At the first of many traffic signals I would encounter en route to work this morning, I found myself sitting at a red light. This, in itself, is never a source of stress for me because this particular intersection is the one that leads to the elementary school--it is usually only a matter of moments before the light changes.
No problemo.
Very rarely, if ever, is this a place where unusual things happen. This morning, however, it was just that.
As I dug around in my bag for my cell phone, a middle-aged woman in high-water pants and a crocheted hat of sorts crossed in front of my car. I saw her look at my car, then me, then me again. She looked at my face, as if she were assessing me. I could tell she was trying to make up her mind about something.
Then it happened. She walked up to my car door.
I cracked the window, praying the light wouldn't be long in changing.
"Hello..." I said.
"You got a cigarette?" she asked me, with a haggard look on her face.
"No, I don't, sister," I said. "I'm sorry."
And I was sorry.
At that moment, I found myself wishing I had, for no apparent reason, one or two cigarettes in tow. "Why don't I keep a pack stashed in the car for moments like these?" (Maybe because these moments never happen...?!?!?)
But seriously: I'd like to be prepared for moments like these, that's all. Be able to help someone in need. Person to person.
In that short space of time between her question and the light change, I chided myself for not having a cigarette or any money on my person to give her. By the looks of it, I might have been able to really brighten her day.
It doesn't take much, you know. To brighten someone's day. I just hated that my daily offering was not much more than an awkward smile.
She turned and went her way, with an audible sigh, and the light changed.
And I've thought about her all day.
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