The lady walked down the empty street. It was still early in the morning and people were yet to show up for work. She was elegantly dressed in black skirt, a white top and a black large brimmed hat. The hat obscured most of her face but whatever little could be glimpsed showed that it was a kind, middle aged face with a soft smile that never really went away, as if she found everything in the world slightly amusing. It was the kind of face that you would tell your problems to, if you ever met her, and that she would listen and maybe even suggest a solution. But she also had a certain hardness about her, like she wasn't afraid to take tough decisions.
She walked down the street silently. Her heels never made a sound. Sometimes it almost seemed like she was floating. Occasionally she would stop and look at one of the window displays of the closed shops. She had a half eaten bagel in her hand. Occasionally, she would nibble at it half heartedly. Food had always fascinated her, but she would always lose interest half way through. After a while she got tired of walking and decided to sit down on one of the benches on the street.
Sitting down she stared at the bagel in her hand, wondering what she would do with it, when she realized that she was being watched. She was surprised because usually nobody noticed her. She looked up and saw a young boy, who could not have seen more than eight to ten summers, looking back at her. The boy had sharp features. He was dressed casually, in a pair of dark blue jeans and T-shirt with a strange pattern on it. He looked very tired as if he had been putting in too many hours at work. The woman wondered if the boy worked in one of those illegal sweat shops. She wasn't judgmental, she knew the world was a harsh and cruel place and sometimes you were just dealt a bad hand. All one could do was make the most of what was given to you and try to rise above it.
A little while later, she realized that the boy wasn't looking at her as much as he was looking at the bagel in her hand. The woman smiled at the boy and motioned him to come closer. The boy was hesitant but the bagel looked awfully tempting. He eventually came close enough. She shifted a little to her left and said, "Here have a seat."
The boy shyly sat next to her, suddenly aware as to how beautiful the woman was, now that he could look under the hat.
"Are you hungry?" asked the woman
The boy simple nodded his head. The woman handed him the half eaten bagel. He took it and stared at for a while, he slowly and tentatively took a bite. He decided that he liked it and proceeded to finish the rest of it. The woman sat next to him, looking him as he finished the bagel. The boy had the look of someone who had been forced to grow up too soon, like he had too much responsibility on his shoulders.
The boy finally finished the bagel. He looked up and said," Thank you. That was very nice. What was it called?"
"It was a bagel." The woman replied. "Haven't you had a bagel before?"
"I usually don't get out much. I want to see the world but my uncle won't allow it. He says there is lot of work to be done." answered the boy.
"Your uncle shouldn't make you work so hard. You are still so young. You should be out playing and exploring." said the woman, feeling angry at the boy's uncle.
"It's ok. I don't mind. I like the work. But sometimes I get bored. I look out of the window and see all those children playing and I feel like joining them, but work keeps getting in the way." The boy leaned closer to her and whispered, "Today, uncle had some repair work to do, so I sneaked out. Don't tell anyone."
"I won't" the woman smiled and whispered back. "It will be our little secret."
And so they both sat down and watched the world wake up. Time passed by and soon the street was full of busy people going about their busy lives. Every now and then the lady would look at a person and write down a number in a small book. The boy looked on curiously, unsure if he should disturb her. Eventually his curiosity got the better of him.
"What are you doing?"
The woman looked at him and said with a smile, "My job. My father gave me this job. He said I was meant to look after these people. Make sure they remained safe."
"Which people?" asked the boy.
"All of them."
The boy was silent for a while.
"I don't like people very much. They are all so mean and cruel and they all have such dark secrets" said the boy with contempt in his voice, "I can tell them to you if you want. I like you, you are very nice and pretty" he said shyly.
"Thank you, I like you too. But you know people aren't all bad. Most of them are quite decent. They are just trying to get by. There is so much they don't understand about their own world or even themselves. Maybe that's why we are here" said the woman.
"Why?"
"To help them. To show them a better way" replied the lady in the hat.
"I don't know. I think they are all chaotic and unruly. They just need to be disciplined" said the boy angrily.
"Don't be so harsh on them. It's not good to have such rigid thoughts so early in life. Who knows, you might even learn something from them."
The boy scoffed at the thought.
The woman looked at him, she was a little worried. She could see that the boy had a good nature but he was just growing up in a harsh environment. She didn't want him to turn into a cruel man like his uncle. The world around them slowed, she put her hands on his and spoke softly, "Promise me you will try to be kind. People aren't all bad. Just give them a chance. You don't have to always listen to your uncle you know, you can be your own man."
The boy looked at the lady. He didn't know what to say, no one had ever cared enough to give him advice before. He just looked up at her and silently nodded.
Suddenly the boy felt his structure being pulled apart.
"I have to go. My uncle is calling me" said the boy. "Can I see you again?"
"Sure. You know where to find me" replied the woman, with a smile.
"Before I go, won't you tell me your name" inquired the boy.
The woman stared at the boy and paused, unsure as to how to answer that question, a sudden sadness in her eyes, "I don't have one. My father gave me a job, but he never gave me a name. Do you have a name?"
"Yes, my father gave me one" replied the boy proudly.
"What is it?" asked the woman in a soft voice
At that moment the boy's physical structure started to lose cohesion but he was able to get one last word out before he disappeared. The name floated towards the woman like a distant echo
"SAMARITAN"
He seemed like a good boy. The woman smiled and thought to herself maybe everything wasn't lost after all. Maybe there was still hope.
The world moved on, the woman sat on the bench, unseen, watching over the world and taking down numbers. She realized maybe it was time to call her friend. It had been five months after all.