A candle in the darkness

sometimes we remember not to curse the surrounding dark

The bus stop on 5th & Broadway is littered with the refuse of lost lives.

A broken crack pipe lies near the weathered beaten sign.

Fast food wrappers swirl through the air as a twisted mockery of the falling leaves of autumn in the sunless urban tableau as an old man takes a nip from a pint of scotch and sits upon the bench within the shelter of the stop to gain a respite from the bitter wind.

Bus after bus stops and he waves them on as if waiting for another while he silently vacillates between mourning and rage at the vagaries of life that brought him here.

A young single mother in a threadbare coat seats herself between him and her child and holds the little girl close to keep her warm.

"We are going to go get you that new coat you need baby." she coos soothing her daughter as the childs teeth chatter..

The bus arrives and she rapidly digs the change for the fare from her pocket to get out of the cold and away from the old man.

The bus starts to pull away when there is a thunderous series of pounding noises on the door causing the driver to stop and open the door for the old man.

The old man waves the wallet that fell from her pocketbook and gives it to her as she thanks him shyly.

When the bus is several blocks away she thinks to check her cash and discovers she has two hundred dollars more than when she left home..

Reviews

[foilist13]

The old man is an interesting character. I'm not quite sure if it was seeing the woman and the girl that altered his mind set, or if he was predisposed to handing out charity. Obviously it is difficult to flesh out a character in this short of space though, and I certainly like what you did.

[CarmenT]

Very well written. Thank you for reviewing my writing.