It was an unseasonably warm 75 degrees this particular October morning,
just a few short weeks ago.
I was simply on my way to return a book
to the local library. As I’m walking down
the street, I notice the snarled rush hour
traffic and gaze to my left.
The
PUBLISHER’S
Pen
Heading in my direction is a young
woman in a white sweater and black
jeans. My pace doesn’t change. And,
neither does hers. But, I’m also looking
at the red traffic light in front of me.
Now, I’ve got on a pair of Nantucket red
jeans, a black pull-over sweater, a black
pair of Cole-Haan sandals, and a herringbone newsboy cap. A coffee in one hand
and Chester Himes’ “If He Hollers, Let
Him Go” in the other.
The young woman quickens her step and
walks in front of me. I didn’t think about it
for one minute. (Maybe, in her mind,
she’s got the right-of-way.) But, a
strange thang happened during that brief
interaction at the intersection: The young
woman brought her left hand across her
body and placed it on her gray designer
bag as she passed me.
Then, she smiled in my direction.
I might add that the young woman had a
stringy, dirty blonde shade of hair. I
thought about it for a hot second. And,
addressed it.
My response?
You don’t want to know.
And, I would imagine this very same
young woman would consider herself to
be “liberal”. She might even think of
herself as a “hipster”. Who knows?
But, it’s a reason why #ImNOTWithHer.