Sat 20 May 2006
I was standing at the sidewalk, waiting for the bus, as Markie had to take the car to class that day. Unfamiliar with the bus schedule, I kept craning my head to see beyond the cars at the stoplight.
“Are you waiting for the bus, miss?”
I turned. A little to the side of the curb was a man in his fifties with salt-and-pepper hair and a well-worn but comfortable-looking
houndstooth jacket. Truth be told, he looked a cross between a college professor and a bum. He was straddling a bicycle; a bag was stashed between its handlebars.
“Uh, yes sir.”
I didn’t know what else to say. I wasn’t sure it was safe for him to hold a conversation with me from where he was standing, as cars would be zooming by at 35 mph in just a few seconds.
“I just got off the bus a few minutes ago. It’s still at the stop before this one. It should be here in about five, ten minutes.” He nodded his head in the direction of the stoplight.
“Uh, ok, thanks.”
“Well, have a good day, miss.” He started to pedal away.
“Thank you, sir. Have a nice day too.” I smiled and waved.
He turned his head slightly, nodded, and said “Oh, by the way, those are nice shoes you’ve got.”
Then he disappeared ’round the corner.
Posted under People-watching
