Warmth
A boy and a woman have a conversation while waiting to cross the street
Checking the time on my new smartwatch, I came out of the arcade onto the curb, money rattling in my pockets. Waiting for my dad to pick me up, I looked around, taking in the sights. The city was enormous. The lights were bright, and the people were loud. The rains had fallen; everything, everywhere was quite damp and cold. I shuddered as an icy breeze swept past me. A pretty lady came and stood next to me, waiting to cross the road. I chuckled at the sight of her umbrella; she looked at me, and I pointed at her umbrella. It had ‘I ❤ London’ on her umbrella, and we were in the heart of NYC. She looked up, blushed and laughed along with me. A group of people has blocked the intersection, and the vehicles were piling up.
“What’s your name?” she asked. “Jeremy but I like being called Jerry, like the mouse”, I said. She smiled. There was a quiet grace in her smile, lighthearted with assured confidence. “Do you study nearby?” “Yes, I go to the New Angel’s Catholic School. I go to 5th grade next week with straight A’s.” I said, feeling proud. “Isn’t that adorable!” she said, wrinkles accentuating the twinkle in her eyes. She proceeded to fiddle with her iPhone and started playing ‘Uptown Funk’ by Bruno Mars. “Do you want to sing along?” she asked. We sang the whole song on that curb. I loved it. Maybe this is how having a mother would have been. Another cold breeze swept through us. The police had managed to disperse the crowd of people, and the cars started zooming by towards their destinations.
She bent down and gave me a high-five before she finally crossed. Rays of light peeked through the clouds. Maybe this city can be warm after all.
