A Gesture

“As other cars and I were coming down the road toward the overpass, something was in the left lane on the one way street, blocking.

So I slowed to a stop at distance in case someone crashed into my vehicle, turned on my emergency lights, and ambled carefully forward on foot to assist the older woman in a wheel chair.

I got her onto the sidewalk, locked in her wheel’s brake, returned to and moved my car to parking, then asked her where I could take her within limitations.

As we rolled along gently so as to not jar her, she lit up a marijuana pipe, and the raw burn of it smelled familiar.

She had complained of being cold earlier, which I could agree with because the weather had quickly gone from intense heat one day, to overcast cool and promising rain this evening.

But she also had her pants down, so I wasn’t going to comment about how this likely contributed.

She had me take her to the far side of a park’s building, positioned just so to be out of the wind blowing around the corners and anyone suddenly appearing to accidently slam into or trip over her.

I wished her a good evening as took my leave, and soon heard her yelling loudly in her reverie as I’d made it further down the street back to my car’s shelter.

I didn’t feel like a hero.

I just gave some kindness when maybe it was more needed.”