Old Woman

Today I came home from work, much as I do most days. Shortly thereafter, I had to run out to take care of a small errand. On my way out the door, I found an old woman sitting on my front step reading the newspaper. I looked at her quizzically, and she said, “I’m just resting a moment, I got out of the hospital a couple days ago.”  I replied, “That’s fine,” and continued on my merry way. After about a block, it dawned on me that this was the first time I’d actually spoken to another person all day long. It was a sobering thought to realize that the most interaction I had had with another human being consisted entirely of deciding not to kick a crippled old lady off my stoop. I briefly toyed with the idea of calling the police, just so I’d have someone else to talk to. Ah, well. Another lost opportunity.
-TC