Why did the Bantam cross the road?

My man bursts through the door. His hair disheveled and and a wry grin on his face. Under his arm is a black speckled Bantam. he stands swaying, vaguely proud of himself. He's begging me to ask the question without him saying a word. I give in.
"Why have you got a chicken under your arm?"
"It was crossing the road." he chuckled. I knew I should not have asked and I absolutely refused to ask the next obvious question. He's mellow, he smells of dope. His mouth is loose and floppy and the words tumble out like butterflies in the wind. "I got my girl to stop the traffic while I dived in and grabbed the bastard." he stopped looked up at the ceiling as if suddenly interested in cobwebs,"She nearly got run over."
"Spliff?"
"Don't mind if I do? What you offering? It's not like you though."
"No had the girl had a spliff?"  But it was like asking someone if they had a cup of tea or coffee with breakfast, of course.
"Errr yeah but she ran out all the same, stopped the cars. while I chased this little bugger. It's very friendly. So I took it home."
"What with your dogs?"
"Ahhhhh the dogs. Hmmmm they were eyeing it up. You could tell. They were 'aving that. No two ways."
"So what are you going to do with it?"
"Well...." he stopped to consider his words, which words hmmmm so many words, which of them can I remember? ".,,, a few friends wanted to take it off my hands but it would only last until Sunday lunch."
"It's a Bantam there's no meat on it."
"You knows it bro.... You fucking knows it."
"So?"
"I'm taking it to the Vets."
"They don't microchip chickens."
"Nah they'll send it to a chicken sanctuary. It'll be looked after and cared for. It will have a good life. That's what we all want isn't it?"
"I guess. Do chicken sanctuary s exist. Are they a thing?"
"Sure. Of course they do." I let that one go. He believed it. Why crush him when he's on a high? "Hey look this Bantam loves me. It's so friendly. Doesn't struggle. Look I can do this..." and he hold the chicken to his face, it pecks at his lips. That's him made up. In a world of drugs and alcohol, crime and instant retribution, even a chicken can show love. "..you see that?"
"Yes. You have a way with animals."
"They don't fuck you over. They're honest."
For all his faults, his alcoholism and the drug abuse I can't fault him for his humanity. He loves his dogs, he loves animals and now he loves Bantams. He is polite, well spoken and generous with the little he has. His language is liberally sprinkled with profanities, I filter them out.
"Well I'd better get this little beauty to the vets then." he says.
"Well you can't hold it all day."
"No. It'll be OK won't it?"
I reassure him "Of course. They'll see it right."
"That's what I thought. I'd better go then. I'm swinging by the offy on the way back. You want anything?"
"No I'm good thanks."
As for why the chicken wanted to cross the road, I guess we'll never know. Maybe the grass was greener.

Life on the back seat

It's cold and the start of another week. I drive Zed to work. Pulling up I notice the window is slightly open on an abandoned car. A black face peers out and a hand waves.
"Who's that?"
"That's Moses, he sleeps there sometimes."
"In that car?"
"When he hasn't anywhere else to go. Which is quite often. He helps us out sometimes."
"What? He works for you?"
"No, he just helps out sometimes. Once we let him sleep in the back of one of our lorries."
Moses waves again, I see on his other hand he has a bright red boxing glove, I don't even want to think why? it's too early. He has a big smile on his face. I wave back. He holds up a costa cup as if to say "life is good, I have coffee." For someone reduced to sleeping in the back of an abandoned car he seems very happy.
Zed unlocks the door and walks in turning round to wave goodbye. I pull away, in my rear view I see Moses get out the car and walk to Zeds door.  Zed will give him more coffee and breakfast. I did wonder why she took the box of Alpen to work.