Thursday, July 1, 2021

A Man, A Woman and a Car Door, Seen from a Sidewalk in Brooklyn

Within seconds of stepping out the front door, I had a waterfall of sweat running down my face. I knew it was hot outside, but I wanted to take a walk; I’d been inside for far too long. Luckily, every once in a while, a cool breeze would blow through and I’d give thanks for this experience of heaven. Up ahead, I briefly shared some sidewalk with an older couple walking in the opposite direction. A segment of her fine, shoulder length gray hair, met in a ponytail, while the rest flowed, unbound. And a portion of his crown of gray may have been a result of having a hand run through it, or perhaps, was courtesy of the aforementioned godsend of a breeze. She was shorter to his tall. He was lanky to her tidy. Both were wearing glasses. She had been standing on the sidewalk before he exited a building. Meeting, they struck up a conversation as they made their way to a parked car a few feet away. She was headed to the passenger’s side, but then he upped his pacing, crossed behind her, and arrived in time to hold the door open. As she slid in, she made eye contact with me as I was looking back at them. She couldn’t have missed the lingering smile on my face; I was just so tickled that he had purposely reached the car first in order to open the door for her.