Saturday 24 October 2009

Guardian Angels

Bell rings, he dumps his books atop his locker and runs to fetch his lunchbox. A long day, tiring stretches of class after class after class and only a few faces to talk to and trust. He has to sprint to the doctor now, on the other side of the city. He plugs his headphones in, and walks downhill to the tram. Today's weather is nice, cool but sunny. Yesterday it had been downpouring, and he had eaten candy with his sister in the rain. The colours would melt onto their hands and faces, unintentionally tie-dyeing their clothes.
After a long tram ride, he hops off and takes the bus. Then, after a long bus ride, he walks several streets. The hospital is near his house, and he's been to it several times, but he never manages to find it. He ends up somewhere on Floridablanca and now he knows he's too far. A few metres ahead he sees a woman strolling with a Down's Syndrome teen. He walks behind them, and knows he has to ask somebody where Calle Manso is. He accelerates, and when he stops to talk to them he realises they were speaking in English. So he asks:
"Sorry, do you guys know the way to, uhm, Calle Manso?"
The mother responds, "Oh! Well, we're going that way, we can take you. Are you going to the hospital?" A conversation starts. The guy asks "Mom, is he a friend?" His mom responds that he's just an acquaintance, possibly to spare him the embarassment. The boy asks "But what's his name?" His mom tells him to ask him himself, and he does. "Felipe", he responds. "Felipe... Hi, my name's Scott."
Once we got to the hospital I thanked them, and said bye to Scott. I wanted to ask for their phone number, or give them mine, but I was embarassed. Was it right to do so, or would it make me look like a stalker? I don't know, but I didn't, and I honestly regret it. Things like this make me wonder if, on the most unsuspecting of days, there are people up there who lay everything out for you, but leave you to take care of what they have laid out. Many a time things have worked way too perfectly on the strangest of days, those days where you're about to lose hope and don't really expect anything great to happen but embrace them for their normality. I do regret not giving them a phone number, taking Scott out to the movies one day, becoming friends. I do regret it, and if I could go back I would skip out on social conventions and take the risk. I'm hoping that, on another day like yesterday, the stars will align and another small miracle will occur, somewhere.

4 comments:

Jamie Wang said...

:) what a nice epiphany.

why were you going to the hospital?

Peperina said...

Increíble, me encantó. Justo acabo de escribir algo muy parecido. Me llegó, y además me pasó un par de veces y es como no sé, no me salen las palabras para describirlo
Pero en tu short essay estan, entrelazadas, en la semántica de las oraciones
Au revoir, mon ami :)

Anonymous said...

el burning man me enseñó a dejar de lado esas inhibiciones, es cuestión de hacerlo una vez, y que salga bien. y ya está :)

Ami said...

muy lindo feli, muy linda description al principio. por si no lo ves a scott, de esto se aprende, para que la proxima, no te quedes arrepentido...