Monday, August 20, 2012
An Encounter
She asked, "Sir, do you speak English?" That stopped me a block from Dunkin' Donuts around sunset.
"We need some money to get a cup of coffee & ...." I missed the rest of the spiel. I was looking past her for the "we," saw none, then looked at her. 40 plus, I'm not good at guessing age. Around 5'4". Dark hair brushed straight to just below shoulders. Plain oval face. Clear complexion. Not emaciated. Clean. Eyes focused, although they didn't communicate an excess of intelligence. What was wrong with her?
She finished the request. I had a good deal of loose change in both pockets, so I reached in, pulled out about a dollar worth & placed it in her palm.
She said, "You look like my former boyfriend." I'm pretty sure I recall all my former girlfriends, & she was young, but I said,
"Maybe I am."
As I turned & walked away she said, "Maybe you'd like my number."
I called back, "It's too late. You turned me into a desperate recluse."
"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be." Thomas Jefferson
"We need some money to get a cup of coffee & ...." I missed the rest of the spiel. I was looking past her for the "we," saw none, then looked at her. 40 plus, I'm not good at guessing age. Around 5'4". Dark hair brushed straight to just below shoulders. Plain oval face. Clear complexion. Not emaciated. Clean. Eyes focused, although they didn't communicate an excess of intelligence. What was wrong with her?
She finished the request. I had a good deal of loose change in both pockets, so I reached in, pulled out about a dollar worth & placed it in her palm.
She said, "You look like my former boyfriend." I'm pretty sure I recall all my former girlfriends, & she was young, but I said,
"Maybe I am."
As I turned & walked away she said, "Maybe you'd like my number."
I called back, "It's too late. You turned me into a desperate recluse."
Labels: Elizabeth NJ
