It was a rainy Monday afternoon as people crowded the sidewalk next to the stops for the B41 buses. In this part of town, there was the B41 stop for those headed towards Bergen Beach, and a separate one for those headed in the direction of Kings Plaza. And so, some were waiting next to their respective pick up points. Some, without umbrellas, were lined up a few feet away in front of various storefronts -- even those boasting the barest of canopies. And for others, the sidewalk was just another stretch of land to conquer in their quest to get from one destination to the next.
With both my hands employed carrying rather heavy, cumbersome shopping bags, and the handle of my umbrella peeking out from the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens canvas bag perched on my right shoulder, I was one of those under the barely-there-canopied section.
As I stood there waiting for my bus--which was running on a Sunday schedule and therefore did not bode well in regards to frequency--, I saw two things that made me smile.
First up was a little girl, possibly 5/6/7 years of age, carrying a shopping bag and skipping behind an adult female guardian. As I watched her skip, I thought to myself, "Sure. Why not?" Next to the guardian, and matching her step for speed walking step, was another little girl, possibly the skipping girl's sister, who also carried a shopping bag. Both girls were dressed in identical purple winter coats. At one point, finding herself falling behind, the skipper broke out into a run. She caught up before the guardian turned around.
My other observation was that of a young man with Down's syndrome, enjoying the music playing through his headphones. He had on a dapper looking newsboy cap, a jacket, slacks, and a backpack. As far as I could see, he was the only one standing in the rain without an umbrella. And while his headphones did a stellar job of keeping his music for his ears only, he was clearly enjoying it--so much so-- that every once in awhile he would stop his leisurely pacing to gesture-- as if mimicking the artist-- and then take the channeling further by sharing a lyric or two, before bopping his head once again in silent enjoyment. I can't be 100% certain, but I think he was listening to rap music. The truth is this would normally annoy me-- when I was in junior high, one of my younger brothers insisted on rapping out loud to the music playing through his headphones while we walked to the store or the local library. I would always ask him to enjoy it in silence, and in the way of younger siblings, that was interpreted as, "do it over and over again." But this young man really looked like he was having a great time, and so I thought, "Sure. Why not?"