Walking downtown, laughter bubbling from within my chest, feeling good.
My eyes flicker across the city from the Round Table Pizza store across the
street to Mannie the local homeless man, and a smile grows gently on my
face. I stop to stare at a sunrise of rust as it sinks slowly, helplessly,
into the security of the horizon. Nestled between wispy clouds and bright
clusters of stars, a lambent moon peers through- then as quickly as the
moon's illumination comes, it vanishes and suddenly I find myself in pitch
black, concealed in the narrow alley's dark shadows. A motel sign's glare
cuts through the dark; it is my only relief from complete blackness.
For some reason, my heart starts beating like a madman's drum and I want more than anything to get out of here- anywhere but here! There is a rave in the building next to me and music pulses through me while I panic. I've always had revelations of doom that came true and the feeling in my gut remained. Slowly, I stride toward the club feigning nonchalance, but then common sense wins over the need for fun and I sharply turn- to bump into a greasy looking man with glowing cat eyes. He smiles, touches my shoulder, uses a cheesy line which fails to charm me and suddenly I drop my purse. While leaning down I mused that maybe just maybe his pick-up line would work and within two minutes he'd be buying me a drink, I hear a whooshing sound and I bolt upright. Where was the cat-eyed man? No, in place of the leather-clad man was a darker one, with honest eyes that told me that he had been through hardships and heartbreak, life and love, rage and bitterness and anguish. Through his eyes, his whole life passes and I see it and my chest compresses and my mouth trembles.
Both of us stare at each other, and he pivots. A companion tells him, nudging, "It's a thankless job." But he's looked into my eyes and saw my gratitude and acclamation and he knows it is thanks enough.
In an instant, he is gone- like the moon and sun, he has disappeared before I could say anything. I never see him again.
For some reason, my heart starts beating like a madman's drum and I want more than anything to get out of here- anywhere but here! There is a rave in the building next to me and music pulses through me while I panic. I've always had revelations of doom that came true and the feeling in my gut remained. Slowly, I stride toward the club feigning nonchalance, but then common sense wins over the need for fun and I sharply turn- to bump into a greasy looking man with glowing cat eyes. He smiles, touches my shoulder, uses a cheesy line which fails to charm me and suddenly I drop my purse. While leaning down I mused that maybe just maybe his pick-up line would work and within two minutes he'd be buying me a drink, I hear a whooshing sound and I bolt upright. Where was the cat-eyed man? No, in place of the leather-clad man was a darker one, with honest eyes that told me that he had been through hardships and heartbreak, life and love, rage and bitterness and anguish. Through his eyes, his whole life passes and I see it and my chest compresses and my mouth trembles.
Both of us stare at each other, and he pivots. A companion tells him, nudging, "It's a thankless job." But he's looked into my eyes and saw my gratitude and acclamation and he knows it is thanks enough.
In an instant, he is gone- like the moon and sun, he has disappeared before I could say anything. I never see him again.