Ostrich Man

          "Ha, ha! Look at the Ostrich Man!" the teens snarkled behind her. 

          "What?" the paltry mother questioned from the front seat of their minivan. 

          She searched with a worn gaze out of the driver's side window until, finally, she saw him - the Ostrich Man, an aged Santa with crusted brown hair and a tattered tan suit limping down the sidewalk of the highway as they drove past him.  

          "Mom, what are you doing?" the now anxious teens wondered aloud as she gave a sigh and swiftly redirected their ramshackle Odyssey into the nearest parking lot, steering back toward the Ostrich Man. 

She gently met his gaze with a smile as she pulled beside him. "Here's some crackers and a diet soda," she offered, rolling down her window, which he accepted with a quiet "thank you." 

          She then began to rummage through the large messy purse on the seat beside her, hoping to find a dollar to add to the small offering.

          "No thank you," the Ostrich Man smiled back, his kind and knowing, sky-colored eyes scanning the rows of children behind her. 

          A pervasive placidity remained as he limped away on his journey, and they, too, navigated once more toward their own destination. 

Reviews

[PaintedBirdy]

many years ago when i was 19 i spent the summer hitchhiking around the east coast of america, and in west virginia a young lady pulled over and gave me a sprite or 7-up (i can't remember), but i do remember it and that's because the small generosities that your story is about make a difference in other people's lives no matter how small they are. maybe all the ostrich man needed was one nice person at that moment. if this is the least bit autobiographical than thank you! and thank you for sharing this story! much enjoyed!

[Coyote Poetry]

A wonderful story written dear Angeline. I liked what the mother did. Gave children a lesson. Thank you for sharing the outstanding story.
Coyote