The End of the Beginning
There are parts of us I see in every road I pass by. Deluz road, where we would walk to the park and had our first date. Santiago street, I can still see the curb you hit when you were learning to back into Johnny's drive away, our best friend. Its hard to believe that the same city I loved has become the place I despise the most. The memories start flooding back to me, reminding me of a past that once was and the present that does not include you & me.
I take a deep breathe and exhale. The brakes to my father's old ford F-250 squeak to a stop at the red light. I start to come up with a list and the top priority being these breaks to replace. The seventy-degree, San Diego weather is welcoming as I roll the window down. Pedestrians are hurriedly moving across the street before the signal light changes. Everyone is crossing the other side of the street except two. There's a little girl holding onto her grandma's fragile arm. I can see the car behind me creeping closer either it does not see these pedestrians or they are in a rush to go no where because nothing is as important that would make me move my truck before seeing these two make it to the other end safely. I look in my rearview mirror and see a middle aged, balding man in a mercedes raise his eye brows. Wherever he's going, he's late to. Not my problem.
The light turns green and just as I expected the car behind me starts to honk. I extend my arm, to splay my hand out, showing that I'm waiting. "COME ONNNN" the man gets upset, which makes the little girl more worried. She's trying to motivate her grandma to move faster. The honking continues and just as I am about to tell him something, I hear a voice I've known all too well my whole life.
"HEY, BUDDY. Can't you see, there's a family trying to cross the road. What's the matter with you? Have some humanity, you're not going to get where you want to go fast enough if you cause an accident or injury." Her hatred fueled eyes were like daggers focused on the man. I can see him take a gulp at her honesty and truth. My heart clenches at the sight of her and I can't seem to move or speak. I deliver speeches and lead teams into burning buildings for a living but hearing her again, I've turned into the same eighteen-year-old fool I once was. She's turned her attention from him to my truck then to my side mirror. Her eyes wide with the same shock. Damn those radiant brown eyes.
