A Date

A Date

Walking with purpose, briskly and with a good pace, I was ready for a nice long walk. “Stride out” called to me from a memory of a much older friend. It was mid week, bird song was overcome with busy city noise and it had not been misting quite enough to be bothersome. The skies were clearing slowly.

Darn, there was someone else on the sidewalk ahead of me.  Annoyance flickered, but was quickly snuffed out when I saw that there was at least enough room to pass without slowing down.  The old guy was so very slow!  Couldn’t he pick another day to stroll! 

His umbrella, at an odd angle, had barely enough tilt to cover his hatless head. Closer now, I could see strands of a thin grey comb over sliding from a shiny pink scalp.  It gave a slightly messy look to this gentleman.  His long khaki trench coat, looking far too big for him, should have been on a taller, heavier man.  Maybe he grabbed his son’s coat on the way out the door? Didn’t he have one that fit him any better?  Closer now, he seemed to be pushing some kind of a cart.

A few paces nearer and I saw a very elderly gentleman, slowly pushing a very smart black walker, the umbrella set into a fitting on the frame. He reached for his ear, adjusting a hearing aid, deep in conversation with himself.  

As I slowed my own pace and walked carefully past, I realized that he was speaking on a phone. It wasn’t a hearing aid at all!  He had a date! 'Mildred, this is Guy. I'll meet you at the library. Have you left home yet?'

Guy's walker needed closer inspection. On the front, he had a rather worn looking, black leather brief case. A rolled up newspaper prevented the briefcase from closing.  A silver thermos, tucked snugly in a carrying case, was fastened to one side of the walker.  I suspected lunch, and two coffee mugs, was inside the briefcase!

He raised his head as I passed, gave me a wink from clear blue eyes and nodded briskly all while continuing his conversation and his 'stroll' down the windy street.

“Everything you can imagine is real.”

~ Pablo Picasso