The woman didn’t ask for anything. She had a shopping cart and was sitting in the light in front of the Vietnamese restaurant that was closed on a quiet melancholic early Sunday evening.
She waved to me. Or maybe it was a nod. Whatever, it was friendly. I smelled a cigarette.
The dog and I were almost home, so when we arrived I took off his leash and threw a few things in a paper bag. Some apples. 1/2 a baguette. A few dollars I had in my wallet. A chocolate bar. And I walked the couple of blocks back wanting her to still be there.
Earlier, something said, maybe the full moon rising, something said to do that and I heard it so I did it.
She was still there. A red blanket around her shoulders. A smile. A thanks. I told her there were a few dollars in the bag too. As I stood there a second. I saw her eyes. Blue. And I said you’re welcome, I hope it helps.
I turned around for home and the tears I had held in all week rolled down my cheeks and I opened the door and the dog and I went out back to watch the last of the twilight and smell the orange blossoms come to life knowing that in a different life, or maybe even in this one, that woman and I are the same person.
This is beautiful!
Well done. I felt this!