explained:
All my friends and family initially thought we were crazy and thought the worst.
After we introduced them to Joey they all loved him instantly because he is honestly such a genuine guy.
We have taken him for Indian [food], we have had his hair cut, we give (sic) him a phone, my friends give him a new wardrobe, they go play football, watch Django, the boys play playstation, he helps my mum feed the horses, he has a roast dinner!
But it gets even better as five days after bumping into Joey he was able to get a job interview and went on to get the job.
At the minute, Charlotte is doing all she can to get Joey his official documents back such as his passport and birth certificate.
Let’s hope that Joey’s time on the streets has come to an end for good!
