The guy on Broad Street

By jccohen
September 7, 2014 - 15:25

We’ve moved away from our old neighborhood and so don’t come up here very often anymore. But I used to drive this way every day on the way home from work. And almost always would get the red light at Broad, so had to sit on this entry street, and in every kind of weather there was this wiry guy, a black guy maybe, dark-skinned anyway with wavy-curly hair, approaching the stopped cars for money. Today my husband is driving and he starts to power up his window as this guy approaches. I motion him to put it back down, and he’s confused – you know this guy? – and I say no, and he leans again on the window lever but I’m saying no, no I do. The guy is selling water bottles today, it’s hot out. I hand him a dollar. The light changes, our window goes up, we pull away, and the guy says, bless you darling. My husband says, those water bottles aren’t--, and I’m saying, well I know him, um not really know him …

Clarifying

Supporting

Open-Minded

Complexifying

Strangers All the Same

Unlike jccohen's story, mine is not of an interaction with someone I never met and thought I knew but someone I had truley known and became estranged. For a time, I didn't think I could know anyone better. There was not a moment that I thought differetly or questioned how I felt. I thought it was a two way street with cars going both directions. We were perfectly fine and happy. Then there was a short period where we were apart. Hours became days and days became weeks. We were apart, but I still thought together in a different way.

Weaving

Seeing Beyond the Dope

After reading this post, I immediately thought of my topic. I hope that the similarity is seen by others as well.

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Challenging

Unspecified

Airport

Every time I go to the airport, especially the one in my hometown, I keep my eyes open for anyone I might know, always eager to randomly bump into someone I know and make that thrilling unplanned connection. Once, in the chicago airport, I saw someone I knew, although they didn't know me. I saw them hurry off their flight and walk briskly down the airport hallway. It took me a second to recall where I recognized their face from, but then it dawned on me that this was Hank Green. He's the brother of the author John Green, they both make videos on youtube, which is why I recognized him.